8/22: Wasps!
Our iNaturalist project documents the amazing diversity of species that visitors and staff spot at the Theodore Payne Foundation grounds. Our local lizards are always making appearances, and the local quail covey have also been poking their bobbled heads around the nursery. In terms of sheer numbers, however, you can’t beat the invertebrates of TPF!
Even avid insect lovers have a hard time feeling a warmth in their heart for wasps, but you don’t have to love them to learn a few cool facts about them! Wasps are part of the order Hymenoptera, along with bees, ants, and termites. Just like these other Hymenoptera, some are eusocial, with complex social relationships in large colonies, and some live more solitary lives. And, just like bees, wasps are incredibly important pollinators!
Common wasps include mud-daubers and paper wasps. We observed both of these species enjoying a small mud puddle in the foundation parking lot. Mud daubers use mud to build their nests, while paper wasps use dry plant fibers to make a sort of paper paste with their saliva. Their nests can be quite large and complex, formed of many small combs that shelter their developing young.
The thread-waisted wasp (Prionyx parkeri), observed enjoying the nectar from a buckwheat, is a solitary nesting wasp. As an adult, she gets most of her food from the nectar of flowers. Wasp larvae are carnivorous, with voracious appetites. They are fed various arthropods, including spiders, by their mother. This is true of many wasp species- the adults feed on nectar from plants but collect food for their young. The next time a wasp interrupts your barbecue, it’s because she has kids to feed at home!
Comentarios
Agregar un comentario