On my terrace, right in front of my studio, a wasp queen decided to build a nest. Due to its prominent positioning, it was discovered in the early stages, and I have been asked if I want it removed. I have also been told that I should remove it, or simply torch it. I remembered reading that wasps could be particularly aggressive in early fall, due to overly enthusiastic nest protection. Prompted by this occurrence, I decided to tell you of my previous wasp experience.
Of course I have encountered wasps countless times. Probably the same as you. After all, we are not talking about some rare species here. I never behaved in an erratic or fearful manner around them, and I wasn't stung.
Then two years ago, in the summer of 2018, I noticed a wasp in my studio. It wasn't frantic nor in any way aggressive, it was simply present. Never more than two meters away from me, mostly it was closer. As its presence seemed to be permanent, I decided it was my new pet. I took a cool close-up photo of the wasp, and wrote about this spontaneously evolved, tiny bit of news on my social media page.
In the further course of the summer, there were more wasps. They seemed bolder than the first, they were on me, which wasn't always welcome, and even inside of me. Once, I took a sip of coffee, felt something in my mouth, spat it out in the kitchen sink, and it was a wasp, still alive.
Despite all that wasp action, all summer long, I wasn't stung. Not even once. Suspecting there was a nest somewhere nearby, I was curious if their behaviour would change, if they would become more aggressive in the autumn, but that didn't happen. I have seen the way people sometimes react to wasps, waving their hands or arms, in hopes of shooing them away, and I wondered if it was in fact this agitated behaviour of humans which sometimes led to a sting.
Anyway, that was then.
This time, there is a nest. It's being built, and it's right here. Heeding other people's warnings, I should have it removed or destroyed, but the wasps never gave me, personally, any reason not to trust them. If I were to remove the nest, wouldn't I be acting based on hearsay, allowing for a prejudice to guide my behaviour, rather than trusting my own experience and further path?
So the nest stays.
Not because I know how this summer will be or what will happen. I don't.
But, I will not allow even a smidgen of fear or hearsay-based caution into my heart when my personal experiences so far have taught me trust in this particular matter.
I hope you can see the sense in that.
And this post really isn't just about wasps.
Text & photos by me.
This is a very good perspective. I have a nest experience from last year that turned out without issues. When I moved into my house last year there was a wasp nest inside the roof overhanging my back deck. This wasn't in the attic or anything, but just on the outside corner of the overhang and it wasn't hurting anything by being there. In the fall, the wasps became busier; I guess getting ready for winter. They still weren't hurting anyone or anything. It did cross my mind to get someone in to get rid of them considering the location was too risky for me to try, I didn't know how big it was, and I didn't want them to come back next year. Since they weren't hurting anything I decided to let it go until it got cold to deal with it. While I was waiting, I found some useful information that, because wasps are territorial, they don't build nests around other nests and they don't come back to the same nest next year. So by doing nothing and letting them live, I now have a small wasp nest on a part of the house that appeals to wasps preventing them from making another one and keeps them away from the back deck. I've barely seen any wasps this year around that deck so it turned out to be a win-win for everyone.
And that is a lovely addition to my story.
The natural world has such an abundance of seemingly effortless ways for generating balance...
Good to finally see you here!!!
Thank you, Peter!
(I AM glad to finally be here... again.)
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I kind of had a similar experience this year. I have digging wasps in my Kalanchoe flower pots, they make their nest in the ground and lay their eggs there. I just didn't want a bunch of wasps to start flying around the house later in spring, as I take the pots into the house for the winter. I tried to make them go away, I used pepper in the soil, herbs with a strong smell so that they'd go away, nothing worked. I guess I'm gonna have to find an alternative winter storage place for the flowers. Sometimes we should let nature be... 🐝