I have learned thru my years of gardening that wasps and hornets are a good thing to have around, not just bees. Not only do they help pollinate flowers, they are predators to some of the most annoying garden pests. I think I’ve counted at least 7 different wasp species in my garden this summer, they’ve done a great job keeping the larger pest populations manageable.
wasp propaganda
The wasp stings me to protect its family, I kill the wasp to protect mine. Glad it’s me who’s the giant.
That was the one that made me realize I’d outgrown the series. Dunno if old RL was really phoning that one in or what, but one of his chapter cliffhangers ended with “and the dragonfly bit me in half!” Then the next chapter started with “But it was just my imagination.”
Truly. Everyone knows that once a dragonfly sets its sights on you, your chances of survival are nil. Gary stood no chance.
Common wasp and germanicus vespula (european wasp) are both considered pest. Both dont pollinate. And both kill and destroy other friendly species when they do not harass you to steal your food. Same for asiatic and common hornet.
All other wasp and hornet like the blue hornet are friendly and help the ecosystem. But you will rarely encounter them cause they let you the fuck alone and mind their own business…
They ARE in fact both pollinators! I get the wasp hate, but they are rather misunderstood, that’s what the meme is about! Depending on the region you live in, learn which wasp and bee species are invasive in your area and support the native ones (including the common wasp and germanicus vespula).
I try to give paper wasps a pass if I randomly see them, but if they come inside or start a nest in outdoor equipment, they’re gone. They only get consideration because they’re pollinators and generally not aggressive, but they still will attack so my patience is thin.
This waZZp propaganda is getting out of control! We need to censor it! Block Wasp Today and Waspnik right now!
Bees will warn you if you get too close, and if they run into you will fly off on their own or otherwise avoid you.
I used to work near a mall with a fountain where one edge of it would always have water splashing up. Place near there had honeybees. In the dry summers there would always be bees chilling out and enjoying the cold fountain water on the ledge, usually next to human workers also on lunch.
Wasps intentionally get in your face and will sting you because you had the gall to exist in their flight path.
The wasps local to me will literally chase people, it’s nuts. You can practically hear them saying “Come at be bro! Wait come back here I wasn’t finished with you”. I can’t even have picnics certain times of the year because of them, because instead of just making a run for the food like other bugs they like to chase you away first. I once had to finish my little caesars in the car because a wasp was trying to get between me and my pie in the park. I was literally watching the fucker throw it’s body into my windshield repeatedly as I continued eating in safety, and it didn’t stop until I drove away. Psychotic man. I don’t mess with wasps. Our bees are awesome though.
Really depends on the type of wasp. Most of the ones local to me seem chill if stupid. They’ll smack right into you or get in your hair and as long as you don’t swat at them, they’ll eventually fly away.
Not sure how aggressive the wasps are in the US, but for Europe this isn’t really true. We have a nest of European wasps (similar to yellowjackets) in our garden and they really couldn’t care less about us humans. I can stand in their flight path and they just fly around me. But I’m also not as easily panicked as other people so that certainly helps…
I think wasps and hornets are beautiful, fascinating creatures. Most of them don’t mess with me even a few inches from a nest. There are one or two species that are looking for war and get the spray.
Honest question: how do the typical bees (the big ones used for honey production) negatively affect native bee populations? Competition for polen?
You basically got it. European honey bees consume the already dwindling nectar and pollen resources for North American native pollinators. Furthermore, European honey bees are also worse at actually pollinating North American flowers because they did not co-evolve with the species we have here.
They’re problematic even in their native range because people keep too many of them and they compete with other important pollinators, often other bee species. Honey bees don’t pollinate all species they take pollen and nectar from and those species are then not visited by their specialised pollinators, leading to decrease in numbers of both plants and pollinators.
Arent those conflicting statements? How can they be taking up all the pollen AND be worse pollinators?
Just because you waste 80% of the food you get doesn’t mean you can’t still be twice as fast as everyone else at getting new food!
Do the flowers get pollinated? That seems like the important part.
They often don’t. Honey bees are surprisingly good at collecting pollen of many plant species without transfering it to other flowers and pollinating them.
They are not conflicting but I can see how you might think that. Pollen is plant sperm. In order for pollination to occur many plants have special needs. The pollen has to be “picked up” and transferred to the female stigma. One example of how honeybees take nectar but don’t pollinate flowers are flowers that require “buzz pollinating”.
Hope that clears things up. Happy to answer anymore questions (I am just someone who is passionate about nature I’m not a professional or anything).
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The bottom picture doesn’t make the top picture any less true.
*Beeality
Also, wasps will just sting you because “fuck you.” Fuck that. Burn in heck.
i’ve met some friendly wasps, heck i’ve met more friendly wasps then the evil ones
Shut up, wasp
bzz you!
*stings your ass*
AWAB
WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?!? >:3
*turns off bodycam*
*stings you vigorously*
Wasps stung a man in Reno just to watch him cry.
I don’t think I was ever stung by a wasp, and I even held one in my hand once.
I have the same experience. I act very carefully around them not to threaten them. I also put a tiny bit of my food on the side for them when they get interested - I love watching them eat. They’re like little insect tigers - striped, fierce, but tiny!
I’ve had a wasp fly up to me, land on me, sting me, and fly off, for no fucking reason! It has happened more than once. They’re assholes.
Are you the wasp whisperer? The wasperer?
I send them after my enemies.
They don’t do that with me. A wasp stung me once because it was in my shoe, so I was obviously perceived as a threat when trying to put it on. I think there was another time but I don’t remember, I might’ve touched it first as well. The rest of the time, wasps seem to respect me, and it’s mutual. I’ve had wasps centimetres away from my face, but I never flinch and I’ve never regretted not flinching. Took more hits from people trying to kill wasps than from the wasps themselves.
And I’ve had a wasp sting me just because I deserve to get fucked, I suppose. It just flew up, landed on my hand, sting me, then fucked off back to whichever circle of hell whence it emerged. There were dozens of other people around, but the allergic teenager was the only one who needed to have their weekend ruined.
It was me actually, I turned into a wasp and travelled through time to sting you because your comment annoyed me.
I was camping with some friends ( all around 13 years old ) and one of my friends, the only allergic one in the group, sat on a wasp nest that was attached to a piece of trunk. The poor guy was stung all over. Luckily we were nearby a hospital and we were able laugh it off a few days later.
Okay, but bumblebees are the best though. Even fluffier than honey bees, and they almost never sting humans.
Sadly they’re also one of the types of bee that’s losing out in their native habitats to human supported honey bees.
Carpenter bees
Carpenter bees are also cool. Not as fluffy as bumblebees though.
Shiny hiney
Ok fair but of the choices to have buzzing near me, I’m still picking the bee every time.
