25-09 - Flipbook - Page 88
Mi n i str i es
The simple trick that stops hungry wasps from ruining
your picnic
Long summer days call for picnics 3 but wasps often make an uninvited appearance. One
quick trick can stop them from ruining an al fresco get-together.
It's summer in the northern hemisphere and that means Sun, sea 3 and wasps.
A lot of us have been taught to fear wasps as aggressive insects that exist only to make our
lives a misery. But with unsustainable wildlife loss across the planet, we need to learn to live
alongside all organisms 3 even wasps. They are important pollinators and predators of insects.
A little knowledge about their natural history can help you dine safely alongside wasps.
The wasps that usually visit your picnic are typically the common yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris) and the German wasp (Vespula germanica). They seem to appear from nowhere.
What should you do?
1. Stay still, or she'll think you're a predator
Her (all workers are female) smell receptors have got her to your picnic table, but she's now
using visual landmarks (you and your surroundings) to orientate her way to the food on your
plate. Keep your mouth closed and avoid breathing heavily to minimise the release of carbon dioxide, which wasps use as a cue that a predator is attacking.
Similarly, if you start flapping and shouting, you are behaving like a predator (mainly badgers in the UK), which might trigger the wasp's attack mode.
2. Watch what she is eating
Seirian Sumner
