The Purpose of Wasps: What They Do and Why It Matters

Wasps on their comb

What Do Wasps Do? The Surprising Benefits of Wasps in Nature.

Why Wasps Are More Than Just Stinging Pests.

Wasps often get a bad reputation as aggressive picnic crashers with painful stings. But these misunderstood insects play crucial roles in our ecosystem that most people never realize.

Here's everything you need to know about what wasps actually do and why they matter.

What Are Wasps Good For? 5 Surprising Ways Wasps Help the Environment

While wasps may seem like nothing more than annoying stingers to humans, they play several critical roles in ecosystems around the world.

From natural pest control to pollination, these often-misunderstood insects provide benefits that directly impact agriculture, biodiversity, and ecological balance. Here's what wasps are actually good for:

Natural Pest Control: Wasps Protect Crops and Gardens

Many wasp species are natural predators that hunt pest insects harmful to agriculture. Wasps prey on flies, caterpillars, aphids, and beetle larvae that damage crops and garden plants.

A single wasp colony can eliminate thousands of pest insects during a season, providing free, chemical-free pest control that helps protect farms and reduces the need for pesticides.

Key benefit: Wasps help farmers and gardeners maintain healthy plants without relying on harmful chemicals.

Pollination: Wasps Support Plant Reproduction

Though wasps aren't as efficient as bees, certain wasp species contribute to pollination as they visit flowers to feed on nectar.

As wasps move between blooms, they transfer pollen and enable cross-pollination. Fig wasps, for example, are the exclusive pollinators of fig trees, without them, some figs wouldn't exist.

Key benefit: Wasps help maintain plant diversity and food production, particularly for specific plant species.

Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling: Nature's Cleanup Crew

Wasps act as scavengers, feeding on dead insects, decaying matter, and animal carcasses. By breaking down organic material, wasps help recycle nutrients back into the soil and ecosystem.

They're particularly effective at cleaning meat from carcasses and removing dead insects from trees and plants.

Key benefit: Wasps speed up decomposition and keep ecosystems clean and balanced.

Supporting Biodiversity: A Vital Link in the Food Chain

With over 100,000 identified wasp species worldwide, these insects promote rich biodiversity and occupy essential ecological niches.

Wasps serve as food sources for birds, spiders, small mammals, and other insects. Their presence supports complex food webs and indicates healthy ecosystem function.

Key benefit: Wasps sustain wildlife populations and contribute to ecosystem stability.

Scientific Research: Unlocking Insights into Nature

Scientists study wasp physiology, venom composition, nest architecture, and social behavior to advance our understanding of insect biology, ecology, evolution, and even medicine.

Wasp venom has shown potential in cancer research, and their nest-building techniques inspire biomimetic materials. Wasps continue to serve as important model organisms for scientific discovery.

Key benefit: Research on wasps leads to breakthroughs in medicine, materials science, and environmental understanding.

Are Wasps Active at Night? Understanding Wasp Behavior After Dark

Most wasp species are diurnal insects, meaning they're active during daylight hours and return to their nests at night to rest. However, some wasps display crepuscular behavior (active at dawn and dusk), and a few species may fly at night, especially when attracted to outdoor lighting.

Understanding when and why wasps are active after dark can help you avoid nighttime encounters and manage wasp problems more effectively.

Do Wasps Come Out at Night?

The short answer: rarely, but it happens. Night foraging by wasps is much less common than daytime activity, but certain conditions can trigger nocturnal wasp behavior. Here's what brings wasps out after sunset:

Temperature Regulation

Cooler nighttime temperatures allow wasps to forage without the risk of overheating. During extremely hot days, wasps may avoid peak heat hours and become more active when temperatures drop in the evening. High daytime heat can prevent wasps from flying efficiently or rapidly deplete their energy reserves.

Artificial Light Attraction

Bright security lights, porch lights, and street lamps attract night-flying insects, which wasps prey upon. The illumination creates feeding opportunities that draw wasps toward lit areas. If you notice wasps around outdoor lights at night, they're likely hunting the moths, flies, and other insects congregating there.

Food Scarcity and Hunger

Late in the season (typically late summer and fall), wasp colonies begin declining as the queen stops producing new workers. Remaining wasps may become desperately hungry and search for food more aggressively, including venturing out at night to scavenge for protein and sugar sources.

Disorientation and Navigation Errors

Some nighttime wasp activity is simply accidental. Individual wasps that have lost their way back to the nest, been displaced by weather, or are dying may wander aimlessly in the darkness. These wasps aren't actively foraging, they're disoriented.

