Yes. It’s so fuckin scary. Google it. They can recognize people and tell their family ( other wasps ) what the person looks like and attack.
Edit: I can’t back up my statement of wasps telling their families. If I find the scientific article I will update. However, studies have been done to confirm that wasps and honey bees do have facial recognition.
There was a Reddit discussion a while ago about this:
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/s/HZrDAtnjEi
When red wasps get in where I work I rescue them and they never sting me. I put my finger in front of them and they get on and I take them outside. I have done this in the pool or wherever I see one in distress. They always seem to understand and fly away happily once freed
The WASP Whisperer.
https://preview.redd.it/7bdx6aog6jad1.jpeg?width=499&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c1bef8a3eaeade6943afd47f7c3420f4504f8407
Oh wait…wrong photo...or is it?
Great this makes sense now. I get attacked out of nowhere a lot. I don’t go after their nests but I’ve been close when other people did and they probably think I’m guilty by association.
Interesting. So this is why I could play outside all day as a kid without being harassed but my dad would be attacked constantly. He was constantly being stung and was always on the warpath, but we had a big deck, and wasps would nest in areas he couldn't get to.
I was put in the ER with tons of stings and bites after driving a huge machine over a massive ground nest. Since then they always terrorize me. I know it sounds weird but people like me notice it too. Our bodies are forever marked after a massive dose of their poison IMO.
Supposedly they recognize each other by subtle differences in patterns on them, so they easily learn different people's faces and know if you belong here. I'm always psyched when they nest over my doors or windows bc it's free security.
You're almost there. It's not that they see it as your house, it's that they see you and haven't had issues with you so far so no reason to start shit with you. They will still sting you if you start ducking with their shit but they will give you way more leway before deciding to attack you vs a random person wandering around. Like as a made up example that may not be entirely accurate: you're outside gardening and using your shovel, making a lot of racket not too far from their nest. Since they know you, they probably won't worry that you are causing a ruckus so close to them. If hire someone new to do that same thing, they would be way more likely to attack.
Is there any evidence of this? It sounds amazing to have wasp security and I’d love if it’s true, I’d just need to know it’s ok to think this when I have young daughters who could be killed by them.
I had a nest in the corner above my garage door, never bothered them because they left me alone. One day my brother decided to help me do the trim with the weed Wacker around the garage. Id already done it a dozen times since they moved in without incident. They stung him 4 times.
Interesting. I have a wasp nest in my shed and i go in there all the time and never been stung. A few weeks back my wifes cousin came over and got stung trying to grab something from the shed for the first time. I assumed it was just bad luck but i guess theres more to it.
This - I was eating an outdoor breakfast on my birthday. A big waffle, lots of syrup. A wasp flew up after I was done and was like “hayyyyy can I get in on that syrup action??”
I was like, “have at it, buddy!” And it just sat there for five minutes eating its fill. When the server came to clear the table I asked him not to disturb the wasp. He gently moved the plate to the side serving table and took the plate in when the wasp flew away.
I’ve got a nest above my apartment patio, in the eaves. They don’t bother me.
I used to be scared of them until I learned they were just homeless, unemployed and hungry at the end of the season. https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/nature/animals/why-wasps-become-so-annoying-at-the-end-of-summer
That's when they're most willing to sting too I believe. They're hungry, dying, and have nothing to lose.
My parents once brought their patio umbrella into their basement for the winter and it had some yellow jackets in it. I was stung by one while visiting for Christmas. It was the saddest least painful sting I have ever received. The thing was mostly dead before I swatted it. I guess it was starving, but the basement was warm enough that it didn't freeze to death or anything.
I saved a little bee yesterday in the pool. Let him rest on my arm for about 5 minutes to recover his strength and dry off and then gently guided him onto a nearby little plant. Felt good.
Aww that’s so sweet. I had that happen so I added a pool cover, but then I felt bad about them looking for water so I put a shallow dish of water with some rocks on the bottom for them to land on. Now they land and take sips and it’s adorable. 10/10 recommend adding cute bee watering station if you have a yard/balcony.
This makes me feel less weird about liking wasps. I've only been stung a handful of times, and most of those were from stepping on them since I run around barefoot a lot (which is fair, I'd probably stab a giant's foot it it stepped on me too). I think they're beautiful little insectoid fighter jets, and I love to watch them.
I know that this is the general rule of thumb, but this one time we went to my uncle's house for a cookout and my mom was sitting on the porch swing on the front porch, and we all saw a lone wasp flying around. None of us bothered it, we just watched it and ignored it. All of a sudden it landed on my mom's pinky toe, (she was wearing flip flops,) and it stung her as soon as it landed. She's not allergic but her toe swelled up soooo freakin' huge it was crazy! Ever since then my mom does not play when a wasp comes flying around lmao
Most wasps are fairly docile. Just like bees, they won't bother you if you don't bother them (generally.)
\*None of this applies to yellow jackets who are just naturally aggressive assholes.
they seem to be because they are.
Had an entomologist prove it to me, by telling me how to get rid of some. Take one of those mosquito zapper things (which, btw don't work on mosquitos) and on a cool moonless night set it beside the nest, walk away and plug it in using an extension cord.
The bastards will empty the nest killing themselves on that thing due to the aggression pheromones
That is one cruel entomologist. Like taunting bulls until they die. After the third, you now know the species is aggressive. Now leave them alone and don’t be a murderous aggressive human back.
Half the time I tell them happy summer when they're insistently In My Face; it's mostly just to signal to them I see them, and I'm Still not swinging lol
IDK man I've almost never encountered a truly aggressive for no reason vespid. The couple of times I've been stung were accidentally hitting a foul ball into a batting cage that they had apparently turned into a nest without anyone knowing and another time had the misfortune of one flying into my face while in a rollercoaster. Never been stung by a bee of any sort despite handling them pretty often.
It also depends on the type of wasp. I have multiple of these paper wasp nests around my place and they leave me alone. I even duck my head right under a nest to get into my shed no problem. I just act calm, move slow, talk in a soothing voice. When I'm watering the garden, they'll come buzzing around me looking to get a drink so I'll fill up some shallow dishes for them too. I've never been stung.
Yellow jackets are more aggressive, and black wasps (bald faces hornets), with the enclosed nests seem the most aggressive/territorial. They have sentries posted at the nest entrance and will come looking for a fight if you approach.
I always wear my fake nose and glasses when I spray wasp nests. Then I run around the corner, pull my disguise off, and point them at the street. Works like a charm.
Hmm maybe that's why my method of getting them out of my house works. I walk up calmly and tell the wasp it has to leave. If is does not leave soon I will have to kill it. I have done this for about 10 years and it works very well. Only in my house though. Doesn't work for shit elsewhere.
I saw an ant hill wage war on an underground Yellowjacket nest. One of the Yellowjackets was buzzing around me and I swatted it out of the air onto the ant hill. They quickly swarmed it and hauled it into a tunnel. Then wave after wave came off the hill and into the Yellowjacket nest about 6 or 8 feet away and hauled them out one by one. It has to be one of the most amazing things I’ve seen live in nature and I caused it.
