We all know about how useful bees are in the garden as pollinators, but what of their larger cousins, the wasps? Do wasps pollinate, and do they have any other benefits?
Pollination is one of the most important phenomena that takes place in the plant world.
Plants need to transfer pollen from one place to another and continue their life cycle. Without pollinators, new plants cannot be born.
Gardeners often treat bees with affection for their role in pollinating gardens. But this courtesy does not extend to wasps – similar flying insects, just a bit larger than size.
In today’s article, let us tell you about how wasps can be beneficial to your flowers and growing your garden.
Do They Pollinate?
Yes, wasps play an important role in pollination. Adult wasps need sugar for survival, which they get from different sources. The chief of these sources is the nectar of flowers or fruits.
Just like bees, when the wasps visit a flower, they can carry the pollen of that flower.
But there are two problems with wasps as pollinators. First, they do not have as much fuzzy hair on their body that helps the pollen stick to them as bees do.
Secondly, most wasp species are not choosy about the flowers they visit; hence the pollination may not be as successful.
This is also a reason why wasps are called “accidental pollinators.” If the garden mostly has one kind of plant, wasps can do the job, but otherwise, they are less likely to be successful.
Scientists are looking at wasps as pollinators of the future, especially when transferring different types of pollen in urbanized areas may become difficult.
Fig Wasps
Figs are a unique kind of plant where the flower actually grows inside the fruit, not outside. Fig wasps use these fruits to lay their eggs and, in the process, become their pollinators.
Female fig wasps are responsible for the pollination of at least a thousand fig species in the tropics, where these plants are keystone species that define entire ecosystems around them.
Wasps Do Have Hair On Their Bodies
We mentioned earlier that wasps are not as hairy as bees.
In fact, the very common assumption is that bees have hairy bodies and wasps are insects with smooth exoskeletons. However, that is not entirely true.
Certain species of wasps, like the Scollid wasp, have a lot of hair on their body. But they may not appear hairy because the hairs are extremely fine and dense.
The thorax of a number of wasps is very hairy, which you can notice on close inspection.
It is the presence of these hairs that allow wasps to pollinate flowers when they are moving from one flower to another.
Unlike bees, wasps cannot always carry pollen when moving around flowers, making them the less efficient pollinator of the two insects.
Research on Wasp Pollination
Did you know that about 850 species of wasps are social wasps, and most of them can be considered beneficial for your backyard? Most of them are pollinators.
A study by the Royal Entomological Society in 2018 showed that wasps could be very misunderstood creatures.
Bees are, in general, considered more efficient and useful than wasps.
But in spite of their stings and aggressive nature, these insects can prove to be of real help in a household environment.
Moreover, most wasps are actually not as aggressive as they are made out to be. In the United States, yellow jackets and paper wasps, aggressive species of wasps, are quite common.
People often associate bad experiences with yellow jackets with the entire wasp family, but most solitary wasps, digger wasps, potter and mason wasps, and other common wasps are actually docile.
Other Benefits of Wasps
Other than being an efficient pollinating agent, most wasps are excellent at pest control. Many adult wasps are predators; they hunt a variety of common garden pests for their larvae.
You can often see female wasps hunting caterpillars, flies, and spiders. The adults do not consume the prey but carry it to the wasp larva, which feeds on these pests.
These creatures become the main source of protein for the larvae.
If you are looking for organic pest control ideas, introducing insects like wasps in your garden can prove very effective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do wasps pollinate your garden?
Yes, wasps do pollinate our gardens. Adult wasps derive their nutrition from the nectar of flowers. In the process, they end up transferring pollen from one flower to another.
In a limited space, like a domestic garden where there are a lot of plants of the same type, this is an effective way for new plants to grow.
Do wasps pollinate more than bees?
Bees are known as the leading insects for pollination. But in some cases, wasps are more capable pollinators than bees.
