To celebrate the wasps have returned 👏

[Goingmadddd]

Until This year I did not understand the purpose of wasps.

If you didn’t know… they eat flies.

And after the WORST fly year in history. I had so many different species I actually tried to count them all. Who is celebrating the return of the wasps with me?

Stripy Bastards can fuck right off .. I kill nothing other than flies and wasps

I got stung and had a reaction, so I’m scared of them now.
And I was minding my own business when it happened.

Suddenly out of nowhere today, after seeing none for months, six of them were trying to get inside our electric BBQ! (Don't mock, but yes it is like a large outdoor George Foreman grill! 😂) Huge interruption to dinner, and we wondered if they thought it was a nest?!

Horrible things. Was stung for no reason under the arm as a child. So painful!

What magical plant is this?!

Top work with the LEGO ladder and the bee rescue!!

You’re right and the water discolours so quickly with stones. I don’t have LEGO but maybe sticks would work?

It’s a good question I will now Google.

But it’s defo a thing. Never known such an infestation and hadn’t really realised until I went on holiday to France and not a single fly!

Then on return I saw an article blaming the loss of wasps for the fly deluge. Something to do with a cold snap in spring.

Ok Google says they eat the fly larvae. So pre-maggots maybe?

But then also saw this.. https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildlife.gardening.forum/posts/2569548850059393/

So apparently they can catch some flies in mid flight.

I am going to guess either cat mint or tecrium?

Is this a reverse by a wasp?

One of the buzzy little bastards stung toddler DS yesterday and his hand was like a balloon, so no celebration from me. I hate spiders but they dispatch flies too and I’ll take them over wasps any day of the week.

Ds has a phobia and we are on hols where wasps visit every time we sat down outside. I spent days helping him calm down and he eventually stayed still but I could see his fists clenched and he was really being brave. I reassured him they would leave and everything would be OK when one bastard decided to sting his brother sitting right beside him who was minding his own business. So the phobia is back...

They serve an important function. They’re still mad fucking cunts.

Nah theyre now at the stage where theyre not useful in killing flies. All they want is sugar as theyve been kicked from nest duties and are in their villian era now

I understand they have a purpose, but unfortunately I have a phobia of them. Come summer my windows are shut, I won’t wear any form of scent or drink from cans. I won’t eat outside in cafes since I left my lunch untouched and ran off in Luxembourg because they descended on our table. I hate their stripes 😣 If anyone has any tips on conquering wasp phobia I’d love to hear them

Yes I thought this until one stung my 3 year old yesterday who was just sat eating her ice cream and it just flew at her and stung her on the leg.

Assuming you’re not allergic, getting stung may help? I used to be much more afraid of them than before I was stung as an adult and realised it was just a bit annoying and uncomfortable for an hour but ultimately no big deal. Now I just hate them, I’m not actively scared of them.

I watched some a few weeks ago as the collected little balls of tuna from a discarded sandwich to take back to their nests, it was amazing!

One randomly landed on my then 2yo's face and stung him just below the eye. No food to tempt it, just a nasty aggressive stingy September wasp in twat mode.

Poor DS looked so swollen and miserable afterwards.

Hope your 3yo is ok now.

I'd rather have flies than wasps, tbh.

Thank fuck for that, I’ll be welcoming them with a fanfare! After being bombarded with numerous flies yesterday, I noticed we only had three in today…I thought it might be the magical powers of my peppermint spray all over the window frames but maybe the wasps have scoffed them 👏🏻

I am not scared of them. I have never been stung so might feel different. I filmed one suckling on a dandelion the other day. It was fantastic watching it so close zoomed in the long tongue. 🐝

Absolutely hate them with a passion.
Accidentally stood on a wasps nest when I was a child - stung many times (haven't forgotten).
Through the years, have been stung quite a few times (no provocation on my part).
If I think I'm going to be stung, will kill it if possible.
And - they murder bees.

I’ve been stung and didn’t find it too painful. It’s their stripy bodies that hang down, the way they hover and swoop around, their creepy legs…😖 yeuch. Spiders don’t bother me in the slightest for some reason

I wonder if they go for certain blood over others. My DS has never been stung, he has a massive fear of getting stung, he’d run into traffic to avoid one. I remember a friends child being stung above the lip. It looked very painful.

@chimichangaz i think small sticks or twigs would be a perfect escape route 🙂