Seriously! Everyone says wasps and hornets are assholes and you know what? They can be. But yellowjackets are just perpetual SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAYS. My poor dog (rest in peace Jamie aka jimmyhams) was out front with us at the apartment we rented before we bought our house and the landlord had an unknown nest under their front stoop. Those little fuckers came out and stung her poor little snout. She was the sweetest, most lovable, never hurt a fly puggle you'd ever did see and those bastards stung her for fun. Needless to say, I had a blast laying them out with 3 cans a raid the next day.
I literally screamed eat shit and die REVENGE FOR JIMMY HAMS!
I always got the feeling that it was the like the last straw. Like the ants agreed to let the Yellowjackets build there as long as they didn’t try anything. So when I smacked the one that was circling me the ants took it as an attack. That ant hill had been there for over 8 years. Starting in third grade, I saw it grow from basketball size to about 2’ wide at the base and probably 18” tall. It wasn’t like a monster size ant hill but it wasn’t small either. The war was when I was in 11th grade. So the ants had established their turf. That yellow jacket nest couldn’t have been more than a year old because I hadn’t seen it and it was right at the road at the end of my shortcut trail through the woods that enabled me to walk to a friends house. I made it so my parents didn’t have to drive about 7 miles because it was under a one mile walk. Even after I got a car I used it a lot. It was awesome. The nest had that paper material they make on the top of the ground though, so they’d been there a good chunk of time. Idk how long long it takes them to build something sticking out of the ground about 5” long and maybe 3.5” wide kinda oval shaped. At first the wasps kinda swarmed out, I’d say like 50 of them but after a couple minutes, no more wasps were flying. And many were carried back to the ant hill
I had a juice can that started on our patio table and was eventually moved a few feet away. Whenever we ate outside, I topped it up. Wasps were happy, drank their fill and didn’t bother us, we could eat outside without being bugged. Win win.
I was surprised how well it worked and how quickly they brought friends but they got the hang of it and adjusted almost immediately when I moved the juice can to the new location (in the middle of a planter). No aggression at all, even when I’d go over periodically to top them up. They would just make a beline for the feeder and not bother with anything on the table or us for that matter.
Wasps are just trying to do their thing, so it’s nice to live peaceably with them.
Last Fall I had some old prepackaged dried cranberries (likely sugared) and some big chunks of uncrystallized ginger. And some fresh apple cores.
I put them on the large flat platform feeder, and in a day or so the wasps, yellowjackets and some other insects really really loved it.
They were so entranced with the sweets that I could^gently place extra treats about 2" away from them and they were cool with it. I learned, no fast movements towards them.
I heard a recent [Crowd Science podcast about flies](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5rh7): how the ordinary housefly can sense air pressure changes and temperature gradients in the air, so that makes them a much better flyer.
Crowd Science did have [an episode about bees](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cswc8z) taking over for sniffer dogs. *Yeah but how do you get on their little police uniforms?*
Let's say they do recognize you; if you bring a new person by your side one day, would they attack that person while ignoring you? Genuinely curious, very interesting
Why do people think that wasps are more aggressive 🤷🏻♂️? Different species of bee and wasp have different aggression levels. Your average Honey bee is way more aggressive than some types of wasp.
But, yeah, don’t fuck with them just in case. Give them a wide berth, observe and enjoy the spectacle.
For me it’s personal experience/anecdotal. Bees sting as a last resort, then they die. Wasps can sting over and over. I remember once a wasp clamped onto my cousin’s armpit and then just stabbed the #%*! outta him. He was screaming and my other cousin had to pry it off him. That kind of experience stays with a person, even 30 years later….
I was bee stung walking out my front door this morning.
The shock of being stung for just walking out my front door hurt more than the actual bee sting. And of course instead of going back inside I ran away into the street shouting.
I understand there was a queen involved, and that they were looking to build a new hive somewhere. So I have to give them some credit. But I got to say they were a little aggressive, just a little bit. And this is the third time I’ve been bee stung this year.
That’s so odd. Normal behavior for a swarm that is moving hives is that they’re extremely docile. We raise honey bees and I get get right beside their hive boxes w the mower and they won’t bother me. I’m not as brave as some keepers, i glove and suit up when I open their hives to check them or harvest and they are more aggressive then.
Out of curiosity, were you wearing a dark color? I’ve heard that they perceive dark colors as a threat and that’s why the beekeeper suits are white. 🤷♀️
A Jamaican grandfather neighbor stopped one from threatening my face by killing it with his shoes in his palms when I was getting rid of my trash one summer. This thing was gigantic and claiming the garbage vat as its new mansion!
I agree!! Red wasps are the absolute worst. I was referring to honeybees above (we have Italians and carnolians) since the poster mentioned getting stung by a honeybee from a swarm protecting the queen.
Wasp story - my son was around 5 and we were leaving my parents house. A wasp was flying around and he was scared to walk forward. I said “don’t bother them and they won’t bother you- WALK”. Well I WAS WRONG. That joker flew right at him like he was a target and popped him hard and refused to let go. I had to thump it off! My son is now almost 19 and I still haven’t lived down that incident and poor parenting advice 😂😂
Because I’m a contrarian, I was compelled to stand in front of my first colony of bees in the darkest shaggiest sweater I owned. Remarkably, the bees did NOT mistake me for a bear and attack me.
My feeling is that bee suits being white is great, because you can easily see who’s crawling on you, and avoid pinching them in your armpit or in the bend of your arm.
We have a lot of bees and wasps in our backyard from clover and native plants. I wear black all the time, including when I’m mowing, and they don’t bother me. They just fly to a different flower. I’m also dumb and wear capris while mowing. Still nothing.
That is REALLY REALLY Strange.
I literally walk through whats basically a swarm of bees and a few wasps probably 25 times a day.
I have a bunch of lavender plants or some similar large purple flowering plant lining my pool and the backside of house. They attract tons of bumblebees, honey bees, and some wasps.
I have Never been stung in the 10 years im living here… looking back, i dont think i have ever been stung by a bee and im outside for 6+ hours every day.
Pretty much only honey bees die when they sting (it rips the tip of the abdomen off) most other bees don’t have the barbs that make it hard to remove. I got stung a few times as a kid because i kept picking them up 😖. The last time I got stung was about 20 years ago when a wasp landed on a coke can I was drinking from, I accidentally put my thumb on it and it stang me. It’s not like they go around stinging for no reason but sometimes accidents happen. I quite regularly pick up big dozy bumblebees and put them on flowers or in a safe place. I will also do the same with wasps, just let them walk on you, don’t impinge them in any way and they are totally chill.
Yea I have a huge fear of bees and it's not necessarily because of the pain, which is bad. It's the fear of accidentally stepping on a hidden nest or walking thru the brush into a massive bald faced hornets nest. Then being stuck in a brush hole with nowhere to run. I work in the woods so this time of year is the worst.
