Yellow jackets are mean, but don't confuse them with paper wasps which are chill little dudes. They'd rather head bump you to get you away than sting you.
this post was submitted on 30 May 2026
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I am honor bound to come wasps' defense. They are very cool critters! The vast majority cannot and do not harm humans, and are largely an ecological boon. They prey on cultured crops pests. Some even specifically prey on roaches.
I've lived in paper wasp territory my whole ass life and only been stung twice, and it wasn't even all that bad. Like the pain was gone in a minute tops. And I consistently stick my hand and fingers into unexplored, and frequently inappropriate, areas.
Wasps are bros as much as spiders are. I would argue more so because they actively hunt pests, and are responsible for far less human deaths than spiders.
And I consistently stick my hand and fingers into unexplored, and frequently inappropriate, areas.
... Like... In general, or regarding the paper wasps?
Both, they like building their nests in peculiar places.
Wasps are bros as much as spiders are.
Just not bros to spiders. What parasitoid wasps do to spiders/other victims is nearly as nightmarish as what spiders do to their prey. Definitely a match made in hell.
Yeah, the turantula hawk is next level vicious.
Also one of the few that really suck to be stung by.
Agreed. Cicada killers are like the coolest bug in my area. As a kid I used to imagine that would be my Pokemon
I just wanna wax nostalgic on probably my most beloved pet that could've been a Pokemon.
Y'all may know Furryosa, but she's only been with me for a little under a year. But I had this dog I named "puppy", which my dad tried to fight but I won, from about age 6 until 14. He was a half German Shepherd, half Rottweiler that got dropped off on our doorstep (very small and isolated community, so it was obvious). Homie had the colorations of a Rottweiler with the build of a tall dachshund. We didn't crop anything cause my mom is a good person, so his tail took on its own moniker as the agent of chaos it was. He became male dog aggressive later in life, which wouldn't have been a problem as we had a fenced yard. But other dogs jumped into our fence on occasion and did not meet a ceremonious end.
But then a year or two before he suddenly passed he became best chums with an all white male dog literally half his size that we caught on camera jumping in. I'm not trying to defend Piers Anthony's literal bullshit, but maybe the horse isn't the only thing that's pale.
Edit to add: if y'all wanna know about the badass cat that could only be killed by an alligator, let me know. That fucker dug holes in concrete!
Hey!!! Now, waitaminit!
Those "pieces of shit" do a bang up job of keeping the caterpilars and other pest creepy-crawlies off the fruiting trees.
NGL, have a friend whose house has 2-inch eaves (not soffits) that are lined each summer with wasps nests.
They do nothing but ferry all the caterpillars off the peach trees to their nests all summer long.
Also, as there are always people outside on the porch, the wasps are totally chill with everyone and no one has ever been stung or swooped at.
(Friend shares the bounty.. we get lots of peaches for their diligent work.. peach pies, peach cobbler, peach schnapps, peach jam, peaches with ice cream... you get the idea...)
It's about being a part of the territory, not an interloper.
I like the wasps.. now the white faced hornets.. that's another story. Utter cunts, those ones are.
Hell yeah! I'm so glad for lemmy opposed to reddit cause I see some wasp defense here! Wasps are bros.
I have no real ill will towards any bug that is outside other than horse flies. Horse flies can go to hell. Fucking bastards bite just for fun
And sweat bees.
Also, as there are always people outside on the porch, the wasps are totally chill with everyone and no one has ever been stung or swooped at.
In the States, our yellowjackets don't swoop and sting much, but they have a super-annoying tendency to hover over one's food. Possibly the behavior's a bit different where you are, possibly via related but different species.
It’s particularly bad in late summer and early fall, when their diet shifts to be more protein-rich — human food tends to be more appealing.
We have wasps that love meat here, they come and sit at the table at your picnics. They're still friends though, even when you're fighting ten for a piece of sushi. They don't sting even when you accidentally hit them swatting them away
Wasps are always invited to the cookout!
They actually scare away the flies from what I've seen. Flies puke on your food, wasps chomp intentionally leaving less fluids.
Schnapps, you say? (suddenly in need of a drink )
actually the wasp eats pests. but it's also very ignorant when it senses food. so yeah, i get the resentment
So do bats. I propose we trade all of the wasps for some quantity of bats.
You want hemoragic fevers? That's how you get hemoragic fevers.
Now you’re speaking my language.
Yellowjackets are rage with wings. Fuck the little bastards.
They give other wasps a bad rap.
Replace "piece of shit" with "avoid this asshole". Take these jerks over mosquitoes or ticks any day.
Haven't even thought about ticks in a few years. I cultured my property to encourage a diverse local fauna, which results in very few of the fuckers.
They aren't this high resolution in real life and they are moving all over. I'm fine with the big fatties but anything else I tuck my arms into my sleeves and make a high pitched scream.
And you're not wrong for doing so. The phat bois mostly don't even have stingers. But wasps are also less likely to swarm.
Two of the three I save when paddling.