I’m, understandably, asked lots of natural history questions by friends and family, some of which are purposefully set to wind me up, like - ‘what’s the point of…...?’ It is usually a question that warrants a long philosophical answer about our ‘modern-world’ relationship with nature. In my callow days I’d try and do the question justice with a thorough scientific and moralist response. ‘Alright, I only asked’ was a common reply. Now, when faced with: What’s the point of mosquitoes? Or slugs? Or fleas? (It’s always invertebrates!) I stick to a simple childish ‘Well quite a lot really, what’s the point of you?’ Harsh, but often fair.    

Wasps are always a hard sell, often being both feared and loathed. In late summer they gather in ever increasing numbers and appear to target the human race, particularly those picnicking or at their neighbour’s barbecue. Nearly all of us have been stung at least once, and it hurts. Accounts of people being stung hundreds of times, or dying from anaphylactic shock, appear on occasion in the news. Wasp stings are an occupational hazard in wildlife conservation work, I once cut straight through a wasp nest with a brush-cutter, resulting in 22 stings and meriting a painfully scribbled note in the accident book. I clearly recall my first wasp sting, I was in Lorenzo’s back garden and, unknowingly, sharing a fizzy drink with a rather angry and covetous one; not surprisingly I got stung on the bottom lip. It was from Lorenzo’s Sicilian mother that I learned that Vespa isn’t just a Mod’s beloved ornamented scooter.  

Despite these frequent run-ins with the common wasp, I do admire the species and I love their no-nonsense attitude, particularly towards us. It also seems that there is a multitude of insect species that admire the wasp too, attempting to convince potential predators that they also have a sting in their tail, by mimicking the black and yellow ‘warning’ hoops. If it’s true, that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then our dear common wasp must be sick with excess of it.  A host of fly, beetle, moth and even spider species attempt to convince the world that they are as pugnacious and quick to temper as el Vespa. We too have adopted the wasp as a symbol of fearless defiance, which has led to sports teams, battle ships and army regiments adopting them as their emblem. They are firmly embedded in our language as a creature that is willing to fight back.                  

With the onset of high summer, an answer to ‘what’s the point of wasps?’ is demanded of me more frequently, often prompted by one swimming free-style in a gin and tonic, or several returning time and again in a sortie on the summer pudding, despite attempts to a whip them out of the air with a tea towel. The hero of the hour, who does succeed to swat one, only manages to summon retribution from the ten or so that turn up for its funeral! If you want to avoid being stung, keep calm and dress down. Wasps get riled by loud noise, sudden movement and bright colours (so sing and dance in a Hawaiian shirt at your peril). Every kind of event, be it the village fair, cricket match supper or a pint in the pub garden, wasps are there alongside us, willing to enjoy, and fight for, the delights we provide.    

So, okay, ‘what is the point of wasps?’ There are approximately 9,000 species of wasp recorded in the UK, and they come in many shapes, sizes and colours. Some cause galls in plants, others live in colonies, and a great many are parasitoids of other insects. They fill every habitat, have varied and complex lifestyles and, importantly for us, most don’t sting. The legions of wasp species, and their millions of individuals, generally go about their business unnoticed by the vast majority of people. It is Vespula vulgaris – even its scientific name sounds aggressive – that spends the summer doing battle with us.  

The common wasp, like all creatures, has it place and purpose. They nectar on flowers, helping with pollination. They perform as a natural pesticide, with the sterile female workers gathering huge quantities of insects, particularly aphids and black fly. They will also take carrion, which helps in the decomposition cycle. This harvest of protein by the worker wasps provides the nourishment needed by the colonies developing larvae.            

What’s fascinating is that the worker wasps are fed on a sweet liquid that is secreted by the larvae. They feed the larvae and the larvae feeds them. These well-fed grubs would make a tasty meal for any insectivore, so the workers take the care of their wards very seriously, stinging any possible intruder. They also squirt a pheromone on the attacker, this invites other wasps to sting it too. And unlike bees they can sting multiple times.          

At the end of the summer the matured larvae leave the nest, thus releasing the workers from servitude. It’s now that we become more aware of wasps in larger numbers. Fertile males are feeding for the strength to mate, fertile females need to build fat reserves to survive the winter and start new colonies in the spring, and the freed workers are just looking for a good time. Without the sugar source from the now metamorphosed larvae, they settle for fallen fruit to get their sugar fix. Effectively drunk from fermented apples and plums, they are on the look-out for ever sweeter things. No wonder they are aggressive, they’re ‘hangry’, and of course the trouble really begins when they come gate-crashing into our party.    

Despite us nodding knowingly at the great apes, I can’t help thinking we have far more in common with the wasp. The difference being they fit neatly into the planets eco-system without causing pollution, extinction and climate change. So, what’s the point of wasps?  Well, as they say diplomatically in Chambers, ‘I’ll refer the questioner to the answer I gave previously’.

Wasps are essential to the healthy functioning of the environment, even a small urban garden will have dozens of different species living within it. They can be great for controlling unwanted pest species, such as aphids so are very helpful to gardeners. By providing a bug hotel or a small area of bare ground you could attract mason wasps and other interesting species. If you are concerned about a common wasp nest in, or around, your house please ensure that you seek professional help in dealing with it. As well as being dangerous to interfere with the nest, some species are perfectly harmless and could be quite rare, so proper identification is important before the nest is destroyed.