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ERNIE JANES/NATUREPL.COM
Life Science,

World of Wasps

Earth is home to about 150,000 species of wasps! Here are five facts to help you get to know these important insects. 

By Stephanie Warren Drimmer
From the March/April 2022 Issue
Lexile: 910L; 580L
Key Focus Area: Ecosystems,
Other Focus Areas: Growth and Development
Standards
  • NGSS
    Core Idea: LS2.D, LS1.B, LS2.A
  • CCSS
    Reading Informational Text: 7.
  • TEKS
    Science: 3.10B, 4.10C, 5.9A, 6.12D; ELA: 3.6H, 4.6H, 5.6H, 6.5H

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As you read, think about how new information affects your impressions of wasps.

ERNIE JANES/NATUREPL.COM

Wasps have two compound eyes, made up of many tiny lenses, and three simple eyes in a triangle formation between them. Wasps use sharp jaws to hunt prey and gather bits of wood and other plant parts. Some wasps have tiny hairs, but scientists aren’t sure why. What do you think their purpose is?

1. Wasps don’t want to sting you!

IRINA KOZOROG/SHUTTERSTOCK. COM

Wasps use sharp stingers to inject painful venom when they feel threatened.

Wasps have a reputation for being mean stinging machines. It’s true that some wasps, such as yellowjackets and hornets, can be aggressive. That’s because they are social wasps, which live in colonies, groups that can include hundreds of insects. When social wasps sting and inject a victim with venom, it’s often to defend their colony from a threat. But if you leave these wasps alone, they are more likely to leave you alone too. 

Most wasp species do not live in groups. These solitary wasps live by themselves. With no colony to protect, they rarely sting humans. Instead, they use venom to stun prey so they can bring it back to their nest to eat. Like all wasps, solitary wasps are omnivores that feed on both plant material and insects.

Scientists are studying wasp venom for its germ-fighting properties. They think it could be used to develop new medicines.

Wasps are often viewed as mean stinging machines. Some wasps, like yellowjackets and hornets, can be aggressive. That’s because they are social wasps. They live in colonies. These groups can contain hundreds of insects. Social wasps sting and inject a victim with venom. But it’s usually to defend their colony from a threat. They’re more likely to leave you alone if you leave them alone too.  

Most wasp species do not live in groups. These solitary wasps live by themselves. They have no colony to protect. So they rarely sting humans. Instead, they use venom to stun insect prey. That way they can bring it back to their nest to eat. Solitary wasps are omnivores, like all wasps. They feed on both plants and animals.

Scientists are studying wasp venom for its germ-fighting properties. It could be used to create new medicines.

2. Wasps are impressive architects.

IMAGEBROKER/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO (PAPER WASPS); LLEEROGERS/GETTY IMAGES (NEST)

(Left) Social wasps, like these paper wasps, build paper nests full of tiny spaces called cells. (Right) Paper wasp nest 

ISTOCKPHOTO/GETTY IMAGES

Solitary wasps, like this European beewolf wasp, often nest in holes in the ground.

To house the wasps that make up a colony, social wasps build large nests. They chew bits of wood and mix it with their saliva to create a paper-like material. The wasps use this material to construct nests in tree hollows, rock crevices, or even human-made structures, like garages. A wasp nest can be as big as a basketball!

Solitary wasps don’t construct paper nests. Instead, many solitary wasp species build nests in holes in the ground.

Social wasps build large nests. They nests are homes for all the wasps that make up a colony. The wasps chew bits of wood. They mix it with their spit. This creates a paper-like material. The wasps use it to build their nests. They make the nests in tree hollows or rock cracks. They even build nests in human-made structures, like garages. A wasp nest can be as big as a basketball!

Solitary wasps don’t build paper nests. Instead, many species build nests in holes in the ground.

3. Wasps are clever creatures.

DR. ELIZABETH TIBBETTS

Paper wasps can recognize individual wasps based on differences in their black-and-yellow face markings. 

