Wasps

[citrakayah]

Me: *is reading Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane, comes across the following passage*

Yuvan's apartment is a dangerous place to be.
'It's best if you don't go onto the balcony, Rob.'
'Oh. Why's that?'
'Well, there are paper wasps nesting there on the ixora plant, you see, and they can become quite prickly if disturbed. They've been living with us for three years now.'
'Ah, I understand.' I really don't understand.
'The paper wasps used to nest inside the vacuum-cleaner cover on the balcony, but interestingly, after Cyclone Mandous in December, the majority of them moved to the ixora. I don't know why.'
'How many are there now?'
'Oh, I think about forty wasps. I recently had to apologize to two people who visited to do some work in the apartment. Though I had clearly warned them about the ixora, they nevertheless disturbed the nest and one of them was stung rather badly on the hand. It was necessary to explain to them that they must not blame the wasps.'
'How did that go?'
'Better than you might imagine. [...] Last week, by the way, I picked up my towel to reveal two paper wasps resting there. Understandably they both stung me, and I was grateful to them for this because their stings caused me to realize that I wanted to write my next book on insects.

Me: *hands passage to relatives*
Relatives: "No, Citra."

Seriously, though, this man is an inspiration to us all. And the book is really good.

Comments

[injunjane]

your relatives don't share your admiration of nature?

BTW that passage reminded me my mom who found a huge spider in a kitchen corner and was fiercely protecting it from now on. She called it Fedya or something of sort and treated it as our pet. Love my mom.

[citrakayah]

My relatives are less sanguine about living with wasps in the house, much less getting stung by them, which honestly I can't really blame them for. Even I'd try and get them to move.

[injunjane]

yes I can very well understand them too. Especially if they're sensitive to wasp venom. Spiders or bugs never harass people for something sweet, but wasps do and quite often...and then you get stung.

[injunjane]

I can agree that being territorial is a part of Nature in general, with some species you can share it though, and with some - no.

actually, when a sole wasp made visiting my home flowers habit, I was nervous but much less nervous than I get when having most of the human guests in my house...so much for sharing with the same species

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

That's an interesting perspective, like a nature monk.

Mine is territorial. Wildlife does not belong inside human territory (indoors and the immediate vicinity outdoors such as porches and patios) and may be evicted or dispatched if making a nuisance there. But the general outdoors is where various types of wildlife live, so it's not ethical to try killing every bug in the yard. They need somewhere to exist, and we need them to continue existing. And it scales. Bears do not belong in cities, but outside of that, don't argue with a bear over a berry patch or a stretch of trout stream.

I have a bee tree in my yard this year, and I'm very happy to have it. I give them a place to live, they pollinate my flowers, everybody wins. I feel no urge to keep bees in a hive to rob them of honey, but I will gladly pay local beekeepers for a share of their honey.

It's up to people to work out relationships with wildlife, and not everyone makes the same choices with that. But people on average are worse at it than they used to be.

[the_broken_tower]

Many a first lesson is taught on letting live and respecting personal space by stinging insects.

And many a human has sadly failed it...

- L. Law (he/him)

[citrakayah]

I wonder what it means, regarding that lesson, that when honey bees sting you, they die.