Nightmarr

So zasp as a male wasp has a stinger and several other things that makes me believe in the trans zasp theory, but the thing about female wasps is how their antenna curves

These are pictures of the species that zasp is based on, on the left is a female and the right a male. As you can see the male has a sharp angle at the end.

So my theory?

Zasp had a fail gender affirming surgery that broke his fucking antenna making it impossible to mind control him.

OHHHH OK!! I’m not exactly an expert but I think I know enough to maybe help

For one it’s good to identify what species they are. If they’re parasitoids or otherwise non-aggressive (most solitary wasps are chill even if they sometimes look scary) then you don’t have much to worry about. Maybe don’t handle them directly if youre still anxious around them, but generally they’re chill. Social wasps tend to be the aggressive ones, but they’re chill if you handle them well

the first thing to being able to live with wasps is to know where they’re nesting I think. that is Very important if they’re nearby. Wasps only attack if they feel threatened or if the nest feels threatened, so as long as you keep your distance from the nest or don’t disturb it, that’s one major concern alleviated. Yellowjackets (usually) nest underground, so if you can identify where they’re burrowing, make sure you’re aware of where that is. Paper wasps tend to nest above ground so you’re way less likely to accidentally stumble upon it, but they like making nests in manmade areas because Ooh Funny Shelter And Free Wood ! As a rule of thumb if you see a lot of wasps around, regardless of whether or not they’re actively nesting there, take the extra care to watch where you step and sit down. I have been stung exactly once in my life and it was because I was a dumb toddler who did not watch where I sat <\3

As for body language! I’ll admit I don’t know much about yellowjacket body language, but paper wasps might lower themselves, pump their abdomens (KEEP IN MIND they breathe through their abdomens, so don’t take abdomen pumping as a sign of danger in of itself unless it seems particularly extreme. sometimes they’re just out of breath from flying and need to take a break to catch their lil bug breath), raise their wings, buzz their wings, and wave their forelegs. the leg waving may look cute but definitely pay attention to it <\3

peace offerings are interesting. They’ll certainly appreciate what you give them, but it won’t immediately override their natural instinct to attack when they feel threatened—though from my experience, they seem much more relaxed when given food, so interpret that how you will. Wasps LOVE anything sugary and watery. They’ll go insane for jam. Leaving out small dishes of sugar water is a great way to be nice to local wasps, but!! huge but!! Keep the water shallow, or put toothpicks or branches in the bowl to give them a way to climb out! Wasps love sugar so much that they’ll drown in it. Also, paper wasps can remember faces, so if you feed them, they could theoretically see you as someone they can trust and go to for food. But that comes with the caveat of you potentially being a wasp magnet, so keep that in mind if you instinctively swat at them when they come close.

I haven’t had to get many wasps out of rooms, I’ll admit, but I think the best way to go about it is to either quickly get them in a jar if they’re visible, leave out something sugary if they’re hiding, or sometimes even just open a window. I’ve had one wasp in my room before (cough cough voluntarily) and he wanted nothing more than to go back outside, so unless the weather’s nasty, if you give them a method of escape they’ll probably take it. Wasp’s whole lives revolve around their nest, they truly do not give a fuck about anything else half the time. They live to either 1. build a nest and give birth 2. get food, or 3. mate with the queen and die. They have no time or passion for anything else

In general, in my experience, the best way to get more comfortable with them is to simply learn about them, and see them for what they are. I was terrified of wasps 2 years ago because I knew absolutely nothing, but now I’m a lot more comfortable with them. Above all else, wasps truly, at the end of the day, do not care about you. It sounds harsh but it’s Very important to remember. Half of the reason people hate wasps and are so scared of them is that people love portraying them as these mindless, angry murder machines. but they’re just. bugs. The emotions people project onto them are not what they’re feeling. They don’t feel anger towards us, they’re just naturally aggressive as a defense mechanism. Everything they do is what they’re hardwired to do, and if you can learn about their behaviors, that’s a GREAT way to start getting more comfortable around them. They’re not these Crazy Erratic Freaks who do random things just to freak us out. Buzzing around your face? They’re curious and want to make sure you’re not a threat. Hanging around drinks? They’re thirsty. Hanging around dumpsters? Hungry or trying to forage. As much as I tend to anthropomorphize wasps in the way I talk about them, the best way to break a fear of them is to realize they are Just Bugs trying to survive like every other animal out there. they do not have a special vengeance against humans in particular. Their first instinct isn’t to attack, it’s just to Explore.

It’s lowkey helped for me to imagine wasps like little cats. They’re tiny little thangs who just want to check everything out and see what’s going on, and if you hurt them or startle them they might attack, but if you know how to handle them and don’t immediately try to hit them back, you’ll be fine.

And of course, most importantly, it’s ok to be a little scared of wasps!! That’s a good thing!!! That’s how both humans and wasps evolved to be!! They have the bright colors for a reason! As long as that fear isn’t debilitating then there’s nothing wrong with being a bit scared or cautious! Hell, even I’m a bit tense around wasps even if they’re my favorite thing Ever. I won’t pretend that I’m completely calm when a wasp lands on my leg or something and starts crawling around. I once thought I had a Yellowjacket go up my sleeve and I immediately started trying to swat it out (still have no idea if it was actually up there or not, but I swear I saw one fly out, so if anything take that as a lesson that wasps truly give no fucks, if she was up there she just wanted to get out (do not swat at them when they’re in your clothes btw AWFUL idea. They’ll just be both mad And trapped directly next to your skin. Really stupid decision on my part)). Once you override the natural urge to swat at them and start hitting them, I’d say your chances of getting stung go down Drastically

This prob isn’t very coherent so. sorry about that but I get asked about wasps and I go insane