Scientists are discovering that wasps have impressive smarts compared with other insects. Elizabeth Tibbetts is a biologist who studies the social behavior of wasps at the University of Michigan. In recent experiments, she found that paper wasps can recognize other wasps by their unique black-and-yellow face markings. Paper wasps will watch other wasps fighting each other as they form colonies and remember who defeated whom. They behave differently with other wasps depending on where those wasps fall in the ranking system.

Other studies have shown that wasps can remember where food sources are and travel miles to return to them!

Scientists are finding that wasps are smarter than most other insects. Elizabeth Tibbetts is a biologist. She studies how wasps behave in groups. She works at the University of Michigan. Recently, she found that paper wasps can recognize each other based on their unique black-and-yellow face markings. Paper wasps will watch other wasps fighting each other as they form colonies. They’ll remember who beat whom. They create a ranking system. The wasps behave differently with other wasps depending on where they rank.

Other studies have shown that wasps can remember where food sources are. They’ll travel miles to return to them!

4. Some wasps are body snatchers!

FRANK LANE PICTURES/SCIENCE SOURCE 

After hatching on a roach’s body, a baby jewel wasp eats the roach alive as it grows into an adult.

To reproduce, female wasps lay eggs that hatch into larvae. Social wasps lay eggs in the tiny cells in their nests. Some species of solitary wasps, called parasitoid (PEHR-uh-suh-toid) wasps, lay eggs in a surprising place: on or inside the bodies of other insects!

Different parasitoid wasps use their insect hosts in different ways. For instance, the jewel wasp injects cockroaches with venom that leaves the roach unable to move. The wasp then drags the roach to its nest by its antennae and lays an egg on the roach’s body. When its baby hatches, the roach becomes its first meal!

Female wasps lay eggs to reproduce. The eggs hatch into larvae. Social wasps lay eggs in the tiny cells in their nests. Some species of solitary wasps, called parasitoid (PEHR-uh-suh-toid) wasps, lay eggs in a strange place. They lay them on or inside the bodies of other insects! 

Different parasitoid wasps use their insect hosts in different ways. For instance, the jewel wasp injects cockroaches with venom. That leaves the roach unable to move. The wasp then drags the roach to its nest by its antennae. It lays an egg on the roach’s body. The roach becomes the larvae’s first meal when it hatches.

5. Wasps help the environment.

AALTAIR/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Like many other insects, wasps pollinate flowering plants, helping them reproduce. (Pictured: Mammoth wasp)

Wasps play key roles in ecosystems. Like bees, they are important pollinators. Many wasps sip nectar from flowering plants. As they do, they carry pollen from bloom to bloom. That helps the plants reproduce.

Social wasps are also part of the planet’s cleanup crew, says insect scientist Seirian Sumner. They eat dead animals, helping to remove their remains from the environment.

But wasps’ most important role may be as nature’s pest controllers. Unlike bees, which eat only plant material, wasps are predators. They hunt all kinds of insects that humans consider pests, from caterpillars to crop-eating aphids. That helps keep the planet from becoming overrun with insects. “A world without wasps would be a world with a lot of pests,” says Sumner. 

Wasps play key roles in ecosystems. Like bees, they are important pollinators. Many wasps sip nectar from flowers. They carry pollen from bloom to bloom as they do. That helps the plants reproduce.

Social wasps are also part of the planet’s cleanup crew, says Seirian Sumner. She’s an insect scientist. Wasps eat dead animals. That helps remove their remains from the environment.

But wasps’ most important role may be as pest controllers. Bees eat only plants. But wasps are also predators. They hunt all kinds of insects that humans consider pests. That includes crop-eating caterpillars and aphids. That helps keep the planet from becoming overrun with bugs. “A world without wasps would be a world with a lot of pests,” says Sumner.

The Life of Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets are common social wasps that live in groups called colonies. Here’s how they survive and reproduce in the wild.

Yellowjackets are common social wasps that live in groups called colonies. Here’s how they survive and reproduce in the wild.

DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATION BY BROWN BIRD DESIGN;

FALL-WINTER: Workers seek out sugar in flowers, fruit, or human food. Reproducing females mate with males. In the winter, they hibernate. Workers and males die off.   

FALL-WINTER: Workers seek out sugar in flowers, fruit, or human food. Reproducing females mate with males. In the winter, they hibernate. Workers and males die off.   

LATE SPRING: A female queen emerges from hibernation. She builds a nest and lays an egg in each small hole, or cell.

LATE SPRING: A female queen emerges from hibernation. She builds a nest and lays an egg in each small hole, or cell.

EARLY SUMMER: The first eggs hatch worker wasps, which are females that can’t reproduce. As adults, workers find food for the colony, expand the nest, and care for young. 

EARLY SUMMER: The first eggs hatch worker wasps, which are females that can’t reproduce. As adults, workers find food for the colony, expand the nest, and care for young. 

MIDSUMMER: As more eggs hatch into larvae, workers bring insects to feed them. The larvae spit up a nutritious liquid for the workers to eat.

MIDSUMMER: As more eggs hatch into larvae, workers bring insects to feed them. The larvae spit up a nutritious liquid for the workers to eat.

MID-LATE SUMMER: The queen produces more larvae that will become reproducing adults. By the end of the summer, the larvae have grown and left the nest.  

MID-LATE SUMMER: The queen produces more larvae that will become reproducing adults. By the end of the summer, the larvae have grown and left the nest.  

Think: How does each member of a yellowjacket colony help the whole group survive?

Think: How does each member of a yellowjacket colony help the whole group survive?

The Life of Yellowjackets

Yellowjackets are common social wasps that live in groups called colonies. Here’s how they survive and reproduce in the wild.

Yellowjackets are common social wasps that live in groups called colonies. Here’s how they survive and reproduce in the wild.

DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATION BY BROWN BIRD DESIGN;

FALL-WINTER: Workers seek out sugar in flowers, fruit, or human food. Reproducing females mate with males. In the winter, they hibernate. Workers and males die off.   

FALL-WINTER: Workers seek out sugar in flowers, fruit, or human food. Reproducing females mate with males. In the winter, they hibernate. Workers and males die off.   

LATE SPRING: A female queen emerges from hibernation. She builds a nest and lays an egg in each small hole, or cell.

LATE SPRING: A female queen emerges from hibernation. She builds a nest and lays an egg in each small hole, or cell.

EARLY SUMMER: The first eggs hatch worker wasps, which are females that can’t reproduce. As adults, workers find food for the colony, expand the nest, and care for young. 

EARLY SUMMER: The first eggs hatch worker wasps, which are females that can’t reproduce. As adults, workers find food for the colony, expand the nest, and care for young. 

MIDSUMMER: As more eggs hatch into larvae, workers bring insects to feed them. The larvae spit up a nutritious liquid for the workers to eat.

MIDSUMMER: As more eggs hatch into larvae, workers bring insects to feed them. The larvae spit up a nutritious liquid for the workers to eat.

MID-LATE SUMMER: The queen produces more larvae that will become reproducing adults. By the end of the summer, the larvae have grown and left the nest.  

MID-LATE SUMMER: The queen produces more larvae that will become reproducing adults. By the end of the summer, the larvae have grown and left the nest.  

Think: How does each member of a yellowjacket colony help the whole group survive?

Think: How does each member of a yellowjacket colony help the whole group survive?

Continue Your Learning

  • Reread the diagram “The Life of a Yellowjacket.” Then create a comic strip about a yellowjacket going through each of its life stages. What is your yellowjacket’s name? What is your animal doing during its life? How do its surroundings change? When you’re done with your comic strip, be sure to share your work with a friend or family member!

Continue Your Learning

  • Reread the diagram “The Life of a Yellowjacket.” Then create a comic strip about a yellowjacket going through each of its life stages. What is your yellowjacket’s name? What is your animal doing during its life? How do its surroundings change? When you’re done with your comic strip, be sure to share your work with a friend or family member!
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