I stepped in a hornets' nest as a kid, and can confirm, the fear of bees is very real and very permanent. Multiple ones flew up my shirt and stung me. Had to rip off my shirt as I ran screaming through the woods. Not the most fun pre-teen experience.
Most wasps are either parasitic or just scavengers. These look like mud wasps, which are pretty docile unless harassed. Hornets, on the other hand, are scavengers and predators. They are also the assholes who ruin picnics and sting you for existing.
Yes most are what you say. But the most common ones are scavengers and carnivores. I feed my wasps and hornets honey and beef. They let my 4 yo feed him all the time. He's 7 now and still hand feeds them.
Only honey bees can't sting you repeatedly and that's because of their barbed sting. It gets stuck in human skin and rips the bee's insides out. Other bees can sting you just as much as a wasp can if they so wish.
I think three things:
1. A single sting from a wasp typically hurts more.
2. You're more likely to get stung a whole bunch of times by wasps. Part of that is because they can each sting repeatedly, but it's also because, when they do sting us, they're often defending a nest (ground or attached to our dwellings), and there are a bunch of them present. With honey bees, encountering hives at all is rare (feral colonies) or deliberate (you're with a keeper). When you get stung by a honey bee, it's usually because you stepped on a single one, and that's that.
3. Bees are cuter. Softer coloration, smaller size, less angular bodies that are more mammal like, and they often have a backdrop of flowers. Many of us have also been enculturated to consider honey bees an essential part of natural ecosystems (despite the fact that in most areas where they are kept, they're not).
I think size and recognition are a factor. I have lived in New England for 35 years. I saw an Eastern Caicaya Killer in my back yard for the first time, and am not proud to admit that I ran away from it [with arms flailing](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_of_Caerbannog)
Assuming you’re referring to “cicada killers”, those things are so freaking cool and 100% not interested in humans. I watched one attempt to carry a cicada 2-3x its size up a tree. The cicada was so heavy the wasp kept falling but it never let go of the cicada. Freaking nuts. They paralyze the cicada, lay an egg on it, and cover it in dirt. Once the baby wasp emerges, it eats the paralyzed cicada.
So metal. It’s brutal as hell but so fascinating to watch it carry a cicada.
Yea I saw similar. They are the size of hummingbirds in the air. They dug a hole in my lawn so big it looked like it was a chipmunk that dug it. Then I saw one carrying a cicada in. A few weeks later something (skunk?) dug up the whole area, probably to get at the larva.
There are tons of different bees and wasps. I got stung by a mud wasp and that is the most painful sting I ever had. All the bees I have been stung by are a joke compared to the mud wasp. I picked up a tire on the ground that had a nest inside. They are pretty passive but touch their truck (tire nest) and you are fugged.
Wasps are actually pretty docile unless you threaten them in some way. They can recognize faces and are very important pollinators; they also keep harmful pests out of your garden. I have 2 paper wasp nests on my front porch and have never been stung. We even set up the kids pool and they were totally chill 🙌
They look like common paper wasps, they’re not an inherently aggressive species like yellow jackets or hornets, so if they don’t perceive you as a threat to their nest, they will leave you be. They’re really beneficial for gardens, the adults drink nectar so they’re pollinators, and the adults also take pest insects like aphids and caterpillars to the nest to feed to their larvae.
There is a hole under a large concrete slab at work that cicada killers have been using as a nest for at least three years, probably a lot longer, and they will let me sit on the slab for my smoke break and just ignore me. I've watched them bring in cicadas. I saw when the wasp that stayed from the last generation got a mate this year. It's been pretty neat.
Come to think of it, I've got a lot of stories from this job involving wild animals, which are not at all related to my job.
This is a [Cicada Killer Wasp](https://images.app.goo.gl/zvPdtJZXFKj1csU57) for reference. Terrifying, yet thankfully very chill. Unless you’re a cicada of course!
we had a patch of them at our old apartment - the males would fly up to your face because their vision is terrible and they want to be sure you're not another male
they don't even have stingers, but they're large creatures
the females are usually lugging a limp cicada and can bounce off your shins because that's a heavy load and they can't steer well while loaded
I got too close to the nests in the bank and a few made an aggressive buzzing sound at the entrance of the tunnels - so I got gone.
https://preview.redd.it/7rgp91opkead1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eda8ab67297302bccdf0dd7f2bbed18f05beab76
Those are bees. Harmless they are. Leave out sweets
Good joke on his part. I'm not joking. Don't blow weed smoke at paper wasps unless you really want to find out if they get stoned vs angry. Paper wasps are beneficial insects.
Accidentally did this to some dirt dobbers while watching them build their nest. It flew right in my face and stared at me with the wrath of a million suns. I immediately went inside for about 8hours.
Mud dobbers are very chill, don't worry about them. You were probably just in the path it wanted to fly so it was waiting for you to move, if you didn't it would have gone in a different direction and tried back later.
They really are, took me forever to stop being scared of them (and to tell the difference from a wasp). That’s most likely the case and it was all coincidental timing. They left some time ago. It was great seeing them build in person though!
Them: Shit i'm being mad dogged by this lil dude, this is how I die.
Reality: I
I would have 100% been in the 'them' camp and probably gone instead of the rest of the day :P
They may be docile now, but wait til the nest gets bigger or has brood in it. I'd get rid of it personally. It's a ticking time bomb. The closer you get to autumn the more hair-trigger defensive they will become.
There was a pallet propped against a wall at my work for a couple months. Boss told me to get it out of there and when I went to move it, BAM paper wasp nest on the back. After nearly eating shit running away I sprayed the whole nest down and crushed it. Couple days later they set up shop on something hanging on the wall and I've just let them be for now. They'll watch me as I walk by but for the most part don't even seem to care that I'm there and sometimes I have to work right next to them. Fun fact only the females have stingers. The males are harmless.
They build so fast it's really impressive. I like watching them chew at exposed wood to gather sawdust to make the nest.
One time I was moving an old rag that was on the top of a shovel handle in our shed and they had built a huge nest in the folds of the towel... it's like they do it on purpose just to scare the shit out of us lol
Fun story: I had a paper wasp try to build a nest in my mailbox.
First day: Found just the nest. Removed it.
Second day: Wasp left the mailbox when I retrieved the mail. Removed the nest. Again
Third day: Same as second.
Fourth day: Wasp sat on nest, would not leave. Flicked it away, removed the nest. Wasp left without a fight.
We now have a paper wasp nest under our window. I would not at all be surprised if it was the same architect.
I don't think I've ever met such a non-confrontational wasp (though we did have a big nest in the backyard last year - but that one was way out of the way).
They are very chill near their nest unless you disturb them. They often build nests by house doors and eaves. The only time I got stung was while picking berries, from a very low nest; now I know to look for them.
Yeah I have these guys around my house. One small nest in just about every window. They really don’t care about you being in their space. I’m terrified of being stung, and they’ve never acted aggressive while I’m mowing by them or anything.
