Wasps, bees, and ants are all members of the Order Hymenoptera, one of the most diverse insect groups. According to the Australian Museum, Australia has over 10,000 wasp species, many of which play important roles in our ecosystems.
Because of the aggressive nature and painful stings of a few species, wasps have gained a bad reputation. They can sting numerous times and don’t back down. Plus, a wasp has no problem injecting venom into you several times. This can be a serious issue because the same venom can paralyse a tarantula.
The majority of wasps prey on other insects, including many pest species, which helps keep pest populations in check. Wasps are effective natural pest controllers, indeed. They keep a variety of pests in check, especially those that can be damaging to your garden. Although they are not as good at pollination as their hardworking cousins, you can see how they still play an important role in the Australian ecosystem.
There are a lot of interesting things that you can learn about wasps as you go further in this article. And by recognising what wasps are, you can make it easier to find a solution to the threat some may pose.
Wasp vs Bee: What’s the Difference?
Many people don’t know the difference between bees and wasps and believe they’re both dangerous. This is not the case, however. Bees and wasps have different physical features, despite their similar appearance.
Appearance
Bees and wasps have very different appearances. The former are more full-bodied, hairy, and fuzzy in appearance than other insects, which helps them collect and disperse pollen. Wasps have a slimmer body, slender legs, and a non-hairy, gleaming appearance.
Behaviour
Bees and wasps only sting people and other animals in self-defence or to protect their nests.
Bees, on the other hand, are less violent than wasps. The stinger mechanism of a honeybee is solely for defence, and most honeybees die after stinging a predator or other threatening creatures. Because bee stingers are barbed, they stay in the stinger’s victim. The bee suffers bodily injury as a result of losing its stinger, which eventually kills it.
A wasp, on the other hand, is quickly agitated and naturally aggressive. Wasps sting to catch and kill their prey. Wasps can sting multiple times because their stinger is silky and glides out of their target; they can also sting when you try to brush it away. When a wasp is hurt or threatened, it releases hormones that identify the area as a potential attack target for its family swarm.
Food Diet
Bees do not eat meat and do not devour insects or spiders as prey. Pollen and nectar from flowering plants are what they eat instead. Wasps on the other hand are predators for the majority of the year, feeding other arthropods and insects to their young; but in the late summer and fall, when queens stop laying eggs and nests shrink, they become more interested in collecting sweets and other carbs. Aggressive yellow jackets that turn into scavengers around food and sweet drinks are not uncommon.
Nests
Wasp nests are formed of paper-like materials made from a mixture of chewed wood fragments and their own saliva, while bee nests are built of wax. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are perpetual insects, and the nest will remain active for many years as long as the colony is healthy. Because wasps have annual life cycles, they only use their nests for one year. Only a few species of specialised wasps recycle their previous nests.
Sting
Wasps and bees sting in order to defend themselves and their nest. Because honey bee stingers are barbed, they are pulled from the bee’s abdomen and remain in the skin after stinging and flying away. Wasps can retract their stinger, allowing them to sting multiple times without harming themselves. A wasp’s stinger is usually not left in the skin; however, it is not always the case.
Wasp Species You May Encounter in Australia
There are several common types of wasp species that you may encounter in Australia. Below are some of them along with a few, fun facts about them.
European Wasp
In Australia, the European wasp is a well-established pest. This non-native wasp was first discovered in Australia in 1959 in Tasmania. They were well-known in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, and Western Australia by 1978, and they are now commonly seen in Sydney.
European wasps have a sturdy abdomen with bright yellow and black bands and two black dots on each yellow band. The first pair of translucent wings are larger than the second set. Their antennae are black, and they fly with their legs close to their bodies.
Their nests are made out of chewed wood fibre that can be found in ceilings, wall cavities, logs, tree trunks, and dirt. They usually build their nests underground or in cracks in walls, ceilings, logs, or trees.
Common Wasp
The common wasp is a stinging insect that looks quite similar to the European Wasp. Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor are home to the common wasp. In Melbourne, Victoria, the first Common Wasp was seen in 1958.
They frequently live in enormous communal nests with only a little entrance hole visible. The sting of the common wasp is painful, and it can sting numerous times. They’re looking for high-protein foods to feed their larvae, such as pet food, meat from barbecues and picnics, insects, and spiders.
Asian Paper Wasp
Under the Tasmanian Plant Quarantine Act 1997, the Asian paper wasps are classified as Unwanted Quarantine Pests. Eastern Asia, including sections of Japan and China, is home to the Asian paper wasp. It is known to occur in NSW and the ACT in Australia. It can become a significant public nuisance and have possible environmental implications in regions where it has gotten established.
Asian Paper Wasps measure 1.5-2.5 cm in length, are yellow and black and have orange antennae. They resemble European wasps in appearance, but with a higher proportion of black, a lower proportion of yellow, and a thinner abdomen. The nests of Asian paper wasps have exposed cells.
European Paper Wasp
European paper wasps have a small head, medium-sized eyes, and yellow antennae that are medium in length. It has a slim body with a very narrow waist. The wings are a reddish brown in colour. Their abdomen is black with yellow rings or stripes, and their legs are lengthy and bright yellow.
The European paper wasp may consume a significant amount of invertebrate prey, putting native predatory insects at risk of extinction and indirectly threatening them through competitive pressures. Honey bees and native bird species may compete for honeydew and nectar with European paper wasps.
Native Paper Wasp
Native paper wasps are smaller and lack the bright yellow markings of European wasps. They are only violent while defending their nests; otherwise, they are helpful insects to have in the garden. Paper wasps can be found in cities, forests and woodlands, and heath. They are commonly found throughout Australia.
The head of a paper wasp is small, with medium-sized eyes and medium-length antennae. The body is slim, with a tight waist. The first pair of brown-tinted wings are larger than the second set. The abdomen is mostly black, with some yellow/orange streaks.
Sand Wasp
Sand wasps are often yellow and black, or white and black, with a banded pattern. Sand wasps have pale, greenish patterns on their bodies. The sand wasp’s tendency of hovering uncomfortably close to a person is sometimes misinterpreted as aggressiveness, although it is used to catch flies attracted to that person.
Sand wasps can be found in urban areas, woods, and woodlands in Australia. They are solitary wasps that build their nests in loose sand in a sunny area. They are not aggressive wasps, and if you approach them, they will not sting you.
Mud Nesting Wasp
The most common coloration of mud wasps is orange/black to yellow/black. Their length ranges from 5 to 30mm. Mud nesting wasps are the most common wasps found all over Australia. They are a group of wasps that nest in mud. Dirt-dauber, organ pipe, spider vase, mud dauber, and potter wasps are some more common names for mud nesting wasps.
Their body form is often “thread-waisted,” yet some mud nesting wasps have an exceedingly long and thin body segment between the thorax and abdomen that appears stretched out.
White-Faced Brown Paper Wasp
The white-faced brown paper wasp has a red/brown body with white rings around the abdomen and thorax and a white face. They can be found all throughout Australia’s eastern coast. It’s mostly found in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. They can also be found in some areas of southern Queensland.
Tree Brown Paper Wasp
The head, abdomen, and top of the thorax of the Tree brown paper wasp are mostly yellow, with dark brown to black markings. They are most commonly found in forests, woodlands, and suburban gardens. They are widely distributed throughout coastal Queensland, the top and bottom of the Northern Territory, and a few nesting sites in New South Wales.
The nests of Tree brown paper wasps found in Queensland’s southeast are enormous, measuring up to a metre in length. The nests are medium in size and are attached to canopy/tree foliage for those found in northern Queensland.
Final Thoughts
No matter what type of wasps you find on your home’s premises, The best course of action is to contact a professional pest control company right away. You can take care of a smaller nest on your own, but there are certainly risks involved. If you’re allergic, then the risk gets even worse. Even if you aren’t, being attacked by flying venom injections isn’t the most pleasant experience and it can be life-threatening.
To have your wasps and any pest problems covered, you can always trust professional pest exterminators to do the job for you. For more helpful tips and information about pest control, contact us today!