The Gifted Photographer
Red wasp: Polistes carolina
Copyright: © 2009 Melissa Goodman. All Rights Reserved.
(Please, while I appreciate the idea of sharing, no multiple invitations .. thanks!)
The red wasp is a social insect, with each nest occupied by a single queen that lays eggs and similar looking female workers who are her daughters. Males, born only later in the season, perform the sole duty of mating with future queens.
Red wasps are considered beneficial because they consume caterpillars. The adults actually eat nectar from flowers, but they spend much of their time hunting in order to feed the grubs developing in their nest. If a wasp finds a caterpillar that is too large to carry away, it will cut it up on the spot and sometimes eat some and carry back just a portion to the nest. The bits of flesh are chewed up before being fed to the developing grubs. It is surprising how quickly the wasps are capable of disposing of a caterpillar after they locate it.
The females are capable of giving a painful sting but males cannot, as the stinger is actually a modified ovipositor. While red wasps are not particularly aggressive, they tend to build their nests in hidden locations and will sting when these are disturbed.
Red wasp: Polistes carolina
Copyright: © 2009 Melissa Goodman. All Rights Reserved.
(Please, while I appreciate the idea of sharing, no multiple invitations .. thanks!)
The red wasp is a social insect, with each nest occupied by a single queen that lays eggs and similar looking female workers who are her daughters. Males, born only later in the season, perform the sole duty of mating with future queens.
Red wasps are considered beneficial because they consume caterpillars. The adults actually eat nectar from flowers, but they spend much of their time hunting in order to feed the grubs developing in their nest. If a wasp finds a caterpillar that is too large to carry away, it will cut it up on the spot and sometimes eat some and carry back just a portion to the nest. The bits of flesh are chewed up before being fed to the developing grubs. It is surprising how quickly the wasps are capable of disposing of a caterpillar after they locate it.
The females are capable of giving a painful sting but males cannot, as the stinger is actually a modified ovipositor. While red wasps are not particularly aggressive, they tend to build their nests in hidden locations and will sting when these are disturbed.