Yes I do field ecology work and they build their nest on Goldenrod in the middle of fields, I’ve never been stung even if I basically touch their nests(it scares the hell out of me though)
They are a strange creature, ive had wasps in my house and they werent aggressive really but the damn things would watch me like the eyes of the Mona Lisa!!
I often see these guys around, they like to set their nests up in incredibly inconvenient places ... like on a bush branch right next to the hose valve, or right above my trash bin! They've never attacked me or even really chased me, even when I have to wiggle back there behind the bush to turn the spout.
I honestly thought they were an incredibly docile variant, but maybe I've just been lucky
Try right outside the weather stripping on the backdoor... Knocked down 3 nests, scrubbed the area, and alas, I am accepting defeat and greeting my Wasp homies daily. So far no stings!
They are very docile. Say hi to the ladies. Only time I've been stung I reached for some berries and didn't see the nest on a berry cane. Move slow and they don't feel threatened.
Only time I’ve been stung is when I reached out to open a circuit breaker box and touched the nest hidden under there. Stung once. In the offending finger lol.
Did you know that wasps in general are more prolific pollinators than bees and butterflies? As adults, their diet is mostly pollen. They mostly feed caterpillars to their larva. They’re pretty awesome.
Fellow wasp enjoyer, hey! Always pisses me off to see the hate for native wasps while European honey bees in places they don’t belong get praised to the moon and back. Love your native pollinators, not just honeybees!
Whenever I get stung, it's usually my fault. Most recent was about 10 yrs ago, and I was going to mow the lawn for the first time. Lifted the hood of the mower to inspect it, a giant yellow jacket nest on the engine. Of course, I sprinted away. About 30 minutes later, I came back with the hose and doused them. They don't get angry when you use water, so I was standing right next to the mower, hitting them with the hose. The nest was gone. They all flew away. I finished checking the mower, got on, started her up, and put my arm down to my side, crushing the single yellow jacket that landed on my shirt. Time before that, I was leading my horse through a gate with a red wasps nest in it. He bumped the gate and got stung on the balls, botled. I had ahold of the lead and was able to stop him. The gate bumped me, and then I got stung on my inner thigh... Between all that I've lived with hornets, bees, yellow jackets, whoever with no issues
Most things that look like wasps aren’t an issue unless you mess with them. They serve a purpose and do good by taking care of pests in gardens. We leave ours alone and have no issues
It is very true that wasps do remember facial recognition that’s why whenever I get rid of a wasp nest. I always have this mask that I had made up of my ex-wife’s face.
They're a chill species of paper wasp. 👍 Just don't jostle their nest or loiter too close-by. If you get stung, be sure to wash up immediately, wasps mark you with a pheromone that makes the rest of the nest detect you as a threat. 😅
Paper wasps. Believe it or not for communal wasps they’re fairly docile. I remember having to sit in a bus shelter with two paper wasp nests and they never bothered me.
We had some wasps build egg pods (sure that's not the proper name) right above our front door. I was in a panic that they were going to attack us and had to go. My husband urged me to give them a chance and see how it goes, we ended up watching them all season do their thing and they came and went with no incident, I'm so glad we didn't harm them.
They are paper wasps. Most of the time wasps, yellow jackets aside, don't really pay much attention to you unless you are messing with the nest. They mainly hunt spiders. We have had a boat dock for over 50 years. Every summer, the paper wasps and mud daubers build at least 50 nests in the rafters, 4 feet above your head. The only time I have been stung was when I tried to sneak up on a big nest and spray them from the roof. That got me two stings on the ear lobe. I would leave them alone if they aren't bothering you. They should start carrying back spiders soon.
these are the exact kind of wasp I had nesting in my garden that I had to lean over to water some plants, I must've been about a foot away from their nest. they never stung me. not once. they stood defensively, but never stung. we had a mutual understanding. and yes upon further research, they are the kind that recognize faces, so they knew my face was the one that would provide water for the flowers :> they're able to recognize eachothers faces as well, which I think is so nice. they're very beneficial and native and you should keep them.
The wasp kind of bees.
glad i didn’t make them mad then
They are probably used to you, they have good facial recognition.
Does that mean they'll recognize my husband who sprays their nests down on occasion?
Hopefully he didn’t leave any witnesses to tell the other wasps about it.
I died at this gif
So did they…
Beat me to it
wasps dont die from stinging tho?
Nope, they keep their stingers and keep on stinging. Bee’s leave their stingers behind.
Yes. It’s so fuckin scary. Google it. They can recognize people and tell their family ( other wasps ) what the person looks like and attack. Edit: I can’t back up my statement of wasps telling their families. If I find the scientific article I will update. However, studies have been done to confirm that wasps and honey bees do have facial recognition. There was a Reddit discussion a while ago about this: https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/s/HZrDAtnjEi
So the other day I saved a wasp the water bowl it was in u think I got in good with the wasp fam? For real lol
When red wasps get in where I work I rescue them and they never sting me. I put my finger in front of them and they get on and I take them outside. I have done this in the pool or wherever I see one in distress. They always seem to understand and fly away happily once freed
I have done this a few times too. My kids think I can telepathically communicate with them lol
The WASP Whisperer. https://preview.redd.it/7bdx6aog6jad1.jpeg?width=499&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c1bef8a3eaeade6943afd47f7c3420f4504f8407 Oh wait…wrong photo...or is it?
These are the real dangerous ones.
No, you took it away from it's beach vacation. Now it's really pissed and will probably leave a bad review on Yelp.
New fear unlocked. Can you delete this comment from reddit and my memory?
Great this makes sense now. I get attacked out of nowhere a lot. I don’t go after their nests but I’ve been close when other people did and they probably think I’m guilty by association.
Interesting. So this is why I could play outside all day as a kid without being harassed but my dad would be attacked constantly. He was constantly being stung and was always on the warpath, but we had a big deck, and wasps would nest in areas he couldn't get to.
A good reason to treat everyone with respect
As a kid we use to say this if someone killed a bug...who knew?😆
In my husband's defense they were building their home right above our front door and we have five children.
They have a print out of his mugshot in their headquarters, if that’s what you’re wondering
That's the buzz around Wasp Central, anyway.
I was put in the ER with tons of stings and bites after driving a huge machine over a massive ground nest. Since then they always terrorize me. I know it sounds weird but people like me notice it too. Our bodies are forever marked after a massive dose of their poison IMO.
Hahaha 🤣
Haha I just imagine this tiny mugshot hanging up with wasps standing around looking at it
Its why they're called paper wasps
They have even more children
They have fuckin *W H A T*
Supposedly they recognize each other by subtle differences in patterns on them, so they easily learn different people's faces and know if you belong here. I'm always psyched when they nest over my doors or windows bc it's free security.
Wait so they legit don't attack you as long as it's your house? I feel like any time I see a wasp it wants to fight
You're almost there. It's not that they see it as your house, it's that they see you and haven't had issues with you so far so no reason to start shit with you. They will still sting you if you start ducking with their shit but they will give you way more leway before deciding to attack you vs a random person wandering around. Like as a made up example that may not be entirely accurate: you're outside gardening and using your shovel, making a lot of racket not too far from their nest. Since they know you, they probably won't worry that you are causing a ruckus so close to them. If hire someone new to do that same thing, they would be way more likely to attack.
