Question mainly for Vegetarian and Vegan answerers:- . Are there any uses for Wasps in the environment?

Question

I like most of the animals on this Earth but can't think of a single good reason to justify their existence. Wasps are the Devil's own work and just Evil !!
Bees are sweet (especially Bumble bees because they are cute and fluffy!!!) and will only sting if provoked. Wasps will sting at any time and can keep stinging and the little so-and-so's are becoming more weather resistant!

Cowboy......
It is a V and V question because by and large they tend to care more about animals and The planet Earth in general !!! I was hoping someone would give me a good arguement FOR wasps being a useful species by illustrating it with facts and I was maybe hoping to learn something!

Michael H that is great!! So wasps are nature's pesticides and without them food would be more expensive!!! To think I was on a downer because the stinging Wasps are female (typical women, thinking of the bargains, good on them!!!) I will Try to just be more understanding!! Citrus juice or citronella candles will keep them away and they are not vile and agressive chemicals like Wasp spray !!

Vegon, I did not say I wanted to KILL them or eliminate them. Hats off to you if you trully like EVERY single animal on the Planet. I asked because They seem to follow me all over unless I cover myself in lemon juice!!

Greenghost, that last link is REALLY CUTE !!!!!!!

Answer 1

What! No wasps = no figs!!

Here's a few helpful links about wasps. I think the last one i cute.

Answer 2

Wasps are carnivorous insects (they eat other insects, or at least their larvae do). The reason they are more aggressive than bees, is that unlike a bee, a wasp's stinger is smooth, and can be used multiple times. Only the female wasps sting (since it's really a modified ovipositor, and males don't have one). Some wasps are parasitic.
Wasps are critically important in natural biocontrol. Almost every pest insect species has a wasp species that is predator or parasite upon it. Parasitic wasps are also increasingly used in agricultural pest control.
With most species, adult parasitic-wasps themselves do not take any nutrients from their prey. Indeed, adult parasitic-wasps, much like bees, butterflies, and moths, derive all of their nutrition from nectar or the sweet secretions from their brood. Parasitic-wasps paralyze their prey by injecting it with venom through their stingers. They then inject the prey with eggs; when the eggs hatch, the larvae eat the prey alive, saving the vital organs for last. They pupate inside the prey's body, and upon becoming adults, cut a hole in the prey's skin and fly out.
So wasps help us keep the environment clean by avoiding the use of pesticides.

Answer 3

I grabbed this answer from another question:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060716080606AAnLOmO

---cut----

Most wasp species are predators. Their function is in the control of many other insect species. They are actually very effective parasitoids, and because of this efficiency they have been used for decades as biological control agents. Many crop pests including hornworms and scale insects which cost millions of dollars in loss annulally are controled by wasps. Without these predators, tomatoes, oranges, tobacco, and many other important crops would be so scarce that the price of them would skyrocket.
Their method of efficiency is that they will lay one egg on the back of a caterpillar, and throught the process of polyembrony, the egg multiplies itself, producing hundreds of larvae. These larvae hatch, kill the caterpillar, and pupate. Once development is compltete, the newly formed wasps will emerge and go out in search of their own caterpillar to deposit eggs on. After a year, there are millions of these wasps and they are naturally able to control the number of potentially devastating pest species.
In nature, most moths and beetles have some species of wasp that is their specific parasitoid. Without these parasitoids, longhorn beetles would reduce the forest to sawdust and caterpillars would strip every leaf off of every plant they can find. Wasps act to control theri numbers, and keep a balance between the pests and the hosts.

---- end of cut ----

by the way, I think its perfectly valid to post this question in the V&V section, at least you know you'll find some animal-friendly people in here.

and as the text above states, without wasps are fruits and veggies would be more expensive, the V&V section is the RIGHT place to ask this question.

Personally, I've got no problems with wasps, especially now i know they look after my fruit and veggies.

The only thing that bugs me is when they swarm, or nest near the house when there are perfectly good barns about 100 metres away.

Answer 4

A very selfish question -
...are there any uses for Wasps..

Is there any use for you, other than some rude ones that won't be appropriate here and now?

God didn't make everything for a purpose. Actually if you put everything in a big beaker and subject it to a cosmic beating, out of this plasma will come all sorts. And over time they will evolve into weird and wonderful creatures.

Each one being an important link in the global food chain.

Answer 5

They are predators. I used to hate them and am allergic to their sting, but they do do some good, it's all a question of balance in nature. I once watched a wasp searching under cabbage leaves until it found a caterpillar and flew off with it. I don't mind them so much now as long as they don't invade my space, and stay outside.

Answer 6

It's hard to beat Phantomli's answer. Wasps do kill a lot of harmful insects, and they won't sting you just for the fun of it - they have to feel threatened by you or feel that their nest is in danger. Now if you are looking for a creature whose existance cannot be justified in any sane, rational way, look no further than the nearest Republican.

Answer 7

Are there any practical uses for Pandas? They may be soft and fluffy but does that give them an automatic pass on survival? The Panda is a species that is coming to a close. Heck, they can't even repopulate whereas the wasp is a survivor, needs no research funds or global protection -- but they are nasty little bugs so no one would ever think to place them on an endangered species list. And another thing...why is this a question for veganuts? Afraid of being honest with yourself?

Answer 8

Wasps are predators, their purpose is to kill. The same as humans. When you really think about the cycle of nature, humans are the most pointless creatures on this planet!

Answer 9

I may be wrong... but being carnivorous... I would suspect that they help clean up dead things. Of course I can think of a lot of other critters who do the job just as well or better... so yeah... I'm with ya. Wasps can go. :)

Answer 10

I agree I think the sole purpose of wasps is to sting humans, sheer waste of space but good business for bite cream makers.