Fonseka wages war on ‘Wasps’

Colombo (News1st) - Minister of Wildlife Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka says he would recruit members of Sri Lanka's indigenous community, the ‘Veddas’, to help fight the ‘Wasp’ menace plaguing many areas. He made these comments whilst on a fact-finding tour in the Trincomalee District

He noted that those with specialised knowledge and training in the difficult task of removing nesting wasps were very hard to find, and this is why he was seeking the help of the Vedda Community. Wasp attacks have been on the increase of late with the insects often choosing places like school buildings etc., to build nests.

Fonseka was in Trincomalee in an attempt to study and understand the Human-Elephant conflict in the area. Joining him was Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan who highlighted the importance of ‘protecting elephants’, considering the age-old relationship between man and elephant.

According to a National Geographic description, unlike bees, wasps can sting repeatedly. Only females have stingers, which are actually modified egg-laying organs. Despite the fear they sometimes evoke, wasps are extremely beneficial to humans. Nearly every pest insect on Earth is preyed upon by a wasp species, either for food or as a host for its parasitic larvae.