Wasps are generally thought of as pests, but in fact they are great garden helpers. Here’s the Royal Entomological Society’s guide to wasps in the garden <\/p>
During the summer<\/a> months it can seem wasps\u2019 main role is to disrupt family picnics but these important, incredibly well-adapted, and largely harmless to humans, predators are an incredible asset to gardens. Prof. Seirian Sumner FRES, a British entomologist and behavioural ecologist at University College London, an expert in social wasps and a Trustee of the Royal Entomological Society<\/a> and Fran Sconce, entomologist and Royal Entomological Society Outreach Officer joins us to help change gardeners\u2019 minds.<\/p> You may also like:<\/strong><\/p> There are over 100,000 species of wasps currently described in the world, and in the UK alone there are 7,000 species. Social wasps – yellowjackets and hornets, which are the ones that most people recognise as wasps – account for only around 1,200 of total known species \u2013 and for only 9 in the UK. Most people don\u2019t like wasps because they sting, however it\u2019s worth remembering that bees<\/a> sting too, and yet gardeners love bees because of their pollination services and a long-held view that bees are \u2018useful\u2019. Yet wasps not only provide similar pollination services, but they are also a natural form of pest-control<\/a> and are very efficient decomposers making them extremely \u2018useful\u2019 garden companions.<\/p>