LandScape July 21

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 July 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’
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