How long could humans survive on my planet?

Start off with a safe village/colony.

People living in the parts of rural Africa with wild lions will surround their villages with thorn bushes the lions don't cross (for example, acacia thorns in East Africa). This doesn't eliminate attacks but it greatly reduces them.

Or a modern version.

Once you have some protection, you buy time for the settlers to understand the dangers the wildlife pose and how to learn to live with them.

Those fences will keep out the cobras. Some basic land shaping will also keep them away. They won't want to slither on sharp things or rocks or on certain slopes. The colonists will need to run some experiments to see what does and doesn't work. Then they can make very large areas giant snake-free.

The fences can deter scorpions too, if they can't push past the fence or climb over it. Or dig under it (something a snake may also do). Layers of fencing with both thorns (mostly for the snakes) and metal (mostly for the scorpions) are the way to go.

Bury the fences underground a few feet and also curve the top to and add electric barbed wire or something like that.

Then there are wasps. Wasps only harm humans and other large animals if they disturb them or their nests. In our world, it's possible to accidentally step on a ground wasp nest or brush against one in plants, or a wasp might be in your shoe before you put it on (ditto scorpions for that). But giant wasps (or scorpions) there is no way in hell to do this accidentally.

You don't say what kind of wasps they are. Paper wasps are pretty non-aggressive and just want to build their nests under house eaves or the natural equivalent (a cave perhaps for the giants). You can knock down their nests in broad daylight and they won't hurt you. Yellow jackets, on the other hand, build nests mostly in the ground but also other places like walls and trees. They are mean. You don't want to mess with a yellow jacket.

Your best bet with aggressive wasps is to map out their territory and not build or go anywhere near it. Given their size, this is much easier than it is on Earth. Wasps are defensive but they don't go out looking for things to sting or bite (yes, yellow jackets do both). They eat other incests for the most part. Some basic weapons (shotgun that can take down an elephant) should be enough. They are active during the day.

A few colonists will die, especially in the beginning, but mostly should be fine. A fair number of livestock will die, more in the first year or two, but they probably won't die out completely.

posted about 5 years ago

Cyn‭

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