Wasps (The Book)

 

Spiders, scorpions, wasps … these are some of the least welcome insects around our home. Of course, most of us realize that they have a job to do in our local ecosystem. Without spiders, we’d have far more insects than we realize, and some birds love to feed spiders to their babies (apparently they can be a good source of taurine, an essential nutrient). Scorpions eat a lot of insects too. Wasps, however, benefit their ecosystem in more than one way: not only do they eat extra insects (adult female wasps capture insects to feed their babies) but as adults they are also important pollinators.

A recently published book, Wasps: Their Biology, Diversity, and Roles as Beneficial Insects and Pollinators of Native Plants, gives abundant details on understanding these oft-misunderstood insects. Heather Holm has published several key books on bees and pollinators of native plants, both of which I’ve reviewed before. Her books are always detailed, attractive, and contain exceptional photographs and illustrations. Her website also includes free downloadable resources.

Who would use this book? According to her website, “This is an essential book for conservationists, naturalists, insect enthusiasts, biologists, nature photographers, native plant aficionados, and anyone interested in beneficial insects and pollinators.” I could not agree more. I was always fine with wasps being in the garden; I now have even more respect for them. The book has some fascinating details. I learned that the reason that females are larger than males is because the mother puts more food in their chambers (the mother knows very well whether the larva will develop into a female (fertilized egg) or a male (unfertilized) ).

As large as the book is, 416 pages, it doesn't even cover all the wasps in Eastern North America. These are the most common flower-visiting wasps: 68 genera and 150 species are covered. The author hopes that better knowledge of wasps will encourage citizen scientists (average folk like us!) to identify the more common species for appreciation and to help document them (you can log your findings on iNaturalist, for example).

A brief breakdown of the chapters is as follows:

Chapter 1: Overview of wasps, types of nests, and the concept of social vs. solitary (most are solitary), plus nest construction (making the materials using their mouth!).

Chapter 2: Life cycle of wasps, including the 5 stages of growth, how eggs are laid and nests are provisioned (While all the food is some type of insect, there are several different ways for the food to be provided; it is fascinating how different they can be!).

A queen bald-faced hornet

An old paper wasp nest

Photos above: My grandson and I rolled a log over this week and found a queen bald-faced hornet quietly over-wintering in a cavity. [We rolled it back.] Above right is a paper wasp nest from last season; it looks like two wasps never finished emerging.

Chapter 3: Wasp anatomy, including several very detailed photos and drawings to help explain. I was surprised to learn that wasps have two different kinds of eyes. Females use the length of their antenna to help make perfectly shaped cells every time.

Chapter 4: Diet, and here is where we learn how our native plants support them because flower nectar is the primary source of energy for adults. Their relatively short tongues dictate what they use but, like some bees, they will chew through the base of longer flower tubes to get nectar. In the spring, adults may use spring sap flows on trees until enough flowers are open. Some of the social nesting wasps may resort to cannibalism in times of scarce food.

Chapter 5: Ecosystem services are provided in two areas: 1) pest insect control (great table on p.64), and 2) plant pollination. Of course, both of these areas are rather species specific. Did you know that some wasps are specialists on spiders?

Chapters 6-17: Family profiles of the wasps included here, 12 in all. Each chapter is quite detailed with photos that help identify the species. On page 412 there is a section called "Wasp genera at a glance" which points back to these sections for further id.

Chapter 18: Planting guides, including the Southeast one on page 395. For guidance on which to use in your garden, look for the flower icon. Pages 386-7 provide specific wasp/plant tables for those who look to support a certain species.

I hope you consider buying this book; it certainly has given me a better appreciation for these vital insects. It is so well done, exceptionally detailed, and beautifully shipped. You can order it here; shipping is free.