What Are Wasps Good For?

Thousands of species of wasps are found worldwide. These insects are well-known for their sting, but they can also be useful in agricultural practices. They help control pests. They also pollinate plants.

Wasps are part of the insect family, and they are similar to bees. They are also known for their paper-mache-style nests. These nests are made from a special kind of paper.

Social wasps are powerful colony builders. They live in colonies of hundreds to thousands of individuals. These colonies incorporate essential minerals into their nests.

Wasps are also a valuable biological control agent. They help control pests and scavenge dead insects for their larvae. Wasps can be a dangerous predator, however. They are known to sting multiple times. In some cases, people can get stung by wasps without even being in the nest. This can lead to swelling, bruising, and pain.

There are three types of social wasps. The first consists of hover wasps. They are the earliest rung of the “social ladder” in evolution. Hover wasps don’t chase people, and they don’t have to mate individually.

Social wasps construct elaborate nests. They house their queen and lay eggs. During the summer, the queen lays unfertilized eggs. In the spring, she lays fertilized eggs. These eggs hatch into workers, who care for the queen’s larvae.

These workers then consume the larvae, which provide partially digested food for the adults. Adult wasps are herbivores, and they feed on a variety of insects. They also eat floral nectar.