There are many different pests that can be found in and around your home. When you encounter some of these pests you may know lots of facts about them. Other pests you may not be as familiar with though. Here at A-Tex Pest Management we have found that many times our customers do not know very much about wasps. Today we want to give you some more information about the wasp.
How Big are the Biggest Wasps?
Wasps belong to the order Hymenoptera and the suborder Apocrita. There are over 30,000 different species of wasps. Each different species of wasps varies in color and size. Most of us are familiar with the yellowjacket species of wasps. Yellowjackets are about the size of a paperclip. The largest species of wasps is the Asian giant hornet. The Asian giant hornet can be up to 2 inches in length. The smallest wasps are the chalcid wasps. This species of wasps are only 0.0055 inches in length.
What Do Wasps have that Bees Don’t?
Wasps are frequently confused with bees. There are a few ways that you can tell them apart. Wasps have pointed lower abdomens and a narrow arrow called a petiole that separates the abdomen from the thorax. The petiole looks similar to a waist. Bees do not have a distinction in their body like wasps do. In addition to their differences in body shape, wasps come in many different colors. Wasps are not only yellow and brown, they are also metallic blue, bright red, and many other beautiful colors.
How to Tell the Difference Between a Wasp Nest & Bee Hive
Another way that wasps and bees differ is how they build their nests. Bees are famously known for their beautiful beehives. Bees make their nests with a waxy substance that they secrete. Wasps make a nest that is similar to a beehive. They make their nests from wood fibers that they scrape with their mandibles and then chew into a pulp.
Do Wasps & Bees Sting Humans?
Both wasps and bees will sting humans. Reports show that over 500,000 people visit the emergency room as a result of bees, hornets, and wasps’ stings. Like bees, wasps do not sting unless they are in distress. If you get stung by any of these insects you can try a few home remedies. Many people recommend making a paste with baking soda and water to put on the site of the sting.
Are Wasps Social or Solitary?
Wasps live in two vastly different ways. Some wasps are social and others are solitary. Social wasp colonies have a queen just like bees do. The queen starts a colony from scratch every spring. The queen wasps’ main job is to lay eggs continually. Female worker wasps help to build and expand the nest. They work on the next all spring and summer. By the end of summer there can be up to 5,000 wasps in the colony. Most wasps are solitary wasps. They do not form colonies. Larger wasps typically live by themselves.
Stinging Insect Pest Inspections, Treatment, Control, Removal & More in Austin, Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville & Cedar Park Texas
We hope that you learned something new about wasps today. If you find wasps on your property A-Tex Pest Management help you get rid of them. Give us a call today and we can come out and device a plan to get rid of them.
