Wasps are pests

Apart from the fact that wasps sting and bite (It is estimated that between 4 to 8 out of every 1000 people are at serious risk from wasp stings), they can also cause other problems.

• Wasps scavenge in faeces, which means they are prime carriers of disease, especially where they come into contact with human food.
• During nest building, wasps cause damage to timber and trees which they use for making their wood pulp paper nests.
• Wasps will attack bee hives and kill bees.
• In late summer and throughout autumn, wasps do untold damage to fruit crops.

Despite its reputation as a villain, the wasp itself is not all bad because wasps play an important role in controlling other harmful pests. It is only when the wasp nest reaches the end of its life cycle (when the queen stops laying new eggs) that the wasps are no longer being fed by the nest itself, it needs to feed itself. At this point the wasps become a pest!