Benefiting wildlife

Wasps may buzz, sting us and annoy us, but they’re far more useful than we realise. A new study in Ecological Entomology reveals both the overwhelmingly negative public perception of wasps and also their importance. Among the benefits is wasps’ pollination of flowers, helping Britain’s wildlife to blossom and supporting biodiversity.

Stopping disease

A wasp hovering around you in the garden seems like a threat, but in a sense it may actually be protecting you. The same Ecological Entomology report, from researchers at University College London (UCL), suggests that wasps are a barrier to the spread of illness. Human diseases can be spread by insects but, thankfully, wasps have been known to kill several types of insects that transmit these diseases.

Cancer treatment

While we might not expect it of the common wasps that irritate us all summer, there is a species of wasp that could help us to fight cancer. The Biophysical Journal explains that a peptide extracted from the Brazilian wasp Polybia paulista can selectively inhibit certain cancer cells. The peptide could have the potential to be developed into a cancer treatment in the future.

Pollinating crops

We all know that bees are great pollinators, but many are unaware that the hated wasp can also be crucial in pollinating our food crops. This is according to UCL’s Seirian Sumner and Ryan Brock at the University of Bristol. A key example is the fig wasp, without which figs, and the many species that feed on them, would be harmed.

Regulating insect populations

A major group of wasp species is “social wasps”. According to Sumner and Brock, social wasps are particularly beneficial for our ecosystem. They often help to regulate insect populations without wiping them out entirely; these include crop-eating pests, thus benefiting agricultural yields and, in turn, lessening the need to use harmful pesticides.