Types of Wasps

Wasps are flying insects that have a stinger. Along with ants and bees, all the different types of wasps fall under the order of Hymenoptera. The types of wasps are many, with around 400 species in the US alone, and around 75000 worldwide. Wasps are a very important part of the food chain, and key to controlling insect population, as almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it.

A few types of wasps are:

Yellow Jackets
The common name yellow jacket is indicative of this wasp's distinctive black and yellow strips. Belonging to the genera Vespula and Dolichovespula, this wasp is one of the most common predatory wasp in North America. Not all the members of this family share the same coloring, as some, such as the bald-faced hornet are black-and-white, and others have a base color of red. They live in colonies, and the average yellow jacket colony boasts of a population between 2,800 and 5,000 wasps. They are small wasps with a nasty sting.

Paper Wasps
There are 22 species of paper wasps in North America and about 700 species worldwide. The average size of a paper wasp is ¾ to 1 inch in length, with black wings that are folded lengthwise when stationary. One member of the species have brown and yellow markings, while another is reddish-brown. Their name stems from their nests that are made of a papery material which is actually a combination of fibers from dead wood and plant stems mixed with saliva. They comprise a single upside-down layer of cells for the young.

Potter Wasps
An ode to the magnificence of the natural world is the potter wasp's nest. The female carries a droplet of water and mixes it with dry clay earth. She then fashions it into a jug-shaped nest that has a narrow neck. These nests are often seen built at the bottom to twigs. Also called mason wasps, they are found right through the northern hemisphere. In the United States and Canada there are about 270, and about 3000 species worldwide. The food of most potter wasps comprises flower nectar, while their young are fed small caterpillars. The hunting method followed is that the caterpillars are first paralyzed with the venom from the wasp's sting and then transported to cell where the wasp larva develops. The female will lay an egg on the caterpillar, which the larva feeds on as it grows.

Cuckoo Wasps
The cuckoo wasp is the common name for a family of over 3000 described species of wasps, with about 230 species in the United States and Canada alone. They can be identified by their bright metallic body colors of brilliant blue, green, or red. They are described as parasitoid or cleptoparasitic wasps and lay their eggs in the nests of bees, wasps and certain other insects. They are small and secretive, and thus not seen very often. However, one may be witness to them in abundance around flowers and small shrubs, and in open sunny habitats.

Though often considered a nuisance, closer examination of wasps reveal fascinating details. One such example is the hornets nest that can house up to 15,000 individuals, that fiercely defend their underground nest if disturbed. This is where the term, 'stirring up a hornets nest', comes from.