Some Truths About the Fascinating Lives of Wasps
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., Psychology Today / Animal Emotions
April 2020

Magnificent, diverse WASPS should be valued, not vilified.

Cuckoo wasp. Source: Pixabay, free download

I'm learning that as people have more time on their hands because of pandemic pandemonium and the rampant destruction of their "normal" lives, they want to know more about the fascinating lives of nonhuman animals (animals) other than those with whom they're somewhat familiar, such as dogs, cats, and other species they see in movies and documentaries.

Many people are "familiar" with wasps, however, they really don't know the nitty-gritty of who these magnificent insects really are because most if not all of their encounters with these flying intruders haven't been especially friendly.

I've always been interested in wasps, especially after having been stung by a fair number. I really didn't like being stung and on just about all occasions I uttered more than a mouthful of expletives.

However, some entomologist friends of mine told me I really should appreciate these stinging machines because they're only doing what's natural for them and they really do many good things. Furthermore, their diversity is mind-blowing. There are more than 110,000 known species of wasps and only one-third have a painful sting. So, all in all, talking at "the wasp" is as misleading as talking about "the dog."

Read Marc's entire article HERE (PDF)…

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