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Misunderstood - There is a general belief that wasps serve no purpose in the world, that they are just a less cute version of a bee that stings more. Well, wasps are actually invaluable to our ecosystem and many of the rumors about them aren’t true.

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Sting - Let’s first clear up one of the biggest myths about wasps, that they are naturally aggressive. They are not. They only sting under certain circumstances.

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Late summer -

Most people are stung in late summer because this is when the wasps are preparing to hibernate. In this period, a lot of the wasps die and there is no more breeding.

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Late summer - The wasps who are left behind are very hungry because there is less food at the end of the summer. In addition, their nestmates are dying, which stresses and confuses them.

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Late summer - When they are hungry and confused, they are more likely to sting when humans try and swat them. Wasps are not naturally aggressive–it is only when you try to kill them that they do become hostile.

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Territorial - Wasps, like bees, have nests. One thing that will make a wasp sting you is going too near its nest. It is a protective mechanism to protect the species and is not that surprising. You wouldn't like it if some monster came near your home!

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Food - Most wasps eat bugs such as greenflies and caterpillars. They're not after humans or our pets, clearly.

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Pest control - They are absolutely crucial to the environment because they work as natural pest controllers. If you want to buy organic, then you should really support wasps too.

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Pest control - Indeed, with the rise of organic produce, more and more farmers are trying to bring wasps in to keep the insect population on farms low.

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Produce - There are two huge benefits to using wasps. Firstly, they can take the place of nasty chemicals that are usually sprayed on vegetables to kill little beasties that munch on them.

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Killing - When smaller pests are killed by chemicals, the whole food chain is disrupted. Their bodies are not turned into nutrients by being food for any other animal, so they die without utility.

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Environment - Secondly, pesticides are terrible for the environment. While they kill the pests, they also contaminate the surrounding earth and water. This means that many other animals are killed, such as birds, fish, and microorganisms.

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Human body - When humans don’t wash their vegetables well, we ingest the pesticides. In the short term, they can cause dizziness, rashes, and the like.

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Human body - Long-term consumption of pesticides can also cause long-term effects that are much more serious. These include reproductive, neurological, and developmental problems, birth defects, and cancer.

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Disease - Wasps are also protecting humans from disease. They kill pests that spread human diseases such as spiders, mosquitoes, and flies. 

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Cancer research -

There is now a lot of research going into a specific species of wasp named the Polybia paulista. It contains a very special kind of venom.

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Cancer research - The toxin, Polybia-MP1, found in the wasp’s venom, has the ability to destroy cancer cells while leaving normal cells alone. Researchers are excited about the implications of it in cancer research.

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Pollinators - Many people believe that wasps are not pollinators like bees are. However, they most certainly are. In fact, researchers have found that they are the exclusive pollinators of some species of orchid.

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Figs - The most impressive mechanism that wasps have for pollinating is what they do with the fig tree. You may have noticed that wasps love figs, but this is not just because they have a sweet tooth.

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Figs - The fig tree fully relies on wasps to reproduce because their flowers are on the inside. The female wasp buries herself in a male fig (yes, there are female and male figs). She lays her eggs in the female part of the reproductive plant system.

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Figs - As she lays her eggs, the pollen on her body fertilizes the fig so that the seeds can turn into saplings. The eggs turn into larvae and soon fly away from the fig. The fig seeds can now turn into a tree. The baby wasps have pollen on them so they can go fertilize more figs.

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Figs - If the female wasp accidentally burrows inside a female fig she still pollinates it, however, she does not lay her eggs. The wasp dies and the fig produces enzymes that completely absorb the body of the wasp. So don’t worry, your tongue won’t be stung.

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Fun facts - Wasp nests are amazing structures. They are similar to beehives but instead are made out of a flakey wooden material. This is created by the queen wasp chewing on wood and regurgitating it.

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Recognition - Every wasp has a very unique facial pattern. They recognize each other because of the patterns on their faces.

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Social or not? - There are two types of varieties of wasps and over 30,000 species. Social wasps use their sting to defend themselves. Solitary wasps use their sting as a weapon for hunting food.

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Sting - Only the female wasp has a stinger. It is actually her egg-laying organ that doubles as a stinger to protect the next generation of wasps. What an amazing defense mechanism!

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Clever - Researchers have found that wasps are capable of using logic. They can be given two different pieces of information and use them to draw a conclusion. They are the only invertebrate so far that scientists believe use logical deduction.

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Population - Sadly, wasps are dying out as fast as bees are because of humans. The extinction of wasps would have deleterious effects on the environment.

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How to help - Don’t kill them! When wasps land on your skin, it is usually just to smell you. If you leave them, they will fly away.

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Nests - If you find a nest in your garden, do not just gas it out. Wait for the queen wasp to leave then fill it with soil. This way she can make another nest somewhere else and another queen won’t fill that particular nest.

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Insecticides and pesticides -

To stop harming them, use fewer insecticides and pesticides in your garden. Also, try and buy organic fruit and vegetables.

Sources: (BBC) (Canadian Wildlife Federation) ( ThoughtCo.)

See also: Fun, easy ways to help bees this summer

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