Wasps: Your Yard, Garden, and Landscape Friend

“It is not going to hurt you. They are friends.” This is a phrase I use often when discussing

wasps, and it is usually met with horrified looks. People frequently share stories about wasps

being aggressive or about times they were stung. I patiently listen, often commenting that when I

have been stung, it was usually my fault. Then, I will share a few teaching moments from my

life.

My Experience with Wasps

I owned a house in Kansas City, MO, with an amazing walkout basement where I stored all my

gardening supplies. Shortly after purchasing the house, a small red paper wasp nest began to be

built in the upper corner of the basement doorway. I left it alone, and the nest grew. Initially, the

wasps scattered and flew around whenever I opened the door. I would wait for them to calm

down before passing through. Over time, their behavior changed; they went from flaring their

wings at me to completely ignoring my presence by the end of the summer. I left the nest each

year, and never once was I stung. Eventually, with each passing generation, they stopped

showing any aggression towards me and even helped eliminate garden pests, a benefit I

will discuss later.

When I moved back to Oklahoma, I lived in a duplex with a bay window facing the street.

Shortly after moving in, a yellow jacket began building a nest against the window. I enjoyed

watching the nest and observing the larvae hatch and grow. My neighbor, who had children, was

understandably concerned since yellow jackets are more aggressive. We discussed it and turned

it into a teaching moment for my neighbor, their children, and eventually all the children on the

street. Soon, curious children and adults were visiting to watch the nest grow and observe the

larvae inside. We all learned about the benefits of these wasps and how they ignored us. It was

a wonderful, educational experience for the neighborhood. In winter, I removed the nest to

prevent next year’s queen from returning to the same spot.

The Benefits of Wasps in Your Garden

In Kansas City, I left the wasps for a particularly important reason. I had a large garden, and with

any garden come pests. Many wasp species hunt pest insects to feed their larvae. With the red

paper wasp nest thriving in my basement doorway, my garden no longer had caterpillars

munching away at it, and many other pests disappeared as well.

In Oklahoma, I used the yellow jacket nest as a teaching tool. It was a way to show children and

their parents that people can live in harmony with even aggressive species of wasps. I was able to

demonstrate to two generations the stages of growth of this amazing invertebrate. It became a

fun, educational interaction with my neighborhood.

The Role of Wasps in Nature

Most wasps are solitary and private, typically attracted to specific prey. Social wasps, those that

live in colonies, are generalists and hunt a wide variety of insects and pests to feed their

larvae. Both types are beneficial to have in your yard.

Wasps are excellent hunters in our gardens. Some wasp species cannot sting humans but are

parasitic towards pest organisms. These parasitic wasps lay their eggs on other invertebrates.

Their larvae hatch and consume the pest organism, effectively removing pests from our valued

plants.

Wasps also serve another crucial function in nature: they are pollinators. Most adult wasps

consume nectar and pollen. While they do not have the hairs that bees do, they still inadvertently

move pollen from flower to flower as they forage (Dickerson, 2020). If you pay attention to your

flowers, you might see wasps flitting about with bees, butterflies, and moths. Many plant species

rely on specific wasp species for pollination (Brock, 2016).

Wasps in the Food Chain

An often-overlooked role of wasps is their importance in the food chain. Many bird species

consume them, as do other invertebrates such as robber flies, and some small

mammals. By poisoning these useful insects, you may inadvertently put other creatures in

danger (Lowe, 2011).

Conclusion

Wasps may have a bad reputation, but they are beneficial friends in our yards, gardens, and

landscapes. They help control pest populations, pollinate plants, and play a vital role in the

ecosystem. By understanding and respecting these fascinating insects, we can learn to coexist

with them and appreciate their contributions to our environment.

References

Brock, R. (2016, July 12). In defense of wasps: Why squashing them comes with a sting in the tale. The Conversation.

https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-wasps-why-squashing-them-

comes-with-a-sting-in-the-tale-60729

Dickerson, L. (2020, September 8). Wasps are pollinators too. OSU Extension Service.

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/pollinators/wasps-are-pollinators-

too#:~:text=Even%20though%20they%20don’t,quite%20impactful%20to%20our%20ecosystem

Lowe, C. (2011, March 12). Things that eat wasps & bees. Sciencing.

https://sciencing.com/what-eats-cockroaches-12542563.html