Wasps are an incredibly versatile creature, scientists have recently dated the wasp to of been on the planet for over 100million years surviving all types of extreme weathers including the ice age. There are well over 100,000 different species of wasp including Megaphragma mymaripenne, the smallest winged creature known to man and is in fact the third smallest insect we know of. The smallest insect known is also a type of wasp, Dicopomorpha echmepterygis but this is wingless.

So it is evident wasps are very versatile, but do they have any benefits? Of course they do! With so many different types of wasp all serving their own purpose in life, I will concentrate on the three wasps most commonly found in the UK – the European wasp or German wasp, (vespula germanica,),the common wasp, (vespula vulgaris) and the European hornet (vespa crabro). The hornet is in fact a species of wasp

These three species of wasps are not natural pollinators like the honey bee but do have very fine hairs on their legs and so are capable of limited pollination. wasps do not use flowers as their food source but will look for prey amongst plants such as caterpillars, green fly and other small insects. This too is not the food source for wasps but is used to feed the newly hatched grubs within the nest, in return the grubs secrete a sweet substance which is what the adult wasps will feed upon.

So wasps consume a huge quantity of small insects, a natural insecticide for the gardener and also help somewhat with pollination. As with every creature on this planet wasps are here for a reason, they are also a food source for other creatures and play an important part in our very complex eco system.

Unfortunately for the wasp they possess a rather painful sting and have a very sweet tooth, these two combined have led to the wasp being the most disliked of all British Insects. The reason for this is the wasps diet, because the wasp cannot digest meat and lives upon the sweet secretion from the grubs, once there are no more grubs the wasps have no food & therefore go in search of it.

In there quest for food wasps will inadvertently cross our paths, picnics, pub lunches and barbecues to name but a few are ideal spots for the wasps to get the sweet foods they crave. Rotting fallen fruit is another real favourite for the wasps, but due to the fermentation process that fallen fruit goes through, it intoxicates the wasps that eat it. We now have very drunk wasps looking for a bite to eat.

Wasp nest removal is an essential measure that must be taken with wasps, an average nest can produce over 2,000 new queens for the next season ahead & so without wasp control we would be over-run with wasps in no time at all. They undoubtedly have a purpose in life but towards the end of the year wasps become a real pest.

Please feel free to take a look at www.wasp-nest-removal.com for further information regarding the control of wasps & hornets, the costs involved for these services and details on what to do if you suspect anaphylactic shock has taken place after you or someone else has been stung.

www.wasp-nest-removal.com