Wasps are very misunderstood creatures. Sure, their sting packs a painful punch, but these insects play an important role in supporting the health of ecosystems around the world. And their diversity is astounding. Worldwide, there are over 100,000 species, and thousands more remain to be studied and identified by scientists. Each one of these unique types of wasps pollinates flowers, fruits and vegetables and preys upon nuisance insects like crop-eating caterpillars. It’s hard to forget the throbbing pain of a wasp _____1______, and severe allergies are a serious matter. But by learning about the benefits of wasps, we can come to appreciate how these creatures help keep the world around us healthy and fruitful.

Wasp Diversity

There’s a bit of friendly competition between groups of taxonomists, scientists who study the classification of life. Beetles and wasps are the two groups of organisms competing for the title of ‘most _____2______ life forms’ on Earth. Historically, it seemed like beetles were above and beyond with well over 400,000 species known to science. But wasps have been catching up. Among just one category of wasps, the parasitic wasps, around 100,000 species are known. Recent estimations that factor in the odd lifestyles of these parasites estimates that there are most likely about half a million out there, leaving 400,000 species left to be discovered. Why is this so plausible? Parasitic wasps lay their eggs inside of _____3_____. The eggs then hatch and _____4______ from the inside out. The more entomologists (bug scientists) learn, the more it seems like there may be a parasitic wasp species that has evolved to parasitize each kind of insect out there. The parasitic wasp way of life is gruesome, but considering the diversity of insect hosts, it’s not surprising that there are so many opportunities to be a parasite.

All wasps belong to the scientific order Hymenoptera, which is named for their ______5______. There are several families of wasps, from the solitary wasps tat prefer to live alone to the tiny fig wasps of the tropics. Of the 4,000 known species of wasps in North America, less than ______6______ commonly sting people. Most prefer to stay away from humans as they visit flowers for nectar or hunt for insects to eat or lay eggs in.

Eusociality – Co-parenting Wasps

Regarded as the highest level of social organization, ______7______ is a characteristic of the most complex animal behaviors on Earth. Cooperative care of offspring (teamwork parenting), overlapping generations within a colony, and the division of labor into reproductive and nonreproductive groups are special attributes of eusocial insects. Several groups of wasps are eusocial, including hornets and yellowjackets. Among eusocial wasps, there are three castes: the queens (which lay the eggs), the workers (which are non-reproductive females), and the ______8______ (males for reproduction). Each caste focuses on its job to support the colony.

Why Do Wasps Sting?

One in twenty people will experience a severe allergic reaction to a bee or wasp sting during their lifetime. For those who have severe reactions, stings are a serious medical event that requires immediate medical attention. For most people, a sting hurts really bad but the pain fades after a few hours. But why do wasps sting? It’s a defensive strategy. If a wasp or group of wasps feels threatened, it’s stinger injects enough venom to let the target know it’s not to be messed with. Unlike bees, wasps can ______9______ without injuring themselves.

Common Wasps

Hornets are the ____10_____ eusocial wasps, with some of the bigger species reaching over two inches in body length. Their larger heads and rounded abdomen segment just behind the waist are what separates them from their wasp kin. True hornets are native to only _____11_____. These highly social wasps build ‘_____12_____’ nests made of chewed up wood mixed with saliva. The queen produces many female worker hornets that build and defend the nest. The few male hornets are not capable of stinging, they’re just for reproduction.

Yellowjackets are insect-eating wasps that can be easily confused with just about any other black and yellow wasp. True yellowjackets belong to the scientific classification of the genus Vespula. Workers frequent picnics, ______13______ feeders and any other source of sugar. Despite a fierce reputation, they benefit gardens by ______14_____ upon nuisance caterpillars, spiders and beetle larvae to feed their young.

Paper wasps pollinate fruits and vegetables, and they even eat garden pests like nuisance caterpillars. Even though these ancient insects are largely beneficial, sometimes they make their _____15______-shaped nest in an inconvenient spot. Paper wasps don’t go out of their way to sting, but they will become aggressive if they feel their nest is threatened.