Unpopular wasps are as vital to crops as the lovable bee

Don’t kill them is the message from scientists trying to save the species

WASPS have long been reviled by humanity, but scientists at University College London (UCL) are trying to rehabilitate their image to prevent them from dying out.

Far from being the picnicsullying, sting-happy nuisances that ruin many a summer gathering, conservationists argue that the insects are crucial for pollination and should be given the same respect as bees.

The team want people to live with wasp nests rather than calling in exterminators and plant “wasp friendly” gardens with plenty of shelter and long grass.

“It’s clear we have a very different emotional connection to wasps than to bees – we have lived in harmony with bees for a very long time, domesticating some species, but human-wasp interactions are often unpleasant as they ruin picnics and nest in our homes,” said Dr Seirian Sumner, one of the study’s authors from UCL.

“Despite this, we need to actively overhaul the negative image of wasps to protect the ecological benefits they bring to our planet. They face a similar decline to bees and that is something the world can’t afford.”

Wasps, like bees, are crucial to Britain’s ecology and economy, helping to fertilise flowers and crops, and keeping down pests and insects

The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), above, is in decline

that carry diseases. But like bees, populations of wasps have collapsed by around 50 per cent in just 20 years due to pesticides and disease.

A survey of more than 700 people by UCL found that while bees were muchloved, wasps were universally despised.

The top three words used to describe bees were “honey”, “flowers” and “buzz”, while for wasps people chose “sting”, “annoying” and “pain”.

The study also found that wasps were an unpopular choice of insect for research.

Of 908 published scientific papers on the two species since 1980, 2.4 per cent were about wasps, while 97.6 per cent were about bees.

The dislike of wasps, the researchers said, was shaped by yellowjackets and hornets that were most likely to come into contact with humans. The majority of wasps – in excess of 75,000 species – are solitary. The UCL team said simple actions could increase wasp survival.

“Avoid killing them!” said Dr Alessandro Cini, the report’s co-author.

“If you have a nest, try to live with it rather than killing it. Kill the nest only if it is really a danger for you or other people.

“Do not use insecticides in your gardens, do not cut the grass too much. Old and hollow trees are good for wasps to build their nests in hidden and safe places. Global concern about the decline of pollinators has resulted in a phenomenal level of public interest in, and support of, bees. It would be fantastic if this could be mirrored for wasps.” The research was published in the journal Ecological Entomology.

It seems we owe wasps an apology. We have swatted them with rolled-up copies of The Daily Telegraph, enticed them to drown in jam jars, trodden on them and sprayed them with insect repellent. We have taken their name in vain to describe a particularly petulant individual as waspish. Charles Darwin went so far as to suggest they performed no worthwhile function. But scientists at University College, London say they have been misunderstood. Yes, they may ruin al-fresco dining, but they bring ecological benefits by helping to pollinate flowers and crops. Populations have collapsed in recent years and they need to be revived. The boffins want the wasps to be accorded the same respect as bees. When they provide a few jars of honey they will be. Until then, we should give them a stay of execution.