Purposes of wasps

[bunn]

 It would be mean and silly to respond seriously to the question on my Facebook friends list about  'what's the purpose of wasps apart from pissing people off'.   But none the less, I am narked by it. 

1) Species (and groups of species) do not exist just in order to serve or please human beings. Human beings are not the only important thing in the world. Do you really think you, and your own (not undestructive, and often very unattractive) species are that special and important?  Get over yourself! 

2) Wasps are (mostly) predators, and predators exist in ecosystems to keep them in balance so they are not swamped by writhing hordes of prey.  A world without wasps would be a world with an inconveniently large number of aphids and caterpillars.

3) Wasps pollinate plants.  When did YOU last pollinate something?  Well, there you go. 

4) Wasps have bright, sharp colours, clean lines: they are fast, deadly, tough hunters that don't take kindly to being messed about with and can look after themselves.   They are not teetotal, and you'd better not annoy them.  Wasps are awesome.

Comments

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

Plus their stings are easier to deal with than bee stings. At least you don't have to clart on with tweezers.

[helflaed.livejournal.com]

Plus- it's not as though they go around stinging people for the hell of it. The only two times I've been strung the wasp was just scared and defending itself.

The people who scream and flap around annoy me much more than wasps. Especially the ones who encourage their children to do that as well. I damn near ran over a little girl once whose mother was encouraging her to flap around and run away- yep right out into the road...

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

What is the purpose of craneflies? :-p

[bunn.livejournal.com]

:-p
I think things eat them. Though I admit that the idea of eating a cranefly gives me the horrors. None the less, they have the right to live, even if I do wish they would live *outside* (actually I'm sure they would be happier out there anyway...)

I cannot admire the beauty and purposeful design of a cranefly, I admit. Mind you, I cannot admire the beauty and purposeful design of, say... John Prescott either.

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

Hear hear, to number 1. especially!

[chainmailmaiden]

I've always had quite a lot of admiration for wasps, they're very good at what they do and I heartily agree with your first point, not everything is about humans! But then I'm generally fond of invertebrates in general and many of them are far nicer than some of the humans I've come across :-)

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

I like wasps - except when they get to that drunken, antisocial stage in the autumn when they start behaving like drunken hoodlums and gatecrashing my parties. They share my taste in beer, which is unfortunate.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Not having a backbone doesn't make you a bad person... :-D

[bunn.livejournal.com]

They are a bit alarming then, though as long as they are not actually trying to drink *my* beer, I can enjoy the idea of other species having drunken parties.

Squirrels get drunk on fermenting apples sometimes too, always makes me laugh.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I really wonder about why the 'flail randomly' response to a threat evolved (or, has not been selected against). It seems so counterproductive in so many situations!

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

Just wish it wasn't my party they insist on getting drunk at...

I've seen a hedgehog high on marinaded tofu, but I've never seen a drunken squirrel.

[jane-somebody.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear - and this from someone who is nervous of wasps due to bad reaction to stings. I am trying to teach my boys to appreciate and respect wasps (and bees) - and absolutely not to panic and flap about at them!