You like wasps right? Could you please tell me more about their behavior and some sources to look into?
A hive decided to take up residence under the second step to my house so I'm constantly stepping over them. But they've been extremely chill and just watch us go by. They were gathering outside the hive, on the step, and were watching every move I made the other day and I'm really curious what their little bug brains were thinking. Is there anything I can give them to make friends?
you can give them water! make sure they see you filling it so they associate you with good things. make sure it's a shallow dish with pebbles in it so they have lots of footholds and don't drown. if they're already pretty chill, they clearly don't associate you with threats and will adapt their behavior to your routine anyway
If you prefer to listen to this blog post, click here. A few summers ago, my partner and I decided to do some container gardening. This in
oh also, a basic primer on wasp body language- if a wasp is chill with you being nearby, they'll basically ignore you and go about their business.
if a wasp is NOT comfortable with you being nearby, it may turn to face you, lower the front half of its body like a dog, open its mandibles and hold them open, flip its wings up into an angry 'V' shape, or a combination of several of these! if they do this, just stop what you're doing and take a couple steps back to give them some space until they calm down.
if a wasp is actively trying to drive you out of an area, they'll do a flyby first where they just kind of fly by or near you slowly with maximum wingflaps engaged! they may or may not splay their legs out for this depending on species. they may do the flight in repeating patterns or just whizz by your face also depending on species, but if a wasp is flying weird near you you can safely assume it would like you to leave right now. exit the way you came.
to move around wasps, just keep your body language smooth and natural. do not jerk around like a panicked puppet, just be cool and predictable. wasps share their lives with countless large creatures from deer to cows to coyotes, and they're fully willing to coexist with you as well as them as long as they don't think you're trying to hurt them!
