Wasps are not just a yellow and black striped aggressive insect that can annoy us in our gardens and homes. They are in fact an essential group of insects for protecting our crops and the health of our ecosystems. Social wasps have evolved traits that make them appear very intelligent insects, they can make decisions, solve problems and even recognise different faces! There's over 9,000 species of wasps in Britain and many have been commercialised to help in crop protection. Without wasps it would be an ecological and economical disaster for us. This talk explains why.