Facts About Wasps

Despite being considered an annoyance and pest, social wasps play an important role in controlling insect pests. They feed on a wide range of insects and spiders, including agricultural pests and greenfly. They also transfer pollen when they visit flowers. In the UK, they consume 14 million kilograms of insect prey each summer.

They are considered a nuisance, however, because they can sting and sting people. They also make outdoor spaces unpleasant to use, especially during the summer months. They can sting people who flap their wings or get too close to their nests.

There are more than 110,000 species of wasps around the world. Some are docile, while others are aggressive. There are also parasitic wasps, which feed on host insects. They produce young that eat their host from the inside out. Almost half of the known species are parasitic.

These wasps are a part of the Hymenoptera family. The order is divided into two groups: parasitoids and social wasps. Social wasps are important pest controllers, killing a huge number of insects. They control spiders and insects and capture caterpillars. They can also sting people and pets.

Social wasps can sting people who get too close to their nest. They also use alarm pheromones, which are chemicals designed to repel predators. The chemical is used to guide predators away from the wasp’s nest.

Most wasp species sting repeatedly, without harming themselves. They can also sting people who brush against them.