Carpenter bee

Identification - Xylocopa confusa – carpenter female.

The subject of wasps and wasp stings came up yesterday, with the blip of a rather dangerous looking wasp, that in fact is quite harmless species.

I was a wasp phobic when I started blip, but since I became serious about the bug photography, I have done an enormous amount of reading on all the bugs. I find like a lot of phobics, knowledge is power.

Field experience soon taught me that wasps are not the aggressive man chasers that I once believed them to be. I sometimes wonder if it is like a dog that can smell fear. Now that my fear of wasps has gone, whether I am no longer pumping out this ‘pheromone’ that makes them mad. I have not read anything like this, so probably not. Very rarely do wasps threaten me. Sometimes I can see them watching me, adjusting their position to follow my movements, but this is no longer threatening to me.

I have read that the two wasps that I need to take care around are; vespa analis and vespa velutina. Even these are not aggressive away from their nests. If there is a nest close by, they will get in your face and fly with a rapid side to side movement. This action means that it is best to move further away. Flapping at a wasp like a demented windmill doesn’t help, and can just aggravate the situation. It is the hardest thing in the world for a phobic to stay calm, but possible.

If you see more than one of these wasps at one time, you have to start thinking about nests and look around you. If you see even higher numbers, it is time to move away, at least until you have located the nest. The nests can be approached to a few metres, as long as you can stay calm and most importantly, DON’T bump into any structure that will vibrate the nest.

Personally, I have not come across a large nest so far. I have come across early stages, but the farmers generally destroy these before they get out of hand. This is usually the case in populated areas. Wasps generally build high up trees and so the danger is minimal. Remote areas need the most awareness and these are not on my current agenda, living in a city of 3 million people.

Knowledge of the various families of wasps is very helpful. Even if you cannot name a wasp sighting to species, you should be able to recognize the shape of the wasps of concern, which for me is analis and velutina. All the wasps with long petioles are solitary and not a problem.

In my wasp folder, I have images of 45 different wasp species and that is without making a special effort to collect wasp images. There is pretty much always a wasp within two metres of me at all times during my bug safaris, most of which don’t look like wasps, but come to light after research. Even in the UK, there are more wasps around than you probably think. A quick search for ‘wasps of UK’ and a couple of pages of reading, and you will be an expert in no time. Like I said, ‘knowledge is power’.

It all boils down to whether the creature is a solitary or a social nest builder and the same goes for bees too. The carpenter bee above is the female and can sting, but as a solitary species, it is non-aggressive and will not attack. The male of this species rigorously defends its territory and hovers in front of you in a menacing style, but knowledge tells me that the male cannot sting and this display is one of false bravado and the slightest movement will send him running for cover. Here is a blip of the male doing his thing.

So, you have accidentally clunked a tree and wasps are starting to appear in droves, what do you do! Well this is what an experienced wasp chaser wrote:

Lie flat on the floor with your face covered. Do not move until the buzzing has completely stopped.

If you feel a sting, then run. The sting releases a pheromone that marks you as a target and the rest of the swarm will move in. Waving your arms about is just a waste of energy and will compromise your balance, increasing your chance of falling over, as well as further aggravating the swarm. Concentrate on running.

Seek medical attention as soon as possible, just in case you have a reaction.

If you spot a nest, but it has not been disturbed, walk away slowly.

If a wasp lands on you, it does not mean you are under attack. It may have been attracted to sweat or your perfume. If you flick or swat it, you are greatly increasing your chances of being stung, as the wasp will defend itself. Yes it is difficult, but you have to leave it alone.

Insects, especially flying insects, live a much faster metabolism than ours. Their reaction times are more than ten times faster than ours. If you attack, the wasp has enough time to finish reading the newspaper, sting you and fly clear before you even get close.

Another experienced source advised: If attacked, stay calm -- easier said than done -- and walk away slowly into a heavily vegetated area, or get inside a car or building. Cover your face with your hands.

I guess you need to read up yourselves and make a decision. I know which option I will be going for.

Wasps are irritated by bright and dark colours, also some perfumes can be problematic. Rapid movements are a threat to wasps. If you kill a wasp or a wasp stings you, a pheromone is given off which will send the rest of the swarm into attack mode. So my interpretation of the facts is calm until stung. I see no point in remaining calm once stung.

If you are going to spend time in the field, wear light colours and no perfumes. I hope this article was of some help to you and hopefully you never have to put your chosen plan to the test.

Dave