Species-Specific Nocturnal Behavior

While rare, certain wasp species have adapted to low-light conditions. Some tropical paper wasps and a few other species display genuine nocturnal behavior, with eyes specially adapted for night vision. These wasps can navigate and forage effectively in darkness, though they represent a small minority of wasp species.

What Wasps Do at Night (Normally)

When wasps aren't active, they return to their nests to rest. Inside the nest, wasps cluster together for warmth and protection. The colony becomes quiet, with minimal activity until sunrise triggers their return to foraging and nest maintenance.

How to Avoid Nighttime Wasp Encounters

If you're concerned about wasps being active at night around your property, try these strategies:

• Reduce outdoor lighting: Use yellow "bug lights" or motion-activated lights instead of bright white lights that attract insects

  
  

• Cover food sources: Secure garbage cans, compost bins, and pet food that might attract hungry wasps

  
  

• Inspect before outdoor activities: Check decks, patios, and doorways for wasp nests before evening gatherings

  
  

• Seal entry points: Prevent wasps from entering your home through gaps around windows, doors, and vents

  
  

The Bottom Line: Most Wasps Sleep at Night

While hunger, light attraction, temperature, and species-specific behavior can lead to occasional nighttime wasp activity, the vast majority of wasps are inactive after dark. If you do encounter a wasp at night, exercise the same caution you would during the day, avoid swatting, move slowly, and give the insect space to fly away.

Wasps are very useful and play a role in the ecosystem

Why are Wasps so Bad This Year?

Reports indicate that wasp populations seem more active and abundant in many areas this year. There are a few possible reasons for the surge:

• Weather: The relatively mild winters preceding this year allowed more wasp queens to survive and reproduce. Lack of extreme cold reduces overwintering mortality.

  
  

• Prey availability: High volumes of caterpillars, aphids, and other bug prey this spring and summer have allowed their numbers to multiply rapidly. More food equals more wasps.

  
  

• Predator decline: Drops in wasp predator populations like birds, dragonflies, and spiders may have released their numbers from top-down control. This let colonies expand.

  
  

• Previous season success: When wasp populations do well one year, higher numbers of reproductive queens overwinter and boost the next season. Last year may have been ideal for wasps.

  
  

• Habitat changes: Development, construction, and landscaping can sometimes create new nesting sites for wasps like cavities, holes, and sheltered overhangs. More nesting room equals more colonies.

  
  

• Climate shifts: Gradual climate changes in some regions, including warmer summers, may allow seasonal expansions in wasp activity compared to previous decades.

The exact reasons can vary by location, but generally, mild conditions have aligned to encourage high populations in many places this year. Be extra cautious around food and watch for nests to avoid unwanted encounters.

Can Wasps Sting More Than Once?

Unlike honeybees, wasps generally retain the ability to sting multiple times without dying. Here's why wasps can sting repeatedly:

• Unbarbed stinger: A wasp's stinger lacks barbs and is smooth. So it can easily pull free of skin without tearing away wasp body parts or disemboweling the insect.

  
  

• Venom gland connection: The stinger connects to a separate venom gland rather than being an attached "exploding" unit like in bees. This makes it reusable.

  
  

• Ovipositor origins: The stinger evolved from a female wasp's egg-laying organ (ovipositor) rather than a modified bee stinger. It's designed for repeated use.

  
  

• Intimidation over defense: Wasp stings are often more about warning off threats rather than making a suicidal last defense like bees. Multiple stings better communicate; don't mess with our home!

However, some species are hesitant to sting and use venom frugally since it takes energy to make. Very frequent stinging can sometimes damage the stinger or venom gland.

In general, they have the capacity to sting over and over if highly provoked. So do not swat at or confront them!

When you see wasps, it's best to give them their space

At What Temperature Do Wasps Die?

Wasps are susceptible to temperature extremes and can die off when it's either too hot or too cold outside. Here are some key temperatures to know:

• 100°F (37°C): At around this point, heat begins causing mortality in adult worker wasps away from the nest as they cannot withstand high temperatures for prolonged time periods.

  
  

• 115°F (46°C): This extreme heat can kill wasps in just a few hours. Direct sun exposure on hot days can raise nest temperatures this high.

  
  

• 120°F (49°C): One hour of exposure to this temperature is lethal to them. It's the upper limit of what they can endure before dying.

