The Various species of
Wasps fall into one of two main categories: social and solitary Wasps Wasps. Adult solitary Wasps live and operate alone, and most do not construct nests (below); all adult solitary Wasps are fertile. By contrast, social Wasps exist in Colonies numbering up to Several thousand individuals and build nests in some cases but not all of the colony can reproduce. In some species, just the wasp queen and male
Wasps can mate, whilst the majority of the colony is made up of sterile female workers. Like all insects,
Wasps have a hard exoskeleton covering Their three main body parts.
Social
Wasps also use other types of nesting material mixed in with That Become the nest and it is common to find nests located near to the plastic pool or trampoline covers Incorporating distinct bands of color That Reflect the inclusion of these materials have simply been That chewed up and mixed with wood fibers to give a unique look to the nest. Again each species of social wasp Appears to Favour its own specific range of nesting sites. By contrast solitary Wasps are parasitic or predatory and Generally only the latter build nests at all. Unlike honey bees,
Wasps have no wax producing glands.
Wood fibers are gathered locally from Weathered wood, softened by chewing and mixing with saliva.
Not all social castes That
Wasps have are physically different in size and structure. All female Wasps are Potentially capable of Becoming a colony's queen and this process is determined by the which Often female successfully lays
eggs first and begins construction of the nest. Evidence Suggests That Females Compete amongst each other by eating the
eggs of other rival Females.
Polistine nests are considerably smaller than many other social wasp nests, housing only around 250 Typically Wasps, compared to the Several thousand common with Yellowjackets, and have the smallest stenogastrines Colonies of all, rarely with more than a dozen
Wasps in a mature colony.