25-09 - Flipbook - Page 90
Mi n i str i es
However, you might get a few wasps at your picnic, especially if the nest is close, just by
chance. Wasps tend to be attracted to a forage source by the presence of other wasps. If
she sees a few wasps gathered, then she will investigate. But if there are too many wasps,
this puts her off.
Wasps' changing feeding habits
You may already know that wasps go crazy
for sugar at the end of the summer. But why
do they prefer a protein earlier in the season? It depends on what is going on inside
the colony 3 and this changes with the season.
Wasp larvae are carnivorous. Together, the
workers rear thousands of larvae. If your wasp wants ham (or some other protein source) at
your picnic, you know her colony is full of hungry larvae. You might notice this in early-tomid summer 3 and no later than mid-to-late August.
Enjoy the knowledge that you are helping feed armies of tiny pest controllers, who will soon
set to work regulating populations of flies, caterpillars, aphids and spiders.
A defining feature of an adult wasp is the tiny petiole (wasp-waist). This constriction between her thorax and abdomen evolved so her ancestors could bend their abdomens, yoga-style, to parasitise or paralyse their prey.
The wasp-waist of an adult worker limits her to a largely liquid diet. She is like a waiter who
must deliver feasts to customers without tasting it. The larvae tip her service with a nutritious
liquid secretion, which she supplements with nectar from flowers. For much of the season,
this is enough.
Blend science and a picnic
Towards the end of the summer, most wasp larvae have pupated 3 and a pupated larva
doesn't need feeding. So, demand for protein foraging diminishes, as do the sweet secretions that have kept the workers nourished.
This means worker wasps must now visit flowers for nectar 3 although your jam scone or
sweet lemonade may also be exceedingly tempting. If your wasp is fixated on sugar at
your table, then you know her colony is likely to be in its twilight phase of life.
Although time of the year is a good indicator of the balance of ham-to-jam in a wasp's foraging preferences, weather, prey availability, local competition and rate of colony growth
can influence them too. This means the switch from ham to jam this year may be different
to next year.
