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Where have all the wasps gone? (www.bbc.co.uk)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Despite their bad reputation and tendency to disrupt picnics, wasps are an important part of our ecosystem.

During this time of year, it can seem like most outdoor activities are plagued by the flying insects... but they appear to have lacked their usual numbers in 2024.

Colder and wetter weather and climate change have had a global impact on the invertebrates.

top 17 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 months ago (1 children)

If getting rid of wasps means the collapse of our entire ecosystem, so be it. At least we took those fuckers down with us.

[–] NegativeInf 6 points 3 months ago (4 children)

Aren't bees and ants basically wasps? They all come from a common ancestor. Just differently specialized.

[–] LordKitsuna 33 points 3 months ago (2 children)

They specialized in to not being little fucking assholes so I'm okay with them

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

honestly it's more like yellowjackets specialized in being assholes, most wasps don't interact with us at all and just lay eggs in spiders or some shit.

[–] NegativeInf 3 points 3 months ago

Parasitoid wasps and mud daubers are dope little homies with coevolved viral injectors.

[–] HappycamperNZ 4 points 3 months ago

Yeah, give me a pile of fluffy cubes with wings over the angry stingy fuckers any day.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 months ago

I'm OK with this plan, so long as they take out mosquitos and all their ilk.

[–] br3d 11 points 3 months ago

Points at bees "Why can't you be more like your cousin?"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenoptera

[–] BradleyUffner 11 points 3 months ago

To hell, I hope

[–] cornshark 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Where's this colder and wetter weather? I thought the earth was breaking one heat record after another this year?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I thought the earth was breaking one heat record after another this year?

On average, it is. But the other effect of climate change, and a big part of the reason it isn't generally referred to as "global warming" anymore, is an increase in weather extremes worldwide. Rainstorms are wetter, droughts are drier, cold snaps are colder, and heat waves are hotter.

[–] _lilith 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Plant some native plants and invite the swarm

[–] SlapnutsGT 0 points 3 months ago

[–] TragicNotCute 2 points 3 months ago

I know this is a BBC article so it might not apply to America, but they are in my yard. All the wasps are hanging around in my backyard waiting to be dicks.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

They are all here around my house.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago

Basically Homeless will have a word.