Not as common as bees are around the garden wasps are nevertheless
a whole lot scarier to look at. They are also more territorial and so
will defend their hive more aggressively than bees.
Solitary wasps are a common sight and the do not depend on the social
structure of a colony and seldom are a problem.
Social wasps on the other hand rely on the security a colony or swarm
provides.
Social wasps are the kind that you see building hives that resemble
a football.
A social wasp colony will have a laying queen and the rest will be
males with which to mate and sterile female worker wasps.
Wasps are predators and parasitoids meaning that they will use other
insects, often spiders as a place to lay their eggs so that the larvae
can feed off the host. Adult wasps sometimes visit flowers for nectar
and also eat fallen fruit or carrion.
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Wasp nests
Wasps like the sun and if not in the wild will build a nest
against the wall of a house
under an awning
windowsills which protrude a bit
in a tree
in bushes
patio or verandah
How does a wasp nest look?
Wasp nests are either open which is when they are still being built.
This is a slow process, but the queen will begin laying as soon as there
are cells available.
Some nests resemble a ball, usually this is because the nest has been
there for a while or there are a larger number of wasps which will speed
up the building process.
The hive is either made of a paper like substance which the wasps produce
from plant matter or the hive is a mud/clay hive. The wasp will gather
the clay and build the nest by forming little balls and adhering them
to the surface of the hive location and to each other. This is reminiscent
of a swallow nest.
We will be there ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wasps and bees are not friends
Yellow jackets are among the more common wasp. All yellow
jacket females are able to sting, unlike bees they are able to sting
repeatedly.
They are also predators of common pest insects, but
occasionaly you may find that they will attack non-predators like
bees. This is usally a result of unfavourable conditions like a lack
of rain or extreme heat, possibly even hunger. This is a robbing situation
rather than one of bullying.
The following video shows how the wasps attack a beehive.
