On my terrace, right in front of my studio, a wasp queen decided to build a nest. Due to its prominent positioning, it was discovered in the early stages, and I have been asked if I want it removed. I have also been told that I should remove it, or simply torch it. I remembered reading that wasps could be particularly aggressive in early fall, due to overly enthusiastic nest protection. Prompted by this occurrence, I decided to tell you of my previous wasp experience.
Of course I have encountered wasps countless times. Probably the same as you. After all, we are not talking about some rare species here. I never behaved in an erratic or fearful manner around them, and I wasn't stung.
Then two years ago, in the summer of 2018, I noticed a wasp in my studio. It wasn't frantic nor in any way aggressive, it was simply present. Never more than two meters away from me, mostly it was closer. As its presence seemed to be permanent, I decided it was my new pet. I took a cool close-up photo of the wasp, and wrote about this spontaneously evolved, tiny bit of news on my social media page.
In the further course of the summer, there were more wasps. They seemed bolder than the first, they were on me, which wasn't always welcome, and even inside of me. Once, I took a sip of coffee, felt something in my mouth, spat it out in the kitchen sink, and it was a wasp, still alive.
Despite all that wasp action, all summer long, I wasn't stung. Not even once. Suspecting there was a nest somewhere nearby, I was curious if their behaviour would change, if they would become more aggressive in the autumn, but that didn't happen. I have seen the way people sometimes react to wasps, waving their hands or arms, in hopes of shooing them away, and I wondered if it was in fact this agitated behaviour of humans which sometimes led to a sting.
Anyway, that was then.
This time, there is a nest. It's being built, and it's right here. Heeding other people's warnings, I should have it removed or destroyed, but the wasps never gave me, personally, any reason not to trust them. If I were to remove the nest, wouldn't I be acting based on hearsay, allowing for a prejudice to guide my behaviour, rather than trusting my own experience and further path?
So the nest stays.
Not because I know how this summer will be or what will happen. I don't.
But, I will not allow even a smidgen of fear or hearsay-based caution into my heart when my personal experiences so far have taught me trust in this particular matter.
I hope you can see the sense in that.
And this post really isn't just about wasps.
Text & photos by me.
