How Does Wasps Make Honey?
WouterDespite the popularity of honey, wasps are actually carnivorous insects that mainly feed on small insects and plants. However, they also eat honey and fruit.
Wasps collect nectar and store it for use as a food source for larvae. Adult wasps consume nectar as an energy source. However, most wasp species don’t use nectar to make honey. They use other plant based foods to produce honey.
The Mexican honey wasp is one of the most prominent honey producing wasps. These wasps live in Central and South America. They only produce honey when flowers are in bloom. The honey produced by these wasps has a similar composition to honey bee honey.
Like honey bees, the Mexican honey wasp regurgitates nectar to make honey. However, they do so in the same way as honey bees, instead of by distilling it.
Wasps can also collect nectar from extrafloral nectaries found on leaves. This nectar is more concentrated than flower nectar. It contains up to 12 types of sugar.
Wasps aren’t as efficient pollinators as bees. They have less furry bases on their bodies, which is important for capturing pollen. It is also harder for wasps to collect pollen. They do, however, visit flowers on a regular basis, searching for nectar. They also consume nectar on the go.
Wasps can also sting people. The sting is painful, and they can sting multiple times. The stinger has atropine, a poison that can be harmful to humans.
