Page 29 - ALG Issue 3 2021

building a small nest, the new queen lays eggs of the first workers. As the colony increases in size, so does the ability of the workforce to forage and feed the young, thus maintaining a cycle of growth.
Ancestors of the wasps most commonly found in the UK nested in cavities. This has resulted in species that thrive in manmade structures such as sheds and lofts. This sometimes makes wasps a pest problem when the colony mass
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increases. But in Britain, colonies never reach their full potential as their growth is curtailed by winter. In parts of the world where winters are milder, colonies can continue to grow.
Wasps use their venomous sting to subdue prey and defend their nest. They also use it to defend themselves. Wasps sometimes sting us as they see us as a probable threat, even if we don't really pose one. Unlike honeybees, wasps don't lose out by stinging us. Honeybees
sacrifice their lives as their stings have a set of tiny barbs that hook into the skin.
If you see a wasp in Britain, it will most likely be either the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) or the German wasp (Vespula germanica). These species are very similar in size and colour
– predominantly yellow with black markings. The red wasp (Vespula rufa) and the tree wasp (Dolichovespula sylvestris) are also common. The Saxon wasp (Dolichovespula saxonica) only arrived in Britain in the 1980s and
it's mainly common in the south. The European hornet (Vespa crabro) is also quite common in parts of the south, but it is more of a woodland species. The European hornet is the UK's only native hornet species and is the largest of
our social wasps. Their bodies are also yellow with a dark pattern – although
it has a sting that is more painful than other social wasps in Britain, usually leaving the stung area throbbing for a few hours.
Although wasps may cause us strife in the summer months – and leave some to question the point of them – these insects play a crucial role in maintaining harmony in the ecosystem. We certainly would not be able to cope in a world without them.
Taken from an article by Emily Osterloff
© The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London. Licensed under the Open Government Licence.
Allotment and Leisure Gardener 29