116 A Common wasp lands on a raspberry flower. Wasps are increasingly recognised as valuable pollinators, feeding on high-energy nectar.
NATURE’S ARMY OF STRIPED HELPERS Considered a nuisance when gatecrashing picnics, the Common wasp plays an important role by feeding on crop-harming pests IT IS A hot, muggy summer day, and with a high-pressure system poised over the country, the weather is likely to stay fine for the next few days: perfect for picnics and barbecues. With birdsong now more or less over for the season, insects are the main summer soundtrack. Bumblebees buzz purposefully along the edges of fields in search of nectar; grasshoppers and crickets chirp their high-pitched songs from the long grass; and Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper butterflies are on the wing. But another, less welcome, yet no less important, insect is also out and about: the Common wasp, Vespula vulgaris. As the sun rises in the clear blue <strong>July</strong> sky, they emerge from their nest and begin to forage for food. And suddenly, outdoor dining does not seem such a good idea after all. Wasps are attracted to sweetness, and cakes, fizzy drinks, relishes and ketchup all act as a magnet for these striped creatures. They have a very acute sense of smell and can detect sugars, whether natural, such as nectar, or man-made, as with our food and drink, and then home in on the source. Thousands of wasps There is not just one kind of ‘wasp’: there are more than 7,000 different species living in the UK alone, which is more than there are species of mammal on the planet, and “Lord, clear my misted sight that I May hence view Thy divinity, Some sparks whereof thou up dost hasp Within this little downy wasp” there are more than 100,000 species of wasp worldwide. The definition of a ‘wasp’ is, however, rather vague: any insect in the order Hymenoptera that is neither a bee nor an ant. Britain’s wasps range from tiny creatures, just a few millimetres long, to the hornet, which can reach a length of more than 1in (28mm). Globally, the largest wasp is the Asian Giant hornet, Vespa mandarinia, with a length of more than 2in (5cm), although another species, the Giant Scoliid wasp of Indonesia, › A natural nest built onto a fennel plant, which is a favourite of wasps. The nests start from the size of a walnut and can grow as big as a football. Edward Taylor, ‘Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold’ 117