Wasps have long been reviled by the public and even Charles Darwin questioned his faith because he could not see why a ‘beneficent’ God would have created such nefarious creatures.

But now scientists at University College London are trying to rehabilitate their image to prevent them from dying out.

Far from being the picnic-sullying, sting-happy nuisances which have ruined many a summer gathering, conservationists argue that the insects are crucial for pollination and should be given the same respect as bees.

The team are calling on people to live with wasp nests rather than calling in the exterminators and plant ‘wasp friendly’ gardens with plenty of shelter and long grass.

“It’s clear we have a very different emotional connection to wasps than to bees – we have lived in harmony with bees for a very long time, domesticating some species, but human-wasp interactions are often unpleasant as they ruin picnics and nest in our homes,” said study author, Dr Seirian Sumner, of UCL’s department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment.