Wasps Get a Bad Rap

Common Thread-wasted Wasp

 

Some Northern Paper Wasps built a nest in the open metal pipe that is part of the door entry to Valhalla (one of our high tunnels).  For the most part, I was able to enter and depart the high tunnel without an issue and I was hoping that we could make it through their normal cycle without my taking any actions against them. 

Northern Paper Wasps on Goldenrod

That might seem strange to many of you... In fact, it seems a little strange to me.  Why in the world would I WANT to tolerate an insect that could sting me (and others) multiple times if it felt I was threatening its nest?  I can tell you, from experience, that those stings hurt.  And, in prior years, when we had more people on the farm that could get stung, I would be more aggressive to remove a nest in a location like this.

Most of us are raised to fear (and aggressively remove) anything that is wasp-like from our surroundings.  I know my first reaction has been, for most of my life, to want to do that very same thing.  Yet, I am here to tell you that we all need to adjust that attitude.

First of all, I can tell you, also from experience, that most Paper Wasps tolerate quite a bit before they get aggressive - though some nests seem to feature more and less aggressive tendencies.  And, there are things I could have done this year to prevent them from deciding the entry way of the high tunnel was a good place to make a home.  Unfortunately, the cap I put on this particular pipe had degraded over time and the opening presented itself to them.  So, there I was - having to decide what to do about it.

I also know that many wasps are excellent beneficial predators.  In particular Northern Paper Wasps are known to predate on various caterpillars that can make growing certain crops difficult if they are not controlled.

But, did you know that the wasps, including the Northern Paper Wasp, are also beneficial pollinators in our landscape?

I didn't.  Until Tammy and I noticed them on some Goldenrod during a recent escape from the farm.  These wasps were clearly on the Goldenrod for the Goldenrod.  They were not hunting and they were very intent on the plant itself.

Another Common Thread-wasted Wasp

These were not the only wasps we saw on the Goldenrod.  We also noticed some very thin wasps that we later found to be named Common Thread-waisted Wasps.  Thread-wasted wasps (there are several types) are solitary, predators and their young are often parasitic.  A Common Thread-wasted Wasp will paralyze prey and bring it back so their larvae can feed until they mature. Adults will predate on smaller insects and they will also feed on pollen.  So, the critters we saw on the Goldenrod could possibly have the opportunity to hunt AND take a drink of pollen!

Thread-wasted wasps have stingers, so if you decided you wanted to force it to do so, it could sting you.  Step on one with bare feet, you'll get stung.  Try to hold one and prevent it from leaving, you could get stung.  But, otherwise, they aren't interested in you and they don't really see you as a threat (or food).  And that's true for most wasps (believe it or not).

Surprisingly Cool Pollinators

I have already linked an article by Hooks and Espindola titled "Wasps, Surprisingly Cool Pollinators."  But, it is an excellent article that can give you a fairly quick introduction to what wasps do in our world.  According to the authors there exist hundreds of thousands of wasp species in the world.  Of them, nearly 850 species are social wasps - meaning they form colony or family units, like the Northern Paper Wasp.  Others are classified as solitary wasps, which are featured on this University of Minnesota page (which we'll mention again later).

"[W]asps are interested in flower blossoms mostly as a nectar source, and not as a source of proteins (from pollen). Nevertheless, some wasp species are able pollen vectors, and many play a crucial role as specialist pollinators. Some may be classified as excellent pollinators and in certain systems are much more efficient at pollination than their fuzzy-haired bee cousins." from Hooks & Espindola

Wasps tend to favor white and yellow colored flowers that have shallow flowers with readily accessible nectar because they typically don't have the mouth parts to reach the nectar in deeper flowers.  That certainly describes the Goldenrod plant.  Some wasps have become specialized pollinators that are critical for the survival of certain wild plants.  In fact, some orchids mimic the scent and appearance of the female wasp of certain species, attracting the males - and thus promoting their own pollination as the male wasp visits multiple flowers.

Not Every Wasp is a Yellowjacket

I think it is safe to say that the vast majority of people are both unable and unwilling to differentiate between one wasp-like insect and another.  Most people will be exposed to the Yellowjacket simply because it is a generalist when it comes to diet.  To put it bluntly, it will eat many of the things we like to eat.  Fruit, ice cream...   And Yellowjackets, another social insect, will aggressively protect their nests and they are more likely to sting partly because they cross paths more often with humans.

Even so, Yellowjackets, being generalists, can also be useful pollinators and predators.  But, there are a few problems here.  First, most people, as I said, think every wasp is the same thing as a Yellowjacket.  In fact, many folks incorrectly identify these as bees, making it worse.  If you do a search on Yellowjackets, you will find the sites that appear first are all for pest control companies. 

It isn't easy to identify different flying insects, especially if you don't take time to learn and practice.  I am, by no means, an expert myself.  But, here is a decent resource to see the difference between Yellowjacks, Paper Wasps and Bald-faced Hornets (all social wasps).  I am a bit conflicted by this particular article because, while it tries to remind us that these are all beneficial insects, much of it spends time on how to "control" them.

Why?  Well, that's because most people are scared to death of them.  And maybe it's because the Yellowjacket hasn't exactly taken on the role of the spokeswasp that it should?

On the other hand, some recent research is showing that Paper Wasps can actually recognize the face of other Paper Wasps, differentiating members of a social group (and those that might not fall within that group).  How cool is that?

And then, there are all of the website out there that perpetuate myths and misinformation.  I found one site, that I left before I thought to collect the web address, that showed a Northern Paper Wasp and identified it as a Yellowjacket.  Even the University of Minnesota page I cited earlier shows what I think is a Northern Paper Wasp as a "typical solitary wasp."   If you were paying attention earlier, you might remember that the Northern Paper Wasp is a social wasp.

I can only hope everything I write in this blog is accurate.  If I miss on something, please let me know and I'll do my best to verify and make it right.

So, who is this? 

I am not too proud to ask for help either.  I caught this cool picture of another insect that appears (to me) to be a wasp, hovering over a leaf.  At bottom left is a bumble bee.  Can anyone help me identify who this flying insect is?  Am I correct that it is a wasp?

Thanks for reading!  I hope you enjoyed learning something new and I also hope you might consider giving our wasp friends a chance to show you that they aren't quite as scary as we've built them up to be.