What Do Wasps Eat?

The adult members of Blue Mud Dauber feed on nectar and flowers. Their developing larvae are fed on a high-protein diet obtained from spiders.

• This exceptionally beautiful wasp is notable for its blue and black sheen.
• These wasp species are solitary.
• These wasps are commonly found in wet areas, especially next to balls of mud.

The members of European paper wasp are omnivores whose diet comprises honeydew, nectar, aphids, caterpillars, and other varieties of insect larvae.

• This wasp species is native to North Africa, Eastern China, the Middle East, Southern Europe, and the Mediterranean region.
• The members of this species spot a black hue with yellow markings.
• The European paper wasps are social and are thus found in colonies.
• These wasps mostly inhabit savannah, forests, agricultural lands, and suburban and urban areas.
• Paper wasps are excellent pollinators and beneficial to gardeners.

The adult members of Common wasp feed on nectar while the larvae feed on aphids, caterpillars, spiders, and flies.

• The common wasp is classified as a social wasp, found in wide distribution in Britain.
• Common wasps can be distinguished from other members in this class thanks to an anchor-shaped mark on its face.
• This species commonly inhabits meadows, woodlands, and gardens.

Different hunting strategies come in handy to help wasps find their prey.

• One strategy these organisms use is stalking their prey.
• Wasps will always be found searching for their prey in different locations including grass, the underside of leaves, barks, twigs, fecal matter, spider webs, and compost heaps.
• Once a target has been identified, a wasp proceeds to chase it. Wasps may also chase flying insects such as mosquitoes and then proceed to capture them.
• Using their stingers, wasps inject venom into their prey, paralyzing their victims.

Most wasp species display diurnal activity and are thus found eating at night.

• Some species display nocturnal activity and thus tend to have larger ocelli than their diurnal counterparts. This eating behavior is instrumental in aiding night vision.

How often wasps eat depends on different factors. One factor is the weather.

• Wasps are active and eat much more frequently during warmer months. The number of insects preyed upon by wasps is higher during the warmer months.
• Over winter, some wasps hibernate while others die. Another factor that determines how often wasps eat is age.
• The wasps’ larvae are mostly carnivorous, which may be linked to their growth needs.
• These organisms tend to feed on protein very often to sustain growth and development, compared to their adult counterparts.

As wasps rely heavily on fruit nectars, they starve during winter due to a lack of fruits. So, they eventually die during the winter season.

Although some wasps chase mosquitos and capture them for food, wasps are not the natural predators of mosquitoes.

• From a logical perspective, it makes sense for wasps not to target mosquitoes mainly because mosquitoes do not have any protein content (larvae) in them.
• However, wasps would spend time and energy to hunt for small caterpillars and spiders such as crab spiders for more nutritious food.

Some animals have developed a thick skin to tolerate wasp stings against the threat by wasps when they try to hunt them.

• Examples of organisms that predate on wasps include birds like the orioles and magpies, hummingbirds, and blackbirds, mice, weasels, stoats, lizards, salamanders, geckos, and a vast range of insects including dragonflies, and robber flies.

Wasps play an essential role in the animal food chain.

• They play the role of prey where they are predated upon by many organisms such as mammals, reptiles, insects, and birds.
• In this sense, wasps provide an excellent source of nutrition to these creatures allowing them to survive.
• As predators, wasps help regulate the local population of the organisms they feed on, such as spiders.