Wasp (e.g. Vespula vulgaris)

InsectInvertebratePollinator

Overview

Wasps are a hugely diverse group of insects in the order Hymenoptera — the same order as bees and ants — ranging from familiar black-and-yellow social wasps to countless tiny, solitary species. The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris), shown here, is one of the well-known social “yellowjackets,” with a slender body, a narrow waist, and warning coloration. While wasps are best known — and often disliked — for their sting, they are also important and largely beneficial members of ecosystems.

Most wasp species are actually small, solitary, and harmless to people; the social wasps that scavenge at picnics are just the most conspicuous part of an enormous, varied family.

Note: “wasp” covers a vast range of species; details here lean on social wasps as a reference. Treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Wasps are found almost worldwide, in habitats from forests, grasslands, and deserts to gardens and cities. Social wasps build paper nests — made from chewed wood fibre — in trees, shrubs, wall cavities, lofts, and underground, while solitary wasps nest in burrows, hollow stems, mud cells, or the bodies of host insects, depending on the species.

Diet

Wasps have a two-part diet that shifts with their life stage. Adult social wasps feed largely on sugars — nectar, fruit juice, and sweet foods — while they hunt insects and spiders mainly to feed protein to their growing larvae. Many solitary wasps are parasitoids, laying eggs on or in other insects that their larvae then consume. This predatory and parasitic behaviour makes wasps powerful natural controllers of pests.

Behavior

Social wasps live in colonies founded each year by a queen, with workers building the nest, foraging, and caring for young; the colony grows through summer and dies off by winter, leaving new queens to start again. Wasps can sting in defence — and, unlike honeybees, can sting repeatedly — which is why they are feared, but they generally sting only when threatened or when their nest is disturbed. As they visit flowers for nectar, wasps also pollinate many plants, and some plants (such as certain figs) depend entirely on specialised wasps.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Wasps have a fearsome reputation because of their stings, which are painful and, for people with allergies, potentially serious — but they are also enormously useful, controlling vast numbers of pest insects and pollinating flowers. The best approach is to stay calm around them, avoid disturbing nests, and not swat at foraging wasps. They are a vital, if under-appreciated, part of healthy ecosystems. Consult authoritative sources for details.

More photos of the wasp