I’m telling y’all that if you don’t jump around erratically bc a wasp or hornet flies close to you, you’ll have less interaction time with them
If you’re nervous about them (not yknow. allergic. let’s not intentionally misinterpret what I’m saying) ignore them. And I do mean IGNORE. Don’t react.
Also, are you watering or generally handling a source of liquid and they won’t leave you alone? Share some at a distance from yourself. Hell are you eating and they want some? Share it.
Honestly if people treated them with the calmness and affection they show bees they’d have better experiences.
Anyway, have a little plate for the yellowjackets when you picnic. They are eating the bugs that you don’t like so offer them a gift.
Please stop telling me about your allergies. If you gotta bolt bc you could DIE just do it.
Clearly, that means this message is not for you. Move on.
When I’m going to hang out in the yard I usually bring a banana or some other fruit, that I eat right away (because sitting outside and eating fruit is cool) and then I leave the peel/husk/core out someplace, not adjacent to where I’ll be sitting/working. The bees and wasps (and flies) will all zero in on it and have a lil party, and I can do what I’m doing without constant interference. (It’s the same as feeding your pets before you sit down to eat a meal — it distracts them from begging, and honestly a lot of dogs and cats prefer to eat along with their people. I know, it’s odd, but nice.)
Wasps are often more combative in the summer because they’re thirsty. Putting out a little dish of water for them is good. I was in the Spanish mountains one summer and put out a plate of water for the wasps whenever I was bathing, so they didn’t try to drink off me.
Yeah usually if you take a shallow dish out with water and even bits of food (especially fruit) while outside doing activities like reading/swimming/picnics/camping etc you’ll really take the aggression out of most wasps. They’re usually just hungry or thirsty. Just don’t set up camp right next to their nest lol
hi, i have had several near-death anaphylaxis events from yellowjacket stings and i have to carry an epi-pen. if a wasp stings me and i am not immediately stabbed with a large dose of epinephrine, i will suffocate and die within a few minutes. it is very likely i have brain damage from hypoxia from a wasp sting when i was about 4. so pay attention to what i am about to say:
all of the above advice works 100%. wasps and bees and all stinging critters are very very unlikely to sting you if you stay calm and move slowly. they are VERY LIKELY to sting you if you move quickly and jerkily, and are guaranteed to try to sting you if you attempt to kill them. they are not hunting you, they are not stupid, they know you are the size of a skyscraper. they will ONLY sting you if they believe you are trying to hurt or kill them.
many species of wasps, and especially yellowjackets, are solitary or social predators/scavengers. they are extremely intelligent, and aware of you as a fellow creature, whatever that may mean to their bug intelligence.
they are not mindless computers, they are more like little cats or wolves. and they are just doing what it takes to make a living on god’s gay earth: looking for food and water for their children
it is very possible to change how you feel about things you are afraid of, even if you have a clinical phobia. for me, that always starts with knowing more about the thing that scares me.
Here’s a good article on the subject if anyone’s curious! It goes into more detail about public perception of wasps. It not only talks about wasp’s ecological importance, but also how scientific understanding can work to change public opinion on wasps and their nests.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/een.12676
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Why we love bees and hate wasps “
I’m so so glad I chose to click on the notifications on my post again.
This is exactly why I made this post—not that I expect everyone to fall head over heels in love with these creatures but to see their importance beyond the cultural knee-jerk reaction because of the reductive view we’ve cultivated of them.
I’m also not saying that they’re never somewhat unpredictable and that they’ll never hurt you—just like any other creature they have the capacity too. It’s just very much increased when the reaction to them is to flail and swat and scream.
Thank you guys for your thoughtful additions to this post I appreciate beyond words. Pls continue to carry this level of care and education as our friends wake for winter and start flying around again!
For those who are deathly afraid of them and would like tips to avoid being around them—dark surfaces facing sunlight, standing water, garbage and compost piles, and rotten wood are going to be their favorite spots as our hemisphere warms for the season. Avoid those to minimize possible contact with wasps, hornets, and other insects waking for spring
Please don’t take bananas out with you as a distraction. The chemical that gives bananas that banana smell is called isopentyl acetate, and it is the same chemical wasps and bees use as a distress signal. There’s a good reason they go after the peel you leave out, but it’s not a nice reason, it’s because they are stressed/agitated and more likely to become aggressive.
