Why You Shouldn’t Kill Wasps In North Dakota

Are wasps quite possibly the worst insect of them all? - Yes. Just thinking about getting stung makes me wince. A wasp sting is no joke.

When we encounter wasps, what should we do? Should we kill them? The answer might surprise you. No, we should actually leave them alone.

Or that's what some bug experts are saying.

Wasp Season Is Upon Us

We are getting into wasp season, which, according to Terminex.com, queen wasps come out during early April to start laying their eggs. The worker wasps aren't very active until later in the summer months.

I know they are scary and they tend to follow us around and build their nests near our homes, but next time you're unlucky enough to encounter one, just walk away.

Why You Shouldn't Kill North Dakota Wasps

There are actually several reasons you shouldn't kill wasps. According to ThoughtCo, wasps provide many ecological benefits.

They help with pollination and parasites. The source also says Hornets prey on other insects, like spiders, which means they are essentially nature's pest control service --no exterminator needed.

Personally, I can give you one really good reason on why you shouldn't try to kill a wasp. If you swing and a-miss, you better run.

Wasps will chase you down. I swear they hold grudges, and if you whack at them once, they are your enemy for life. They will go after you, your children, your grandchildren, your great--ok, you get the point. Wasps fight to the death is all I'm saying.

The Other Side of the Argument

While many think we should leave wasps alone, some do not think the benefits outweigh the costs. According to the source, there is a Wasp-Killing program in New Zealand. They consider a certain species of wasp an invasive insect. They also believe they are impacting pollination by preying on honeybees.

Leave It To You

Out of curiosity, I looked up whether or not wasps eat mosquitoes; sadly, they do not. That would have been one of their few redeeming qualities for me. With that, I'll leave it up to you to decide what's best in the moment.

While some experts think we should leave wasps be, keep in mind if you do smoosh one or two, that it will probably "bee" fine. No wasp species are currently endangered.