Wasps are beneficial insects that often prey on pests that bother humans.
There are many thousands of types of wasps living in the Northern Hemisphere and tens of thousands found around the world. Similar in some ways to their cousins, the bees, wasps belong to the order Hymenoptera (along with bees and ants), and the suborder Apocrita.
There are both social wasps, that live in small colonies, and solitary wasps.
What Are Some Common Types of Wasps?
Yellow Jacket
Common across North America are many species of yellow jackets.
The most common yellow jackets are about the size of honey bees are sometimes confused with them. They are brighter yellow than honey bees, with striking black markings, and not covered in golden tan fuzz as honey bees are.
Yellowjackets are far more aggressive than honey bees and can sting repeatedly (whereas a honey bee can only sting once).
Bald-Faced Hornet
Although named a hornet this black and white species is actually a wasp, and in fact, a species of yellow jacket.
Bald-faced hornets build papery nests hanging from the low branches of trees and bushes. They sting repeatedly and aggressively to protect their nests.
Mud Dauber
So named because they build their tube-shaped or pot-shaped nests out of mud. Mud daubers are ¾ to 1 inch long and can be black, iridescent black, or black with yellow markings.
They are solitary and generally non-aggressive.
Northern paper wasps
Like yellow jackets, paper wasps build their nests from regurgitated wood pulp. Their nests can be found hanging from trees. They are more brown than black and have reddish or yellow markings.
With distinctively long legs they are easy to distinguish from yellow jackets.
What is The Wasp Life Cycle?
Fertile queens who have hibernated over the winter emerge in spring and find a good place to build a nest and lay eggs.
Solitary wasps are usually parasitic and lay their eggs in or near the body of a paralyzed host/prey species such as hornworm caterpillars and spiders.
How Do Wasps Build Colonies?
The colonies of social wasps consist of one queen wasp who lays the eggs, female worker wasps, and male wasps.
Wasp nests, made of chewed wood pulp, or build from mud, have smaller cells inside the structure that house the eggs and growing wasps.
The queen will build a few cells first and lay eggs which she raises to be the first worker wasps. Once these first female workers are grown they take over the nest building, raising of young, and foraging for food.
The queen will be spending all her energy laying eggs at this point. She also releases pheromones that keep the colony united.
Metamorphosis of the Wasp
Each wasp will go through its complete growth cycle from egg to adult inside the cell the egg was laid in. Enclosed in the tiny space the egg hatches, the larvae are fed by the workers and grow, pupate, and emerge full-grown.
When Does The Colony Reach Its Peak?
The colony continues to grow throughout the summer. The workers continue to care for the young and build new cells until late summer. In late summer or early fall the queen lays eggs that become new fertile queens, she runs out of stored sperm and lays unfertilized eggs which grow into male wasps.
What Happens to The Colony In The Autumn?
With cooler weather and the end of her egg-laying cycle, the queen reaches the end of her life. Without the queens pheromones setting the stage the social structure of the colony begins to break down.
The workers no longer have young to care for and no longer have the urge to continue expanding the nest. They leave the nest and enjoy whatever tasty foods they can find.
The males set off to find fertile queens to mate with. The mated queens will hibernate for the winter.
Do Wasp Nests Survive The Winter?
During the cold weather of late autumn and early winter the worker wasps and the males usually all die. Occasionally a nest will survive the winter, but it is rare.
When Do Wasps Come Out?
Typically, in April, the fertile queen wasps who’ve survived their winter hibernation will emerge and search for a sheltered place to begin nest building.
The first workers emerge about the end of April to the beginning of May and get busy, allowing the queen to spend all her time laying eggs.
Where Do Wasps Build Nests?
Nests will usually be built high up such as under the eaves of buildings or on tree branches. They may be in a sheltered place such as under the hood of a car, under a bucket, or in a shed. Some species build nests in tree cavities, abandoned burrows, or dig their own holes in the ground.
It is believed that queen wasps always choose a new location for their nests and never build in the same spot twice.
When Are Wasps Most Active?
June to July is when you’ll usually see the most wasp activity. This is when the wasp colony is near peak numbers and they’ll be the most visible outside their nests.
Drones will be continually flying back and forth with food for the larvae and with nest materials as they continue to enlarge the nest for more eggs.
How Many Wasps Are In a Nest?
A wasp nest can house as few as 12 or as many as 10,000 wasps, depending on the species and time of year.
Can I Ignore a Wasp Nest?
If the nest is not in a high-traffic area it is usually safe to ignore it. The wasps will go about their business without damaging your environment. They’ll go through their life cycle and die off, and the queens will likely nest in a different spot next year.
What Do Wasps Eat?
Social wasps typically eat flies and caterpillars. The wasps chew up their prey and feed the paste to their larvae.
Solitary adult wasps feed on nectar and can often be seen on or near flowers. Those that care for their young prey on insects that they carry or drag back to the nest to feed to their larvae.
Some solitary wasps are parasitic and lay their eggs in the body of prey (often caterpillars, grasshoppers, or spiders) which the young eat when they hatch.
Do Solitary Wasps Sting?
Most are capable of stinging but are unlikely to sting unless you pick one up or step on one.
