I have some Goldenrod plants in the backyard where every summer a few hundred 5-banded Wasps congregate. The males mob a few plants to show themselves off, covering every leaf and branch and stem until they’re weighing the whole plant down, while the females buzz about checking out the dudes to decide who to mate with.
I’m grateful to support that colony; they’ve been on and around the neighborhood longer than I have, and honestly, they’re pretty chill. They’re not going to attack unless you do first, and they’re pollinators.
And for those people who view a mob of several hundred wasps on a single plant as being “gross”, just chill. They got a right to life like we do <3
I’ve never understood why people think wasps are so aggressive. At least where I live. They are curious like a bumblebee although slightly more persistent in hanging around.
If I am eating food, I leave a bit for them just within arms reach so they feast on that rather than what I’m eating.
They seem pretty chill if you’re willing to share your space and food with them.
Do you live on Big Rock Candy Mountain or possibly heaven itself?
Where I live the wasps are complete fucking assholes and will murder your whole family on accident because they’re such dicks. Also - do they not kill bees? They kill bees. They kill bees. They have chosen violence.
(Yeah, wasps made an enemy for life, one who knows how to use a jar half full of gasoline. Sucks to be them, they should have thought about the consequences of their actions, but they chose poorly.)
Haha that’s one way to solve a cicada problem, replace one nightmare with another! Though I’d argue hundreds of wasps might be slightly worse than the loudest cicada concert imaginable 😄
In all seriousness though, wasps are fascinating as long as they’re not nesting anywhere near you. The moment they set up camp in your garden or roof, it goes from “useful predator” to full-on crisis very fast. A single nest can house thousands of individuals and they don’t mess around when they feel threatened.
Found this detailed guide on wasp and hornet nest behaviour that explains just how quickly things can escalate when a colony gets disturbed, your friend might want to reconsider the “cultivate hundreds of wasps” plan before next cicada season 😂
👉 https://jlm-traitements.fr/nids-de-guepes-et-frelons-dans-le-pas-de-calais-62-dangers-signes-dalerte-et-destruction-securisee/
I have some Goldenrod plants in the backyard where every summer a few hundred 5-banded Wasps congregate. The males mob a few plants to show themselves off, covering every leaf and branch and stem until they’re weighing the whole plant down, while the females buzz about checking out the dudes to decide who to mate with.
I’m grateful to support that colony; they’ve been on and around the neighborhood longer than I have, and honestly, they’re pretty chill. They’re not going to attack unless you do first, and they’re pollinators.
And for those people who view a mob of several hundred wasps on a single plant as being “gross”, just chill. They got a right to life like we do <3
I’ve never understood why people think wasps are so aggressive. At least where I live. They are curious like a bumblebee although slightly more persistent in hanging around.
If I am eating food, I leave a bit for them just within arms reach so they feast on that rather than what I’m eating.
They seem pretty chill if you’re willing to share your space and food with them.
Do you live on Big Rock Candy Mountain or possibly heaven itself?
Where I live the wasps are complete fucking assholes and will murder your whole family on accident because they’re such dicks. Also - do they not kill bees? They kill bees. They kill bees. They have chosen violence.
(Yeah, wasps made an enemy for life, one who knows how to use a jar half full of gasoline. Sucks to be them, they should have thought about the consequences of their actions, but they chose poorly.)
That sounds like extortion though.
My future allies for the future water wars kindly disagree :)
Not a fan of wasps at all…
However, I’ve a friend who had been absolutely MOBBED by cicada’s this year, said it was a nightmare because it was so loud.
Sent him this image and told him he just needs to cultivate hundreds of wasps and he’ll be good next time around. :D
Haha that’s one way to solve a cicada problem, replace one nightmare with another! Though I’d argue hundreds of wasps might be slightly worse than the loudest cicada concert imaginable 😄 In all seriousness though, wasps are fascinating as long as they’re not nesting anywhere near you. The moment they set up camp in your garden or roof, it goes from “useful predator” to full-on crisis very fast. A single nest can house thousands of individuals and they don’t mess around when they feel threatened. Found this detailed guide on wasp and hornet nest behaviour that explains just how quickly things can escalate when a colony gets disturbed, your friend might want to reconsider the “cultivate hundreds of wasps” plan before next cicada season 😂 👉 https://jlm-traitements.fr/nids-de-guepes-et-frelons-dans-le-pas-de-calais-62-dangers-signes-dalerte-et-destruction-securisee/