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ADAM HART
BBC Wildlife
|February 2021
In our series about people with a passion for a species, we ask science presenter and author Adam Hart why he loves the common wasp.
Why have you chosen the common wasp?
Wasps are perhaps the most misrepresented of all animals. The common wasp, Vespula vulgaris, is a champion predator, homemaker and carer as well as being one of nature’s most superb architects. The species has the most fascinating social life and, up close, is stunningly beautiful. Common wasps are also remarkable pest controllers – taking huge numbers of caterpillars from crops and gardens. Predators in general increase biodiversity, and wasps do a bit of pollinating along the way, too. We should treasure them, rather than loathe them!
Why does the species have such a bad reputation?
This story is from the February 2021 edition of BBC Wildlife.
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