News Release

NORTH MANCHESTER — In July 2023, members of the Manchester University Center for Environmental Resilience and Social Engagement launched the “Community Wasp Survey Project” to document the various eusocial wasp species found in North Manchester and to study the impact that invasive species of wasps are having on beneficial native wasps in the local ecosystem.

The MU Wasp Survey Project is spearheaded by the “Wasp Survey Team”, made up of several Environmental Studies students and their faculty advisor. The WST is being trained and mentored by a local business, Green Wasp Removal, and is supported by local residents, businesses, and public facilities, throughout the community, all of whom are encouraged to join the project as official “Community Participants.”

Community Participants agree to allow the WST to inspect the exteriors of their properties to document local eusocial wasp species , including paper wasps, yellowjackets and hornets. Community Participants stay in touch with the WST throughout the summer/fall wasp season, and allow the WST to monitor the development of any wasp nests observed during exterior property inspections. After the seasonal monitoring phase is completed, the WST eventually collects or removes the wasps when nests reach peak population.

The WST also offers Community Participants free wasp removal services upon request. Removal services involve strictly “green” methods – environmentally responsible protocols – which entirely avoid toxic pesticides in favor of ecologically healthy natural control techniques. Part of the mission of the MU Community Wasp Survey Project, is to help educate the local community about the beneficial nature of wasps, and how to effectively remove/control unwanted wasps without the use of toxic pesticides.

At the end of the 2023 wasp season, when all the wasps and nests are collected or removed for the MU study, the wasp specimens will ultimately be shipped to Washington State to a venom collection company that provides wasps to biomedical labs, in the USA and abroad, for use in Venom Immunotherapy.

VIT is a life-saving medical treatment for people with severe or lethal venom allergies. VIT has a 98 percent success rate in reducing, or completely eliminating, venom allergies, thereby preventing medical emergencies before they can occur.

Wasps are indeed vitally important beneficial insects in the environment. Along with other essential species in the Hymenoptera Order of insects (including bees and ants), wasps are helpful pollinators, and exceptional biological control agents that help keep pest insect populations from exploding out of control throughout the summer/fall months.

Wasps hunt many species of pest insects and feed them to their young for protein, and this activity results in a more balanced and healthy ecosystem overall. It is important to recognize wasps as the beneficial insects they are. The community is encouraged to avoid poisoning, killing or eliminating wasps if there is any way they can be spared.

If you have a wasp nest that needs to be removed immediately, please contact the MU Wasp Survey Team to handle the removal in an eco-friendly manner.

To become a Community Participant in the MU Wasp Survey Project, or to report wasp activity anywhere in the community to the Wasp Survey Team, or for general comments or inquiries, contact the MU Community Wasp Survey Project Hotline at (260) 782-5182.