Wasps might not be as pesky as you thought

The sun's shining, your friends are with you and the picnic's all laid out... and that pesky wasp decides to pay you a visit. Argh!

It might seem that all they want to do is to stop you having fun.

But wasps need sugar, and when the food that they make themselves runs out towards the end of summer, they need to search elsewhere.

And your picnic is a good place to look, which gets a bit annoying.

But wildlife charity RSPB wants us to stop and think about how amazing and useful these creatures are, too.

They eat and are eaten

Wasps play a big role in the food chain.

They can be an important food source for other wildlife, such as birds like flycatchers who bash them against branches to remove their sting and guzzle them down.

Dragonflies can sometimes snack on wasps too.

They're also really helpful to gardeners, as they gobble up aphids and other pests that attack garden plants and vegetables.

And wasps are great nest-builders that make their homes from chewed-up bits of wood. Their nests are complex, often with many layers, and weigh hardly anything at all.

Careful, though!

Wasps sting when they're cross, so you should always watch them at a safe respectful distance and don't do anything to annoy them.

But next time you see one, take a moment to think about how amazing they are too.