How We Got Wasps All Wrong – and How Changing Their Bad Rep Could Help Urban Ecosystems

Beyond the bees and the butterflies

Pollinator-friendly urban green spaces are increasingly popular across European cities. Everybody, it seems, now wants to ‘save the bees’ or plant butterfly gardens. This is, of course, a great attitude shift that benefits urban nature. But as urban rewilders, conscious of the need for rich, fully functioning ecosystems, we need to think beyond these few charismatic species: what if there are unsung heroes in our cities, quietly delivering just as many benefits – without anyone noticing? Even, perhaps, species that are actively disliked?

Unsung heroes, that is, like wasps.

Yes, wasps. Even as an urban biodiversity champion, you’d be excused for shying away from encouraging and promoting wasps. Although you recognise that all species play a role in ecosystems, you might still secretly find them a nuisance. And outside of wilding circles, many people are averse to wasps and will not necessarily rush to take part in an openly wasp-friendly project. This makes them a perfect example of how, as urban wilding practitioners, we must work with the human community as much as with habitats and species.

Millennia of bad PR

That people feel sceptical towards wasps is not surprising. To be fair, a wasp dead set on your summertime dessert is annoying, and getting stung in a battle against this persistent creature does hurt. On top of this, wasps have been plagued with bad publicity for a really long time. Already in the 4th century BC, playwright Aristophanes’ comedy ‘The Wasps’ used the insects as a metaphor for unpleasant, aggressive people. And not one, but three books of the Bible feature God sending hornets as punishment.

This cultural anti-wasp sentiment has continued to the present day. Media coverage of wasps almost always focuses on the negatives, often exaggerating threats – a 2025 The Sun headline reads “I was stung 100 TIMES by wasps on UK caravan holiday & had to be sprayed with fire hose”. Internet culture also reflects this bias: memes describe wasps as various unprintable things with wings, and an anti-wasp Subreddit currently has over 150,000 members. But this one-sided view is deeply unfair.

Not all wasps want your picnic

First, most people don’t know that only a few wasp species – like the common wasp, Vespula vulgaris – are drawn to strawberry daiquiris and trifles. What people commonly refer to as ‘wasps’ is actually a broad range of insects, including everything from social yellowjackets and solitary hunting wasps to tiny parasitoid species. And the vast majority are harmless.

And beyond this misunderstanding, wasps are among urban nature’s hardest-working allies. Many wasp species are remarkably effective natural pest control agents, preying on insects such as caterpillars, aphids, flies, and spiders that can otherwise become pests in cities. As environmentally friendly urban pest management is a constant challenge, this alone makes a strong case for wasps. But their value does not end there. Adult wasps often feed on nectar, making them important pollinators too – a fact that’s surprisingly often overlooked. Wasps also play other essential roles in ecosystems; they recycle nutrients, support food webs, decompose organic matter, and even help till soils.

Urban wasps are under threat

Unfortunately, like many insects, wasps don’t seem to thrive in urban environments, even if the pattern is not entirely clear-cut. In recent years, for example, UK gardeners have noticed significantly fewer wasps in their gardens – a trend that worries researchers.

The consequences of wasp decline for urban ecosystems are likely to be severe, but they are not well enough researched. Anti-wasp bias also affects wasp research, which remains far sparser than studies on bees. Still, we know enough to understand that we need to act.

Creating a wasp haven

So how do you promote wasps in your urban wilding project? The honest answer is that science is still catching up: targeted studies on wasp-friendly interventions are rare. Also, this hugely diverse group does not easily lend itself to a simple checklist. As always, though, we need to consider what a species needs to complete its full life cycle – feeding, mating, nesting, overwintering, and dispersal – and create rich, varied environments that support as many of those needs as possible.

Luckily, the bee hotel, a common intervention aimed at the wasps’ more well-liked cousins, can also benefit cavity-nesting and parasitoid wasps. This is also a good example of how ecology and sociology go hand in hand: you may need to reassure concerned community members that parasitic wasps moving into bee-occupied housing isn’t a failure, but part of a functioning ecosystem.