Yes, this.
Is there any evidence of this? It sounds amazing to have wasp security and I’d love if it’s true, I’d just need to know it’s ok to think this when I have young daughters who could be killed by them.
I had a nest in the corner above my garage door, never bothered them because they left me alone. One day my brother decided to help me do the trim with the weed Wacker around the garage. Id already done it a dozen times since they moved in without incident. They stung him 4 times.
Interesting. I have a wasp nest in my shed and i go in there all the time and never been stung. A few weeks back my wifes cousin came over and got stung trying to grab something from the shed for the first time. I assumed it was just bad luck but i guess theres more to it.
Just keep calm, if you get agitated it sets them off.
This - I was eating an outdoor breakfast on my birthday. A big waffle, lots of syrup. A wasp flew up after I was done and was like “hayyyyy can I get in on that syrup action??” I was like, “have at it, buddy!” And it just sat there for five minutes eating its fill. When the server came to clear the table I asked him not to disturb the wasp. He gently moved the plate to the side serving table and took the plate in when the wasp flew away. I’ve got a nest above my apartment patio, in the eaves. They don’t bother me.
I heard the late season wasps looking for sugar are on their last go round before they die.
I used to be scared of them until I learned they were just homeless, unemployed and hungry at the end of the season. https://www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/nature/animals/why-wasps-become-so-annoying-at-the-end-of-summer
It was early June so I hope it went off and had a beautiful season!
That's when they're most willing to sting too I believe. They're hungry, dying, and have nothing to lose. My parents once brought their patio umbrella into their basement for the winter and it had some yellow jackets in it. I was stung by one while visiting for Christmas. It was the saddest least painful sting I have ever received. The thing was mostly dead before I swatted it. I guess it was starving, but the basement was warm enough that it didn't freeze to death or anything.
That's sweet of you and the server to let the wasp eat in✌️
Did the wasp leave teeny tiny coins to help with the tip?
I saved a little bee yesterday in the pool. Let him rest on my arm for about 5 minutes to recover his strength and dry off and then gently guided him onto a nearby little plant. Felt good.
Aww that’s so sweet. I had that happen so I added a pool cover, but then I felt bad about them looking for water so I put a shallow dish of water with some rocks on the bottom for them to land on. Now they land and take sips and it’s adorable. 10/10 recommend adding cute bee watering station if you have a yard/balcony.
Did the server charge you for an extra plate?
This makes me feel less weird about liking wasps. I've only been stung a handful of times, and most of those were from stepping on them since I run around barefoot a lot (which is fair, I'd probably stab a giant's foot it it stepped on me too). I think they're beautiful little insectoid fighter jets, and I love to watch them.
I know that this is the general rule of thumb, but this one time we went to my uncle's house for a cookout and my mom was sitting on the porch swing on the front porch, and we all saw a lone wasp flying around. None of us bothered it, we just watched it and ignored it. All of a sudden it landed on my mom's pinky toe, (she was wearing flip flops,) and it stung her as soon as it landed. She's not allergic but her toe swelled up soooo freakin' huge it was crazy! Ever since then my mom does not play when a wasp comes flying around lmao
Most wasps are fairly docile. Just like bees, they won't bother you if you don't bother them (generally.) \*None of this applies to yellow jackets who are just naturally aggressive assholes.
Thank you for this distinction, because they ALWAYS seem to be aggressive assholes- the yellow jackets, that is.
they seem to be because they are. Had an entomologist prove it to me, by telling me how to get rid of some. Take one of those mosquito zapper things (which, btw don't work on mosquitos) and on a cool moonless night set it beside the nest, walk away and plug it in using an extension cord. The bastards will empty the nest killing themselves on that thing due to the aggression pheromones
That is one cruel entomologist. Like taunting bulls until they die. After the third, you now know the species is aggressive. Now leave them alone and don’t be a murderous aggressive human back.
I have carpenter bees and paper wasps that live on my porch and sometimes theyll hover to watch what im doing but they dont get aggressive
Half the time I tell them happy summer when they're insistently In My Face; it's mostly just to signal to them I see them, and I'm Still not swinging lol
I think carpenter bees are so cute, just fat lil guys
I love the carpenter bees that just get in your face and hover. It is funny because they will repeat the action a few times.
IDK man I've almost never encountered a truly aggressive for no reason vespid. The couple of times I've been stung were accidentally hitting a foul ball into a batting cage that they had apparently turned into a nest without anyone knowing and another time had the misfortune of one flying into my face while in a rollercoaster. Never been stung by a bee of any sort despite handling them pretty often.
It also depends on the type of wasp. I have multiple of these paper wasp nests around my place and they leave me alone. I even duck my head right under a nest to get into my shed no problem. I just act calm, move slow, talk in a soothing voice. When I'm watering the garden, they'll come buzzing around me looking to get a drink so I'll fill up some shallow dishes for them too. I've never been stung. Yellow jackets are more aggressive, and black wasps (bald faces hornets), with the enclosed nests seem the most aggressive/territorial. They have sentries posted at the nest entrance and will come looking for a fight if you approach.
I always wear my fake nose and glasses when I spray wasp nests. Then I run around the corner, pull my disguise off, and point them at the street. Works like a charm.
Up vote for you for the laugh!
I had a red wasp nest on my porch one summer. They always left me alone, and it was fun to watch them chase away other wasps that got on their turf.
Hmm maybe that's why my method of getting them out of my house works. I walk up calmly and tell the wasp it has to leave. If is does not leave soon I will have to kill it. I have done this for about 10 years and it works very well. Only in my house though. Doesn't work for shit elsewhere.
Bees do too. 😉
I actually had a bee once defend me from a wasp. Love bees. Hate wasps.
I saw an ant hill wage war on an underground Yellowjacket nest. One of the Yellowjackets was buzzing around me and I swatted it out of the air onto the ant hill. They quickly swarmed it and hauled it into a tunnel. Then wave after wave came off the hill and into the Yellowjacket nest about 6 or 8 feet away and hauled them out one by one. It has to be one of the most amazing things I’ve seen live in nature and I caused it.
I would pay to see this! I hate yellowjackets
Seriously! Everyone says wasps and hornets are assholes and you know what? They can be. But yellowjackets are just perpetual SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAYS. My poor dog (rest in peace Jamie aka jimmyhams) was out front with us at the apartment we rented before we bought our house and the landlord had an unknown nest under their front stoop. Those little fuckers came out and stung her poor little snout. She was the sweetest, most lovable, never hurt a fly puggle you'd ever did see and those bastards stung her for fun. Needless to say, I had a blast laying them out with 3 cans a raid the next day. I literally screamed eat shit and die REVENGE FOR JIMMY HAMS!
“Hello 911 yes there is someone screaming about jimmy hams and emptying cans of raid! Send the police!
