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Full Version: Scientists Say Wasps Should be Appreciated
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https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48302414

The wasp often gets a bad rap as it is considered an unwelcome guest at picnics by getting into drinks and food and it is known for delivering painful stings. However, Scientists state that wasps are beneficial as they control the populations of other insects. Without wasps taking care of pests, we would have to use more pesticides.  Dr. Sumner of University College London states that ``They're the maligned insect of the insect world - they're viewed as the gangsters. Whereas actually we should be viewing them as a beneficial insect - they're doing us a favour, and we're just completely overlooking that favour." So the next time a wasp stings you, remember that they have another job controlling pests that may be more annoying to us and require us to use harmful pesticides. 
i think this really highlights the way in which the human race is killing the planet. we are slowly killing off every species on earth, harmful or not. i believe that a serioues change need to happen and more care of the natural world around us needs to be taken. i truly hope that this change occurs quick, or i fear that we will be too late.
I believe that wasp should be taken more serious with the current extermination rate of the bees, Who know it maybe be up to them to take over the role of the bee if bees go extinct.
(06-07-2019, 09:21 AM)Idris_A Wrote: [ -> ]I believe that wasp should be taken more serious with the current extermination rate of the bees, Who know it maybe be up to them to take over the role of the bee if bees go extinct.

Well the question is apart from keeping other 'pests in check', what do they also do? I do not think the role of bees can really be replaced in all honesty, but I think it is time for humans to stop trashing the earth more than it already is. If saving different animal species is what we think we can do, then by all means possible we should.
(05-31-2019, 01:52 PM)Jason Miller Wrote: [ -> ]https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-48302414

The wasp often gets a bad rap as it is considered an unwelcome guest at picnics by getting into drinks and food and it is known for delivering painful stings. However, Scientists state that wasps are beneficial as they control the populations of other insects. Without wasps taking care of pests, we would have to use more pesticides.  Dr. Sumner of University College London states that ``They're the maligned insect of the insect world - they're viewed as the gangsters. Whereas actually we should be viewing them as a beneficial insect - they're doing us a favour, and we're just completely overlooking that favour." So the next time a wasp stings you, remember that they have another job controlling pests that may be more annoying to us and require us to use harmful pesticides. 
Both parasitic and predatory wasps have a big impact on the abundance of arthropods, the largest phylum in the animal kingdom, which includes spiders, mites, insects, and centipedes. They are right at the top of the invertebrate food chain. Through the regulation of both carnivorous and plant feeding populations, wasps protect lower invertebrate species and plants. This regulation of populations is arguably their most important role, both ecologically and economically. Although the majority of wasps lead solitary lives, it is a lot of species of social wasps which make the biggest impression on insect populations. Social wasp queens share their nests with thousands of offspring workers, who raise upwards of a big population of sibling larvae during the colony cycle. This means a single nest provides a whopping bang for the buck in terms of ecosystem services, killing vast numbers of spiders, millipedes, and crop-devouring insects. Many social wasps are generalist predators too, which means they control populations of a wide range of species, but rarely wipe any single species out. This makes them an extremely useful, minimizing the need for toxic pesticides, but unlikely to threaten prey biodiversity.