July 2022 • Nebraskaland 33
own right, but there are only 12,000 ant species in the world
and about 20,000 bee species. Whoop-de-doo.
Wasps tend to have a bad reputation among most people,
but if you've read this whole article, you're not most people, are
you? You're now in possession of an array of captivating facts
that will make you the envy of all your friends. Knowledge
comes with responsibility, however. Your job is now to bolster
the image of wasps among all those you come in contact with.
At a minimum, you can reassure people that most wasps
aren't out to get them and rave about the incredible diversity
of wasps and their value as both pollinators and regulators of
insect and spider populations. Based on personal experience,
I'd be a little more circumspect about sharing the bits about
wasps paralyzing small creatures and feeding them to their
babies, but I guess that depends on your audience.
N
Chris Helzer of the Nature Conservancy recommends the
book Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity and Role As Benefi cial
Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm.
A thread-waisted wasp (Sphecidae) warms up in the morning sun on a purple prairie clover fl ower.
Many wasps, including this tiny one on a Maximilian
sunfl ower, are so small they go unnoticed by most people.