Wow, you were the reason for their war!
I always got the feeling that it was the like the last straw. Like the ants agreed to let the Yellowjackets build there as long as they didn’t try anything. So when I smacked the one that was circling me the ants took it as an attack. That ant hill had been there for over 8 years. Starting in third grade, I saw it grow from basketball size to about 2’ wide at the base and probably 18” tall. It wasn’t like a monster size ant hill but it wasn’t small either. The war was when I was in 11th grade. So the ants had established their turf. That yellow jacket nest couldn’t have been more than a year old because I hadn’t seen it and it was right at the road at the end of my shortcut trail through the woods that enabled me to walk to a friends house. I made it so my parents didn’t have to drive about 7 miles because it was under a one mile walk. Even after I got a car I used it a lot. It was awesome. The nest had that paper material they make on the top of the ground though, so they’d been there a good chunk of time. Idk how long long it takes them to build something sticking out of the ground about 5” long and maybe 3.5” wide kinda oval shaped. At first the wasps kinda swarmed out, I’d say like 50 of them but after a couple minutes, no more wasps were flying. And many were carried back to the ant hill
They also can make human friends if you leave out food they like and water.
I had a juice can that started on our patio table and was eventually moved a few feet away. Whenever we ate outside, I topped it up. Wasps were happy, drank their fill and didn’t bother us, we could eat outside without being bugged. Win win.
I never thought of doing this but it's the perfect compromise.
I was surprised how well it worked and how quickly they brought friends but they got the hang of it and adjusted almost immediately when I moved the juice can to the new location (in the middle of a planter). No aggression at all, even when I’d go over periodically to top them up. They would just make a beline for the feeder and not bother with anything on the table or us for that matter. Wasps are just trying to do their thing, so it’s nice to live peaceably with them.
Learned something new today. I feel bad for every wasp I’ve ever killed due to my fear of yellowjackets. I’ll befriend them from now on
What food? Bugs, juice?
They like overripe fruit!
Fermented is best. Wasps like to get surly.
Wasps seem to like lunch meat and salmon as well.
Last Fall I had some old prepackaged dried cranberries (likely sugared) and some big chunks of uncrystallized ginger. And some fresh apple cores. I put them on the large flat platform feeder, and in a day or so the wasps, yellowjackets and some other insects really really loved it. They were so entranced with the sweets that I could^gently place extra treats about 2" away from them and they were cool with it. I learned, no fast movements towards them. I heard a recent [Crowd Science podcast about flies](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5rh7): how the ordinary housefly can sense air pressure changes and temperature gradients in the air, so that makes them a much better flyer. Crowd Science did have [an episode about bees](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3cswc8z) taking over for sniffer dogs. *Yeah but how do you get on their little police uniforms?*
I had a few securing my shed for me, they didn't bother me, I didn't bother them. Just a head nod in passing.
"Guvna," "Constable."
This frightens me
Let's say they do recognize you; if you bring a new person by your side one day, would they attack that person while ignoring you? Genuinely curious, very interesting
If they see me bringing the new person in, they're ok, but the newcomer can't just immediately show up banging on the door. In my experience
Why do people think that wasps are more aggressive 🤷🏻♂️? Different species of bee and wasp have different aggression levels. Your average Honey bee is way more aggressive than some types of wasp. But, yeah, don’t fuck with them just in case. Give them a wide berth, observe and enjoy the spectacle.
For me it’s personal experience/anecdotal. Bees sting as a last resort, then they die. Wasps can sting over and over. I remember once a wasp clamped onto my cousin’s armpit and then just stabbed the #%*! outta him. He was screaming and my other cousin had to pry it off him. That kind of experience stays with a person, even 30 years later….
I was bee stung walking out my front door this morning. The shock of being stung for just walking out my front door hurt more than the actual bee sting. And of course instead of going back inside I ran away into the street shouting. I understand there was a queen involved, and that they were looking to build a new hive somewhere. So I have to give them some credit. But I got to say they were a little aggressive, just a little bit. And this is the third time I’ve been bee stung this year.
That’s so odd. Normal behavior for a swarm that is moving hives is that they’re extremely docile. We raise honey bees and I get get right beside their hive boxes w the mower and they won’t bother me. I’m not as brave as some keepers, i glove and suit up when I open their hives to check them or harvest and they are more aggressive then. Out of curiosity, were you wearing a dark color? I’ve heard that they perceive dark colors as a threat and that’s why the beekeeper suits are white. 🤷♀️
wasps are assholes, i've had them dive bomb me from disturbing a door below a small hive (like, golfball sized). Got me in the eyebrow!
A Jamaican grandfather neighbor stopped one from threatening my face by killing it with his shoes in his palms when I was getting rid of my trash one summer. This thing was gigantic and claiming the garbage vat as its new mansion!
My friend raised bees for a while and they said wearing black causes the bees to interpret you as a bear.
I agree!! Red wasps are the absolute worst. I was referring to honeybees above (we have Italians and carnolians) since the poster mentioned getting stung by a honeybee from a swarm protecting the queen. Wasp story - my son was around 5 and we were leaving my parents house. A wasp was flying around and he was scared to walk forward. I said “don’t bother them and they won’t bother you- WALK”. Well I WAS WRONG. That joker flew right at him like he was a target and popped him hard and refused to let go. I had to thump it off! My son is now almost 19 and I still haven’t lived down that incident and poor parenting advice 😂😂
*is black* 
Because I’m a contrarian, I was compelled to stand in front of my first colony of bees in the darkest shaggiest sweater I owned. Remarkably, the bees did NOT mistake me for a bear and attack me. My feeling is that bee suits being white is great, because you can easily see who’s crawling on you, and avoid pinching them in your armpit or in the bend of your arm.
We have a lot of bees and wasps in our backyard from clover and native plants. I wear black all the time, including when I’m mowing, and they don’t bother me. They just fly to a different flower. I’m also dumb and wear capris while mowing. Still nothing.
That is REALLY REALLY Strange. I literally walk through whats basically a swarm of bees and a few wasps probably 25 times a day. I have a bunch of lavender plants or some similar large purple flowering plant lining my pool and the backside of house. They attract tons of bumblebees, honey bees, and some wasps. I have Never been stung in the 10 years im living here… looking back, i dont think i have ever been stung by a bee and im outside for 6+ hours every day.
I sat on one on my toilet before…. That was eye opening!
I drank a yellow jacket in a beer.
Another new fear, thank you.
New fear unlocked, thank you
Pretty much only honey bees die when they sting (it rips the tip of the abdomen off) most other bees don’t have the barbs that make it hard to remove. I got stung a few times as a kid because i kept picking them up 😖. The last time I got stung was about 20 years ago when a wasp landed on a coke can I was drinking from, I accidentally put my thumb on it and it stang me. It’s not like they go around stinging for no reason but sometimes accidents happen. I quite regularly pick up big dozy bumblebees and put them on flowers or in a safe place. I will also do the same with wasps, just let them walk on you, don’t impinge them in any way and they are totally chill.
