Why Are Wasps Important For Our Ecosystems?

Nobody likes having wasps around, for rather obvious reasons. Many of the calls we receive from both home and business customers are to get rid of wasps, find wasp nests and ensure they do not bother people anymore.

Part of the reason for this is that, unlike the somewhat similar-looking bumblebee, wasps will often sting anything they see without provocation, buzz aggressively and congregate in huge numbers in and around nests built in the nooks and crannies of buildings.

Nobody seems to like them, and it is easy to appreciate why some people would rather they were eradicated. However, away from summer picnics, warehouse lunch breaks and unloved playgrounds, wasps are a remarkably important part of Britain’s ecosystems.

Their main role is to kill insects, and whilst they are justifiably seen as pests, they also help to stop spiders and insect populations from getting out of control, which would make a walk in the park even worse.

This behaviour, as is typical for apex predators in a food chain, often serves as a barometer for other ecological phenomena. So whilst being close to their buzzing is not enjoyable, their existence alone is vitally important.

Rather amusingly, they are also surprisingly effective, albeit accidental pollinators. 

They are nowhere near as effective as bees at creating cross-pollination, but they do play a vital role in ensuring a level of genetic diversity that is vital to ensure that natural habitats can survive and change alongside the environment.

Most wasp species are involved in pollination in one form or another, although the more productive pollinators are from species that do not tend to interact with humans in any way.

They tend to target plants, crops and flowers that bees would typically avoid, meaning that both bees and wasps are typically required for a healthy ecosystem, and by targeting insects that might eat these plants, they also help to keep them alive long enough to produce seeds.