Can English-speaking people say "wasps' nests" comfortably? Not me. I slur it into "wassness".
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European wasp image credit: CSIRO (CC BY 3.0) (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) |
Most people have an aversion to wasps, and a paper nest built on a structure can be a major nuisance. In addition, many people are allergic to wasp stings, making them especially dangerous to those individuals. Many people can see how their ‘cousins’, bees, have a useful role in the ecosystem, but struggle to think of why God would create such a pest as the wasp. In fact, they have important ecological roles to play.
. . . only about 1,000 species of wasp are social and form colonies. The largest (and one of the most dangerous) is the Asian giant hornet, 5 cm (2 in) long. The others are solitary wasps; some species simply find an existing hole such as those created by wood boring beetles, or they build or dig their own nest.To read the rest, fly on over to "Wasps: Nature’s pest control". You may also like to read "Parasite Wasps and Venom Origins".
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