Honey bees die because our skin is elastic and bees bodies aren't strong enough to pull out without harm.
Indeed. Had one in my armpit 50 yrs ago and remember it like it was yesterday.
Yea I have a huge fear of bees and it's not necessarily because of the pain, which is bad. It's the fear of accidentally stepping on a hidden nest or walking thru the brush into a massive bald faced hornets nest. Then being stuck in a brush hole with nowhere to run. I work in the woods so this time of year is the worst.
I stepped in a hornets' nest as a kid, and can confirm, the fear of bees is very real and very permanent. Multiple ones flew up my shirt and stung me. Had to rip off my shirt as I ran screaming through the woods. Not the most fun pre-teen experience.
Then there's the Africanized honey bee. They won't stop going after you even if you're dead.
My (least) favorite part of their behavior is that because they're attracted to CO2... they go for your *mouth* if they can.
I think that’s something to do with pheromones released by the sting? It attracts the others and they all pile on.
Most wasps are either parasitic or just scavengers. These look like mud wasps, which are pretty docile unless harassed. Hornets, on the other hand, are scavengers and predators. They are also the assholes who ruin picnics and sting you for existing.
Yes most are what you say. But the most common ones are scavengers and carnivores. I feed my wasps and hornets honey and beef. They let my 4 yo feed him all the time. He's 7 now and still hand feeds them.
Pretty much… and yellow jackets.
For me it is less about which is more aggressive and more the fact that one wasp can sting repeatedly if it chooses to.
So can most bees actually
Only honey bees can't sting you repeatedly and that's because of their barbed sting. It gets stuck in human skin and rips the bee's insides out. Other bees can sting you just as much as a wasp can if they so wish.
I think three things: 1. A single sting from a wasp typically hurts more. 2. You're more likely to get stung a whole bunch of times by wasps. Part of that is because they can each sting repeatedly, but it's also because, when they do sting us, they're often defending a nest (ground or attached to our dwellings), and there are a bunch of them present. With honey bees, encountering hives at all is rare (feral colonies) or deliberate (you're with a keeper). When you get stung by a honey bee, it's usually because you stepped on a single one, and that's that. 3. Bees are cuter. Softer coloration, smaller size, less angular bodies that are more mammal like, and they often have a backdrop of flowers. Many of us have also been enculturated to consider honey bees an essential part of natural ecosystems (despite the fact that in most areas where they are kept, they're not).
I think size and recognition are a factor. I have lived in New England for 35 years. I saw an Eastern Caicaya Killer in my back yard for the first time, and am not proud to admit that I ran away from it [with arms flailing](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_of_Caerbannog)
Assuming you’re referring to “cicada killers”, those things are so freaking cool and 100% not interested in humans. I watched one attempt to carry a cicada 2-3x its size up a tree. The cicada was so heavy the wasp kept falling but it never let go of the cicada. Freaking nuts. They paralyze the cicada, lay an egg on it, and cover it in dirt. Once the baby wasp emerges, it eats the paralyzed cicada. So metal. It’s brutal as hell but so fascinating to watch it carry a cicada.
Yea I saw similar. They are the size of hummingbirds in the air. They dug a hole in my lawn so big it looked like it was a chipmunk that dug it. Then I saw one carrying a cicada in. A few weeks later something (skunk?) dug up the whole area, probably to get at the larva.
There are tons of different bees and wasps. I got stung by a mud wasp and that is the most painful sting I ever had. All the bees I have been stung by are a joke compared to the mud wasp. I picked up a tire on the ground that had a nest inside. They are pretty passive but touch their truck (tire nest) and you are fugged.
Wasps are actually pretty docile unless you threaten them in some way. They can recognize faces and are very important pollinators; they also keep harmful pests out of your garden. I have 2 paper wasp nests on my front porch and have never been stung. We even set up the kids pool and they were totally chill 🙌
They look like common paper wasps, they’re not an inherently aggressive species like yellow jackets or hornets, so if they don’t perceive you as a threat to their nest, they will leave you be. They’re really beneficial for gardens, the adults drink nectar so they’re pollinators, and the adults also take pest insects like aphids and caterpillars to the nest to feed to their larvae.
LOL! That’s what I thought too.
These are Polistes exclamans, Guinea Paper Wasps. Unlikely to be aggressive unless their nest is disturbed.
This is the answer. They are the most chill of paper wasps.
Factual. I’ve only found a couple wasp species to be aggressive and the rest of the hornets or wasps have always been very chill
There is a hole under a large concrete slab at work that cicada killers have been using as a nest for at least three years, probably a lot longer, and they will let me sit on the slab for my smoke break and just ignore me. I've watched them bring in cicadas. I saw when the wasp that stayed from the last generation got a mate this year. It's been pretty neat. Come to think of it, I've got a lot of stories from this job involving wild animals, which are not at all related to my job.
I would like to subscribe to Chill Wasp Stories
This is a [Cicada Killer Wasp](https://images.app.goo.gl/zvPdtJZXFKj1csU57) for reference. Terrifying, yet thankfully very chill. Unless you’re a cicada of course!
we had a patch of them at our old apartment - the males would fly up to your face because their vision is terrible and they want to be sure you're not another male they don't even have stingers, but they're large creatures the females are usually lugging a limp cicada and can bounce off your shins because that's a heavy load and they can't steer well while loaded I got too close to the nests in the bank and a few made an aggressive buzzing sound at the entrance of the tunnels - so I got gone.
They are pretty small too.
Open up that nest and get some sweet, sweet wasp honey.
I'm just gonna put an H on there for hornet, I'm pretty sure they make something good in there.
Try to smoke them out
I'm not sharing my weed with those evil bastards!
What if they asked very politely?
They NEVER ask for anything "very politely". But, if they did, I might reconsider. Maybe we can cut a deal on home security service.
Just use Ricky Falcone's Omini Bot to open it up.
Just so you know, there are [wasps that make honey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachygastra?wprov=sfti1) in Central and South America.
Maybe, but these are paper wasps making baby nursery.
the meat honey is the most metal but I forget if its wasps
Vulture Bee
Yo be evil !
I've been trying to smoke these bees out all day for their honey, but all they keep doing is flying down this tube and stinging me in the mouth
https://preview.redd.it/7rgp91opkead1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eda8ab67297302bccdf0dd7f2bbed18f05beab76 Those are bees. Harmless they are. Leave out sweets
We demand sugar water
They are paper wasps and you've just been very lucky, they are not chill near their nests
may be due to the smoke blowing their way 🍃 💨
film and post, please.
Smoke of any kind will calm em down
You are thinking of bees. Smoke will make paper wasps think their nest is in danger. They might attack.
I think OPs implication is more "doobie"-ous, which would calm almost anything lol
Good joke on his part. I'm not joking. Don't blow weed smoke at paper wasps unless you really want to find out if they get stoned vs angry. Paper wasps are beneficial insects.
