Do Wasps Live in Trees?
WouterDuring the warmer seasons, you’ll probably see wasps flying around your garden, in the hedgerows or even in the woods. They can be a pest, but they do serve a purpose. They pollinate plants and keep other pests under control.
You may also see wasps building nests on tree branches or eaves. Their nests can be small, but they will expand as the colony grows. You can often identify these nests by the flight patterns of the male wasps.
The paper wasp builds an umbrella-shaped nest. The female wasp is not as large as the worker wasps that build the nest. The paper wasp is also dangerous.
The yellow jacket has a similar structure to the paper wasp, but they can be found both above ground and below ground. Their nests are usually round or oval shaped and are typically grey in color. They are very protective of their nests and will sting anyone who approaches them. Some species scavenge for protein and sugars at carrion.
They are active in the late summer and fall, though some species scavenge at meat-packing plants. They may sting when they see you trying to shoo them away from a food source.
A wasp’s nest is often referred to as a paper mache football. It is a small wad of paper, and as the colony grows, so does the nest. It’s a good idea to keep your trash cans covered at all times, or even better, remove them altogether.
