July 2022 • Nebraskaland 27
egg, which soon hatches into a larva and feeds on the host.
In order to keep the host alive long enough to get what it
needs, larvae often feed fi rst on the internal fl uids, followed
by the tissues, and then fi nally the vital organs. Aren't you
glad parasitoid wasps only use insects and spiders as hosts?
Unlike parasitoid wasps, stinging wasps actively hunt and
capture prey and (most) take it to their nest to feed to their
larvae. Within the stinging wasp group, there are both social
and solitary species. Social wasps live in colonies, similar
to ants and some bees, and split up tasks like egg-laying,
foraging, feeding babies and defending the nest. Social wasps
generally don't use their stingers on prey. Instead, they usually
kill their prey by chewing it up, either immediately or upon
returning to the nest. Then, they feed that pre-masticated goo
to their larvae.
While social wasps may not sting their prey, they'll readily
sting anyone or anything that appears to threaten their
nest. If you've ever been attacked by a wasp, it was almost
Paper wasps (Polistes sp) are social nesters that defend their colony aggressively but are also nectar feeders and
pollinators of fl owers.
