Our Friend, the Wasp #626
May 25, 2023
Is there an insect more universally despised than the wasp? What have they done to incur so much of our ire? No one likes them. Well... almost no one. Seirian Sumner, Professor of Behavioural Ecology at University College London and cofounder of the Big Wasp Survey, is on a mission to improve the wasp's PR with her book "Endless Forms: Why We Should Love Wasps". She joins us to talk about the fascinating biology and behaviour of wasps and their societies, and how we can learn to better coexist with the wasp, thinking of it less as pest and more as pest control.
Guests:
- Seirian Sumner
Featured Book
Endless Forms: Why We Should Love Wasps
Guest Bios
Seirian Sumner
Seirian Sumner is a Professor of Behavioural Ecology at University College London. She studies social insects to understand their behaviour, ecology, evolution and role in ecosystems. She is especially fond of wasps, and is working hard to give them a PR makeover. As part of these efforts, she co-founded the Big Wasp Survey in 2017 - a citizen science project to engage the public with social wasps in their back yard. And in May 2022 her book "Endless Forms: The secret world of wasps" was published, giving everyone a reason to better appreciate wasps.