When it comes to food, supporting wasps means supporting the wider food web, as they need both plenty of insect prey and nectar sources. However, this is not as easy as just planting more blooms. A recent University of Sheffield study found that adding floral patches alone did not improve conservation outcomes, likely because urban ecosystems are complex, with different species relying on different resources and interactions. Here, urban rewilding – restoring natural functions and allowing ecosystems to become more self-sustaining – may be more effective than other interventions.

A new story for wasps

As important as the physical environment is, however, it may actually be that promoting pro-wasp attitudes is a more urgent part of your urban wilding project. Public attitudes to animals perceived as pests or dangers can easily undermine support for biodiversity measures – and it goes without saying that habitat creation efforts are wasted if locals call for wasp eradication a block away. Especially in cities, tolerance appears to be decreasing, with studies in Korea and Tokyo showing that residents are increasingly quick to call for wasp removal.

Countering a strong cultural narrative is not easy, but telling a more positive story will help. This can take many forms, from reaching out to local journalists and posting pro-wasp content on social media to championing wasps when interviewed. Fortunately, wasps offer plenty of material for a better story beyond their ecological value. Did you know that common wasps can recognise human faces?

However, environmental psychology tells us that information is rarely enough to change attitudes or behaviour. Inviting your local community to discover wasps firsthand matters too. And start young: emotional connection to animals is strongest between the ages of six and twelve, making this group especially important to reach. A fun wasp-themed day out can help children develop an appreciation not just for wasps, but for nature more broadly. Children’s activities also engage accompanying adults who might not attend a wasp lecture themselves.

Also, why not involve locals in some citizen science? Researchers have found this to be an effective tool, and as wasps are chronically under-monitored, this would also directly benefit research and conservation.

Securing the future for urban wasps – and the ecosystems they support

Wasps are, of course, just one example of the many underappreciated species groups worth considering in urban wilding. An overly narrow focus on charismatic bumble bees and butterflies may win hearts in the short run, but could ultimately limit the success of initiatives. Creating healthier, more resilient urban ecosystems means making space for a wider range of species, including those that are overlooked, misunderstood, or even disliked. There is every reason to pay more attention to wasps when creating wilder spaces and engaging with local communities. They will never entirely leave your strawberry cake alone – but our urban ecosystems will be better for it.

Further reading

Avarguès-Weber, A. et al. (2017) ‘Recognition of human face images by the free flying wasp Vespula vulgaris’, Animal Behavior and Cognition, 4(3), pp. 314–323. Available at: https://doi.org/10.26451/abc.04.03.09.2017. 

Choi, M., Kim, J. and Lee, J. (2012) ‘Increase trend of social hymenoptera (wasps and honeybees) in urban areas, inferred from moving‐out case by 119 rescue services in Seoul of South Korea’, Entomological Research, 42(6), pp. 308–319. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5967.2012.00472.x. 

Deguines, N. et al. (2020) ‘Assessing the emergence of pro-biodiversity practices in citizen scientists of a backyard butterfly survey’, Science of The Total Environment, 716, p. 136842. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136842. 

Ellis, E.E., Campbell, S.A. and Edmondson, J.L. (2026) ‘Effects of flower patch additions and urbanisation on cavity‐nesting bees and wasps’, Ecological Solutions and Evidence, 7(1), p. e70212. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.70212. 

Hosaka, T. and Numata, S. (2016) ‘Spatiotemporal dynamics of urban green spaces and human–wildlife conflicts in Tokyo’, Scientific Reports, 6(1), p. 30911. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30911. 

Kawahara, A.Y. et al. (2021) ‘Eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(2), p. e2002547117. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2002547117. 

Sumner, S., Law, G. and Cini, A. (2018) ‘Why we love bees and hate wasps’, Ecological Entomology, 43(6), pp. 836–845. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12676.