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I am planning on using two 10 man squads in my new Tau list which will be posted shortly. I think 5th makes them doable finally. A full 10 man squad will run you 166pts. They can jump 12 and fleet 6 making them a option for a quick reactionary force for things that can scout or infiltrate into your sides in 5th. Improved cover saves also make them more survivable (4+ vs old 5+) they are initiative 5 so they can at least swing were they used to be just charged and wiped out. They re-roll diffcult tests and have LD9. The points seem justifiable for 5th and they may almost be mandatory to protect broadsides and crisis suits?

My big worry for Vespids would be that it would be too possible for your opponent to mitigate your AP3 weaponry with 4+ cover. And while the Vespids won't totally suck in assault - they aren't to be feared by anthing other than basic guardsmen or firewarriors, either.

Orks. I think you have to have a speed bump for 5th and they may be it. What concerns me playing Tau is the possibility of a scouting unit aka Ravenwing knowing they have first turn getting 30 inches of movement in one turn to get into your lines. That leave you only a 6 deployment zone. So you have to have a screening unit.
Kroot can serve the same purpose but I like the mobility of the Vespid to quickly redeploy and land in cover to recieved a charge and possibly force a failed terrain test to reach them.

Raven wing could also get a melta shot on any tank in the game now if you think about it and with scouts/iniltrater moving on from the side I just don't think armor is as good as other are thinking because it's to easy to get around to the side of cover unless you just park your vehicles inside a terrain piece. Thats why I am foregoing the traditionaly mech tau.

If you're using them as a highly mobile speedbump or screen, you might as well take drones instead, no?

I have the one drone team but I don't think they benefit from LD 10 from shadow sun and 1/2 marker lights letting the Vespids hit on a 2/3 on 3+ armor saves in the open are not half bad for the added flexibility.

I hadn't thought about it, but you make some good points. They could be useful as I think things will get caught in the open after assaults frequently with the no consolidate thing.

The only way they're a speedbump for orks is if you run them right up and make a wall the orks can't move through, costing them a turn of movement. Otherwise the orks will shoot them off the board. Ork shooting is pretty scary. And if you charge the orks, there will be no fighting on their turn, you will be dead. I just don't see it being very effective, you may as well screen with twice as many bodies and use kroot - and kroot are way more effective shooting wise against orks than vespids, and comparable to vespid against SM due to volume of fire.

And the kroot won't horribly suck in close combat.