Being stung by a wasp in January of all days is rather unlikely. The queens are well hidden and hibernate in some cracks. In a few weeks, however, the buzzing pests will be ready to go again and will then also look for nest locations that many people rate as rather suboptimal: attics, tool sheds, roller shutter boxes. That’s why the Munich district office is now putting in a good word for these useful animals, which play an important role in the ecosystem, and is looking for wasp consultants to help resolve the conflict. This job description makes it clear: people and wasps have much more in common than a preference for roller shutter boxes.
We all know that wasps are very social animals. If a creature discovers a well-laid table, it flies off and lets its buddies know. On the other hand, they carry competitors for the search for food, such as ants, to another location. Only recently, a European research team led by the neuroscientists Aurore Avargués-Weber and Daniele d’Amaro discovered that the same processes take place in the brains of honey bees and European wasps when identifying living beings as in humans. In general, there are incredible scientific findings in the field of wasp research. For a long time it was assumed that only female animals could sting. Last December, however, the agricultural scientist Misaki Tsujii from the University of Kobe near Osaka was stung by supposedly harmless male wasps. Eventually, she found out that males have upgraded: their penises have evolved lateral spikes that they can use to defend themselves against predators.
Of course, nobody thinks of all these impressive abilities who are annoyed by the flying insects that are after the cake. Baker Schmid from Baierbrunn, on the other hand, reported last summer, has a four-stage plan. First: turn off the light, second: cut out the apple biscuits, third: leave out the glaze and powdered sugar. Stage four would then be the complete abandonment of confectionery. But it didn’t come to that. This year, the volunteer wasp advisors who will then be trained should also help. According to the district office, they must have special skills, for example “the joy of dealing with people and wasps”. Good empathy is required and the ability to deal with possible conflicts constructively. We look forward to an empathetic dialogue with the queen in front of the roller shutter box.