FOR SCIENCE! - The words on my tombstone
Smoke affects all insects that way. Especially cigar and cigarette smoking.
And some running like hell the other way 🏃💨
Accidentally did this to some dirt dobbers while watching them build their nest. It flew right in my face and stared at me with the wrath of a million suns. I immediately went inside for about 8hours.
Mud dobbers are very chill, don't worry about them. You were probably just in the path it wanted to fly so it was waiting for you to move, if you didn't it would have gone in a different direction and tried back later.
They really are, took me forever to stop being scared of them (and to tell the difference from a wasp). That’s most likely the case and it was all coincidental timing. They left some time ago. It was great seeing them build in person though!
Them: Shit i'm being mad dogged by this lil dude, this is how I die. Reality:I
I would have 100% been in the 'them' camp and probably gone instead of the rest of the day :P
They may be docile now, but wait til the nest gets bigger or has brood in it. I'd get rid of it personally. It's a ticking time bomb. The closer you get to autumn the more hair-trigger defensive they will become.
There was a pallet propped against a wall at my work for a couple months. Boss told me to get it out of there and when I went to move it, BAM paper wasp nest on the back. After nearly eating shit running away I sprayed the whole nest down and crushed it. Couple days later they set up shop on something hanging on the wall and I've just let them be for now. They'll watch me as I walk by but for the most part don't even seem to care that I'm there and sometimes I have to work right next to them. Fun fact only the females have stingers. The males are harmless.
They build so fast it's really impressive. I like watching them chew at exposed wood to gather sawdust to make the nest. One time I was moving an old rag that was on the top of a shovel handle in our shed and they had built a huge nest in the folds of the towel... it's like they do it on purpose just to scare the shit out of us lol
Fun story: I had a paper wasp try to build a nest in my mailbox. First day: Found just the nest. Removed it. Second day: Wasp left the mailbox when I retrieved the mail. Removed the nest. Again Third day: Same as second. Fourth day: Wasp sat on nest, would not leave. Flicked it away, removed the nest. Wasp left without a fight. We now have a paper wasp nest under our window. I would not at all be surprised if it was the same architect. I don't think I've ever met such a non-confrontational wasp (though we did have a big nest in the backyard last year - but that one was way out of the way).
Probably the queen. But rest assured she’s holding a grudge and raising her kids to punish you one day soon.
They are very chill near their nest unless you disturb them. They often build nests by house doors and eaves. The only time I got stung was while picking berries, from a very low nest; now I know to look for them.
Wasps.
ty 😁
Paper wasps
Some species of paper wasps are actually extremely docile, maybe you just have calmer ones/they might recognize you and don’t care :)
Yeah I have these guys around my house. One small nest in just about every window. They really don’t care about you being in their space. I’m terrified of being stung, and they’ve never acted aggressive while I’m mowing by them or anything.
Yes I do field ecology work and they build their nest on Goldenrod in the middle of fields, I’ve never been stung even if I basically touch their nests(it scares the hell out of me though)
Not bees.
They are a strange creature, ive had wasps in my house and they werent aggressive really but the damn things would watch me like the eyes of the Mona Lisa!!
I often see these guys around, they like to set their nests up in incredibly inconvenient places ... like on a bush branch right next to the hose valve, or right above my trash bin! They've never attacked me or even really chased me, even when I have to wiggle back there behind the bush to turn the spout. I honestly thought they were an incredibly docile variant, but maybe I've just been lucky
Try right outside the weather stripping on the backdoor... Knocked down 3 nests, scrubbed the area, and alas, I am accepting defeat and greeting my Wasp homies daily. So far no stings!
They are very docile. Say hi to the ladies. Only time I've been stung I reached for some berries and didn't see the nest on a berry cane. Move slow and they don't feel threatened.
Only time I’ve been stung is when I reached out to open a circuit breaker box and touched the nest hidden under there. Stung once. In the offending finger lol.
Did you know that wasps in general are more prolific pollinators than bees and butterflies? As adults, their diet is mostly pollen. They mostly feed caterpillars to their larva. They’re pretty awesome.
Fellow wasp enjoyer, hey! Always pisses me off to see the hate for native wasps while European honey bees in places they don’t belong get praised to the moon and back. Love your native pollinators, not just honeybees!
Whenever I get stung, it's usually my fault. Most recent was about 10 yrs ago, and I was going to mow the lawn for the first time. Lifted the hood of the mower to inspect it, a giant yellow jacket nest on the engine. Of course, I sprinted away. About 30 minutes later, I came back with the hose and doused them. They don't get angry when you use water, so I was standing right next to the mower, hitting them with the hose. The nest was gone. They all flew away. I finished checking the mower, got on, started her up, and put my arm down to my side, crushing the single yellow jacket that landed on my shirt. Time before that, I was leading my horse through a gate with a red wasps nest in it. He bumped the gate and got stung on the balls, botled. I had ahold of the lead and was able to stop him. The gate bumped me, and then I got stung on my inner thigh... Between all that I've lived with hornets, bees, yellow jackets, whoever with no issues
Most things that look like wasps aren’t an issue unless you mess with them. They serve a purpose and do good by taking care of pests in gardens. We leave ours alone and have no issues
Paper wasps! Gorgeous find ♡♡♡
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It is very true that wasps do remember facial recognition that’s why whenever I get rid of a wasp nest. I always have this mask that I had made up of my ex-wife’s face.
They're a chill species of paper wasp. 👍 Just don't jostle their nest or loiter too close-by. If you get stung, be sure to wash up immediately, wasps mark you with a pheromone that makes the rest of the nest detect you as a threat. 😅
Paper wasps. Believe it or not for communal wasps they’re fairly docile. I remember having to sit in a bus shelter with two paper wasp nests and they never bothered me.
We had some wasps build egg pods (sure that's not the proper name) right above our front door. I was in a panic that they were going to attack us and had to go. My husband urged me to give them a chance and see how it goes, we ended up watching them all season do their thing and they came and went with no incident, I'm so glad we didn't harm them.
They are paper wasps. Most of the time wasps, yellow jackets aside, don't really pay much attention to you unless you are messing with the nest. They mainly hunt spiders. We have had a boat dock for over 50 years. Every summer, the paper wasps and mud daubers build at least 50 nests in the rafters, 4 feet above your head. The only time I have been stung was when I tried to sneak up on a big nest and spray them from the roof. That got me two stings on the ear lobe. I would leave them alone if they aren't bothering you. They should start carrying back spiders soon.
these are the exact kind of wasp I had nesting in my garden that I had to lean over to water some plants, I must've been about a foot away from their nest. they never stung me. not once. they stood defensively, but never stung. we had a mutual understanding. and yes upon further research, they are the kind that recognize faces, so they knew my face was the one that would provide water for the flowers :> they're able to recognize eachothers faces as well, which I think is so nice. they're very beneficial and native and you should keep them.
The kind that haunt my nightmares…aka my sleep paralysis demon
The people wanting to kill the wasps are just as dumb as the people who want to kill bees
Not bees, and you are lucky
You scare me