  
  

• 50°F (10°C): As temperatures drop into the low 50s, wasp activity begins slowing down as their flight muscles grow too cold for flying and foraging.

  
  

• 40°F (4°C): At around this point, most adult wasps die from cold exposure. They experience chill coma and cannot move about to generate warmth.

  
  

• 10°F (-12°C): Extended cold below this point kills any remaining dormant queen wasps, eggs, and overwintering pupae, wiping out the nest.

So, in general, hot sunny days above 100°F and winter nights in the 30s and below lead to widespread wasp death and make survival challenging. A few sheltering queen wasps may persist, but the colony dies back.

Fear of Wasps

Many people are afraid of wasps, and this fear actually has a name - spheksophobia. Here's an overview of this common phobia:

Causes:

• Painful stings: Getting stung is unpleasant. This negative experience causes an aversion.

  
  

• Nest encounters: Stepping on or near a hidden nest elicits panic as they will swarm to defend it.

  
  

• Buzzing wings: The loud buzz of agitated wasps triggers a primal alarm in the brain's threat response center.

  
  

• Swarming behavior: Seeing large groups of wasps flying erratically stresses our safety instincts.

  
  

• Unpredictability: Not knowing when a resting wasp might fly up and land on you increases anxiety in some.

Symptoms:

• Panic/dread when seeing wasps

• Wanting to flee a wasp's presence

• Obsessive checking for wasps

• Loss of concentration if wasps are nearby

• Racing heartbeat, nausea, sweating

• Nightmares about being attacked

Overcoming Your Fear:

• Remain calm and still around wasps rather than swatting or running

• Understand wasp behaviors to prevent attracting their interest

• Start exposure therapy in controlled settings to see wasps don't always sting

• Get professional help for severe phobias impacting daily functioning

• Use relaxation techniques and positive self-talk during wasp encounters

By learning more about wasps, nature, and their behavior while starting slow, gradual exposure to them, most people can eventually overcome their fear of wasps.

We can coexist with wasps peacefully

The Role of Wasps in the Environment and What Do They Do For the Environment Anyway?

Here are some examples of the value of wasps and the most important ecological roles and services they perform:

• Keep insect pests under control by preying on crop-damaging caterpillars, flies, and beetles. Their hunting limits damage to plants.

  
  

• Pollinate flowers as they travel from bloom to bloom seeking nectar. This facilitates cross-pollination and fruit production in some plants.

  
  

• Scavenge dead animal and plant material, speeding decomposition and the recycling of nutrients back into the soil and food web.

  
  

• Provide food for other species when larvae or adults are eaten by birds, spiders, reptiles, amphibians and other insect predators. All species of wasps can provide a meal for their predators.

  
  

• Contribute to biodiversity as tens of thousands of wasp species fill different niches across virtually every terrestrial habitat and biome.

  
  

• Mix and aerate soil when they dig nesting burrows, allowing better drainage and root growth.

  
  

• Disperse beneficial microbes when moving between flowers, plants, and decaying organic matter. This spreads health-promoting germs.

  
  

• Serve as model organisms for scientific study across biology, providing insight into genetics, venom, evolution, and more.

So, while wasps may sometimes be a nuisance, they provide indispensable services to ecosystems worldwide.

Their intricate role in nature illustrates the complex interdependencies that maintain diverse life on Earth.

Wasps Are Not Hornets Or Honeybees: However, They All Die The Same From Pesticides

Wasps and hornets are two very different insects, and the same holds true for bees and wasps. However, they are all susceptible to pesticide use and poisoning. Please do not use these chemicals in your yard. They have such overreaching effects on your backyard and your backyard visitors.

Let's Sum Up These Useful Insects: Remember, Wasps are Pollinators Too!

Wasps are far more than just angry insects with painful stings. They display remarkable diversity in size, color, behavior, and biology. Different wasp species fill roles as predators, pollinators, scavengers and more.

While caution around nests is wise, wasps should also be appreciated for their many contributions that help sustain the health of global environments.

If we understand them better, there is hope that one day, wasps and humans may be able to coexist peacefully.

Betsy and Pete

Vegas Bees

Las Vegas, Nevada

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Betsy and Pete from Vegas Bees

We're Betsy and Pete, passionate Las Vegas beekeepers trained by a master in the field. With hundreds of successful bee and bee swarm removals under our belts, we're not just experts; we're enthusiasts committed to the well-being of these incredible pollinators.

We manage dozens of beehives, both natural and honey-bearing at our Joshua Tree Preserve.

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