Wasp is an insect which comes under the category of Hymenoptera. It also comes under the sub category, Apocrita. Most of the wasps belong to a category called Aculeata. Aculeata actually comes under Apocrita. Some think that wasps are bees. But it is not true. There are different types of wasps. The most commonly seen wasps are yellow jacket and hornets. Wasp scientific name is Vespula vulgaris. Their usual color is a combination of two colors- black and yellow. The size of a typical wasp was found to be 19mm. Wasps are mostly seen in Europe. It has got a yellow head with black antennas. The legs are also yellow colored ones. It has got a black thorax and a yellow abdomen. Wasps are usually seen in meadows and gardens. They feed on nectar, fallen fruit. They also consume other insects. Hence, wasps are omnivorous.
A wasp nest will contain at least 10,000 wasps. They build their nest in ground. The nest will be made inside a hole. This is done to protect them from other bigger insects and human beings. Wasps have also got the capability to sting repeatedly like the bees. The nest built in the ground is made of chewed wood and other plant matter like the debris. There is a time for the wasp to build the nest. The nest will be built before the winter season. During the winter season they do not comes out of the nest usually as they cannot survive in cold weather. They also build nests in cavities in the wall and also in trees.
Inside a nest there will be three types of wasps. They are the queen wasp, male wasp and the worker wasps. During the winter most of the wasp dies except the queen. The queen wasp has got more resistance than other wasps. After the winter season, the queen wasp starts to build a new nest. It will be done during the spring season. It is the queen wasp, who produces the worker wasps. These worker wasps will help to build the nest. Only the queen wasp can lay eggs. She will lay about 12 to 20 eggs at this time. There will be thousands of wasps in the nest during the summer season. Wasp makes their nests both at outdoors as well as at indoors. When a queen wasp dies, the next female becomes the new queen.
All wasps are not dangerous. Basically, the wasps are classified into two groups. One may harm you while other does not. The wasps which does not cause any harm are actually useful wasps. They will help to eliminate other pests and insects present in the garden. So, it would be better if you do not get rid of them. But the other one is dangerous as it may harm you. Some call the useful wasps as solitary wasps and harmful wasps as social wasps. Solitary wasps usually live alone whereas social wasps live as groups inside the nest. As wasps feed on food leftovers, they can be dangerous as they may act as a carrier of harmful diseases.
Hornets and Yellowjackets are the most commonly found wasps. Vespa is Hornets wasp scientific name and Vespula is the Yellowjackets wasp scientific name. Yellowjackets are very dangerous because they may come in groups and may attack you. They are usually found in UK and Northern Europe during the summer season. They become active during the summer season.
Another type of wasp is the paper wasp.
Paper wasp scientific name is polistes sp. A typical paper wasp is 1 inch long in size. They are long, slender and have got a narrow waist. They have got smoky black wings. Color of these wasps varies according to the species. There are two types of paper wasps. They are Polistes exclamans and Polistes Carolina. The former one has got a brown color whereas the latter one has got a reddish brown color. The nest of paper wasps are of the open type and is not covered with any caps.
Wasps migrate from one place to another during every season. Wasps remain inactive during the winter season and active during the summer season. During the summer season they collect food for the larvae, the newly born ones. Like them, they also eat the leftover of fruits, foods, meat pieces and small insects. Solitary wasp usually eats insects and leftover only. But the social wasp may attack the kitchen for food during the summer season.
In the case of wasps, the female will have 2n number of chromosomes whereas the male wasps will have n number of chromosomes. Males are developed from unfertilized eggs and females are developed from fertilized eggs. Only female wasps produce eggs. They have got the capability to store the sperm within the body and the production of eggs depends on its release.
The three main parts of a wasp are head, metasoma and mesosoma. The region combining the first and second sections of the abdomen is called by the name, petiole. The first section is a segment of the metasoma and the section is a segment of the mesosoma.
Wasps have got 3 groups of 2 legs. Wasps have got two sets of eyes. They are the simple eyes and compound eyes. The simple eyes are known by the name ocelli. Gender division is also done on the basis of number of divisions on the antennae of the wasp. If there are 13 divisions per antennae then the wasp is a female one.
In the case of parasitic wasps, they never consume any food from their prey. The female parasitic wasps lay eggs into the host. Parasitic wasps have got extremely diverse habits. If there is any problem created by wasps in you home or in you outdoor gardens then it should be taken care of as early as possible. Otherwise it will harm you and will destroy the garden also. The use of harmful chemicals should be avoided as far as possible as it may affect you indirectly.
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