A pest by any other name

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As the mud daubers build tunnels for their eggs on my garage walls, Japanese beetles chew away at my flowers, and paper wasps expand their condo building in my roof eaves, I wonder what a pest is?

By definition a pest is an injurious or unwanted animal or plant.

My garage is a-hum with activity of the organ pipe mud dauber wasp building their mud tube nursery on the walls. This docile species of wasp is generally pleasant to have around feeding off of spiders and rarely stinging humans. Some would classify these as pests preferring no mud nests or spiders in their garages. I however welcome the spider eating wasps, it is a fair rent that they pay.

The early summer invasion of ants in my kitchen never fails to get my attention. Ants are social which I am sure is why they pay me a visit. Ants have colonized almost every landmass on Earth. The only places lacking indigenous ants are Antarctica and certain inhospitable islands. I am not so social when it comes to ants indoors but think that they are great outdoors eating and being eaten in the chain of life.

People find squirrels adorable. But talk to an electric company employee and you will find that they are classified as a pest. Just what entices a squirrel to take a bite out of a power line is unknown but entire neighborhoods have lost power from this pesky mammal. The woodchuck is a relation of the squirrel that burrows into the ground. Watch out for their holes when you hike around Auglaize County on grassy trails or you could twist an ankle stepping into a burrow. Hawks, raccoons, snakes and owls will prey on them so maybe there is some usefulness to ground hogs.

Looking out my kitchen window I enjoy watching deer graze on the farmers soybeans. However, when the same comes into my yard and eats the tulips just ready to bloom, that is a nuisance. I am torn between the enjoyment of viewing wildlife and the site of blooming Dutch bulbs.

Nobody likes to be stung by a bee, but we sure do need these pollinators. Bats pollinate too and eat lots of bugs. Snakes slithering within sight can make my skin crawl but they eat rodents and I say, “Yea for snakes!” Dandelions in my yard are a weed but cooked up and served in early spring, a tasty treat.

Anything we call a pest is also useful to the balance of nature. I am sure that there would be birds and fish that would miss mosquitoes but I for one would not. A world without poison ivy would be a comfort to me also. There is a balance to nature that we shouldn’t mess with.

Eagles are just now repopulating with our help after DDT use brought the symbol of our Nation to near extinction. Even a move to Antarctica would still have us living with some pests, tolerating others and occasionally exterminating the few that get into places where they are unwelcome.

Go outside and check out the wasp nests, burrows and beetles in your back yard. Listen to the crickets and locust late summer call. Turn over a rock and see what crawls out.

Allison Brady, Executive Director
Heritage Trails Park District

Your partner for parks in Auglaize County