Wasps
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he solitary folds (Eumeninae) form a subfamily of the faeces (Vespidae) in the order of the skin-flies. Of the approximately 3000 species worldwide, 82 live in Central Europe. This is about 10 mm.
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The paper wasp is sometimes called the umbrella wasp because their nests consist of a single exposed comb suspended by a narrow stalk.
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A Wasp searches for some nectar in the blossom of a thistle in an open meadow on the edge of St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.
25 July, 2021.
Slide # GWB_20210725_8401.CR2
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© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
There are over 7,000 wasp species living in the UK, comprising a huge variety of solitary and social species. The majority are parasitoids, which have young that eat insects or spiders alive. However, the most commonly seen wasps are the black and yellow social species.
Colonies of social wasps are considered annoying pests - they often nest in manmade structures and deal out painful stings if you get too close. Yet despite our grievances, the ecosystem actually relies on these underappreciated insects.
So what are the benefits of wasps?
Natural pest control
Wasps are probably best known for disrupting summer picnics, but they are actually very important in keeping the ecosystem balanced.
Without wasps, the world could be overrun with spiders and insects. Each summer, social wasps in the UK capture an estimated 14 million kilogrammes of insect prey, such as caterpillars and greenfly. Perhaps we should be calling them a gardener's friend.Wasps are generally apex predators - so if they're not doing well, it indicates that there is something wrong with the world.'
Wasps are hugely beneficial to their native ecosystems due to the sheer amount of insects they capture. But their voracious appetites can cause problems if a species spreads or is introduced to new areas and their numbers aren't kept under control, such as in New Zealand, where there are no native social wasps.
'Where common and German wasps have been accidentally introduced to New Zealand, they've been stripping caterpillars out of forests. This is having a huge ecosystem impact and the native birds have been declining.'
What do wasps eat?
Adult wasps don't eat the prey they kill - they feed it to their young. Social species capture insects, chop them up and carry parts back to the nest.
Some solitary species are more sinister. For example, most spider wasps paralyse arachnid prey using a venomous sting. Their larvae then eat the victim alive. There are almost 5,000 species of spider wasp worldwide, including 44 species in Britain.Wasps use their venomous sting to subdue prey and defend their nest. They also use it to defend themselves.
Wasps sometimes sting us as they see us as a probable threat, even if we don't really pose one.
Unlike honey bees, wasps don't lose out by stinging us. Honey bees sacrifice their lives as their stings have a set of tiny barbs that hook into the skin.
'Honey bees have weak attachments in their abdomen. So when it pulls away the sting remains attached to you and it basically pulls away the entire muscle system around the sting. It's a bit brutal,' explains Gavin.
Wasps have smooth stings that can easily be pulled out of the skin by the insect - with the exception of a few South American species. If they run out of venom, they simply make more.
A Common Wasp searching for nectar in the blossom of a Canada Thistle in an open meadow outside St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.
25 July, 2021.
Slide # GWB_20210725_8452.CR2
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© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
A Wasp probes in the blossoms of the thistle in a large meadow near St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.
25 July, 2021.
Slide # GWB_20210725_8474.CR2
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© Gerard W. Beyersbergen - All Rights Reserved Worldwide In Perpetuity - No Unauthorized Use.
The wasp spider is very common. They build their webs deep in the long grass and I see dozens of them whenever walk over a one of the wildflower meadows around here.
Ichneumon Wasps are parasitoids of other invertebrates. The female uses her antennae to seek the larvae of wood-boring insects below the bark and once she has detected one she inserts her long ovipositor through the wood and lays eggs in the larva. Her young hatch and devour the host, pupate and emerge to begin the life cycle again.
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Whaaaat? Is it that late already? ;)
European paper wasp (Polistes dominula)
I know the wasp is just cleaning its leg. But I found it looks like it is checking the time
(or its fitnesssss tracker - thanks for the hint, Achim)
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A Wasp gathers some pollen from a thistle in a small meadow west of St. Albert, Alberta, Canada.
25 July, 2021.
Slide # GWB_20210725_8338.CR2
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Argiope bruennichi
Ragno vespa
Épeire fasciée
Tigerspinne
Araña tigre
aranha-vespa
wespenspin
Argiope bruennichi, commonly known as the wasp spider, is a species of orb-weaver spider found across Central and Northern Europe, several regions of Asia, plus parts of the Middle east, North Africa and the Azores.Like many other members of the same genus Argiope, this species features distinctive yellow, white and black markings on its abdomen
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