I hate wasps. They are one of the few actively malicious creatures in these placid British Isles; and one of few kinds of animal that I would like to see become extinct.
A wasp will seek-out and sting somebody for no discernible reason, out of sheer spite; I have, indeed, seen a wasp do this to three people, one after the other - who were simply standing in a row, in the open, doing nothing (waiting to be photographed) - and nowhere near any possible wasp's nest.
But hoverflies are a different story. I love this sweet little wasp-mimic.
Although they benefit from looking like the evil wasps, they are among the most harmless and beneficial of garden dwellers. They are great aerial acrobats; with their alternation between stationary hovering, instantaneous rotation, and invisible zooming.
They even seem to have a nice and friendly face - for an insect; and radiate a kind of benignity.
(Apparently, this beneficence is 'scientifically' true; and the hoverfly group is supposedly one of the most ecologically vital contributors to the English countryside.)
6 comments:
I once heard a comedian say that wasps are the Millwall fans of the insect world. Good comparison. But I like both wasps and hoverflies in their own way.
@TR - "I like both wasps and hoverflies in their own way."
I can't find any way to like wasps, I'm afraid...
I despise palmetto bugs. They are cockroaches in the American South up to 2" long and make a disgusting crunchy-goopy sound when stepped on. I always spray them with the most toxic chemical I can buy.
We have some bright, irridescent green flies in my region that like to buzz around my herbs. I still can't track down a scientific name.
Tracked it down. Euglossa dilemma, the green orchid bee. Started showing up in Florida in 2003. It is a nectar feeder and was obviously attracted by the smell. I'll try and get a photo some time.
"I can't find any way to like wasps, I'm afraid..."
There's one possible way: without wasps setting the dangerous model, wasp-mimicking hoverflies wouldn't be protected by their colouration. If wasps were wiped out, some groups of hoverfly might go extinct.
@TR - Yes, that is the irony of liking hoverflies. If wasps went extinct, presumably hoverflies would lose their protection - and there would be much fewer or even one at all...
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