Wasps do not choose between flowers and visit more flowers for nectar, so it is likely that if there are several plants of the same type around, they will be better at pollinating.
Do wasps pollinate apple trees?
Yes, studies have shown that apart from bees, wasps are also excellent pollinators of apples.
Horticulturalists know that the presence of pollinators improves both the yield and the size of the apple crop they receive
This is why they encourage bees and wasps to be around their gardens.
Should you get rid of wasps?
Wasps are often considered a hazard to humans due to their ability to deliver painful stings.
However, if you have a garden, you should not get rid of wasps completely, as they are an effective form of pest control and help in pollination.
You should consider getting rid of wasps if you suspect any major infestation or find them indoors.
Conclusion
As scary as they may seem, wasps can be true friends of your flowers. So it might be a good idea to let them hang out in your garden, as long as they are not chasing you in swarms.
Thank you for reading!
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| Tree Hopper | Flower Wasp |
24 Comments. Leave new
The wasp is currently know as Catocheilus apterus if it came from Wollongong (south of Sydney on the east coast). However this is a large complex of species each with a small distribution. The photo is of a male. The family is now considered to be Thynnidae, differing from Tiphiidae based on molecular data.
Thanks for the correction
Are they still commonly called Flower Wasps? If they can only be distinguished by molecular data, does that mean all the other information in our original identification is correct?
The common name goes back to at least the turn of the previous century for the family Thynnidae in Australia. This family was reduced to a subfamily within the Tiphiidae on 1949 but revived as a family and several other subfamilies added a few years ago on molecular data. As the Thynnidae of the early 1900s is now a subfamily Thynninae within the new Thynnidae the question arises as to whether the name should be applied to the family or subfamily. I’m inclined to apply the common name to the family as the second largest subfamily, the Anthoboscinae, was included within the Scoliidae pre 1949 and the common rname for these is hairy flower wasps. These two subfamilies are most diverse in Australia and the common name is in common usage here. I’ve seen comments elsewhere stating the common name flower wasp is only used rarely is wrong.
This is Catocheilus hyalinatus and is the only species of this genus described or known from Tasmania. It is part of the Catocheilus apterus complex of species.
Thanks so much for the identification.
I live in central Pennsylvania and these wasps are hovering over holes left in the ground by a skunk. From reading your posts, it seems accurate to your theory on larva feeding.
One of these appears to be nectarine on oregano in backyard in albion, michigan.
I’ve just seen one of these fantastic looking bugs in my garden in Aldershot, England. She hid in the grass pointing her back end up like a flower bud.
This is not a tiphiid, it’s an ant. Some member of the Ponerinae, though I can’t tell exactly which.
Thanks for the correction. Can you provide a link with an image?
We are finding these at our place . Hope valley. SA
One of my students has photographed this exact wasp in the Adelaide metropolitan area.
It’s now in Massachusetts. Huge wasp!! I guess it moved north along with the great white sharks ?
Hi Ian! I saw one of these today, at Brinkworth 🙂
I was bitten by one in Tasmania:(
I have a good shot of what is probably a male flower wasp, taken in the Third Cemetery on North Head (Sydney). Available on request to petermacinnis@ozemail.com.au — I took about 20 shots to get the best.
Found one in Salisbury East Adelaide yesterday. It was dead but have brought it in to try and identify it. Thanks for the blog. Really helped.
https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/animals/insects/flower-wasps/
Based on the wing venation, this is one of the campsomerine species. Also, Scolia mexicana doesn’t extent into Jamaica.
This is a species of Catocheilus and most likely undescribed. Thynnus apterus is a very old name and is a Sydney species. Most species now in Catocheilus were in Hemithynnus.
thanks for the information.
I have a picture of a flightless female flower wasp taken recently in the suburb of duncraig, originally had my best guess, but not overly confident that it was a future queen ant, a colleague identified it correctly using your site for confirmation,cheers
I just met a female flower wasp on the towel i was lying on in me back yard.