The sight of a wasp is enough to send some people to pace away like Usain Bolt. As mighty as their sting is wasps are killers of a number of insects and other tiny creatures. However, nature has a brilliant food web, and there are times when this stingy predator too becomes prey.
There are different species of wasps, of which hornets and yellowjackets are the most commonly sighted wasps. But interestingly, wasps are neither bees nor ants, even though they have a lot of similarities with the two. Wasps are omnivorous, that is they feed on both plant nectar and smaller insects.
Nevertheless, wasps have a strong weapon in the form of their stings, that’s too painful to bear. In fact, wasps use it to paralyze their prey, before consuming it or carrying it off to its nest. For this reason, there are only a few predators of wasps, and little is known about them. So here are a few predators of wasps, that you’ll be delighted to know.
Natural Predators Of Wasps
1. Falcons
Falcons are better known as predators of smaller birds. But they love feeding on wasps as well. It has also been discovered that Falcons catch an entire wasp nest to feed their kids with the essential meal. Besides, Falcons have enough strength to bear the stings of wasps until they get tired and surrender their larvae filled nests.
2. Tanager
Tangers are naturally trained, wasp eaters. They can catch a wasp in flight, without being stung. Plus, to remove the venomous stinger, these predators of wasps repeatedly brush the wasp against a hard stone or other objects.
3. Spiders
While wasps are known predators of spiders, there are times when the tables get turned. Some spiders are lucky enough to catch wasps in their nests and eat them. Of all, garden spiders sem to trap most of the wasps in their webs.
4. Dragonfly
Dragonflies being one of the deadliest hunters of their size can eat almost any insect they catch. With wasps being no exception! Anyhow, sometimes the fight between wasps and dragonflies may turn ugly, to an extent that none survive.
5. Geckos
These creepy crawlers relish eating even the stingiest of wasps. Not just the wasps, if this predator of wasps tracks the location of a wasp nest, it will feast on all the larvae, in no time. Geckos go to the extent to leaving no trace of the nest at all. And yes, the wasp stinger seems helpless on their thick skins. Geckos also seem immune to the stinger as they simply swallow the entire wasp without being hurt.
6. Frogs
Frogs are super quick attackers. And with such fast reflexes, the wasp gets no time to sting or even flutter in self-defense. Especially the American bullfrog.
7. Bears
Though bears are associated with honey and are known to attack honey bee nests, sometimes wasps too are unlucky targets.
8. Badgers
Similarly, badgers and hedgehogs are known to have an appetite for burrowing varieties of wasps. Especially since badgers have long claws and strong arms, it is easier for them to dig into underground wasp nests. Plus, wasp stings find it hard to penetrate their thick skins. It might delight you to know that in Britain, badgers are one of the primary predators of wasps.
A little more about wasps and their predators:
There are thousands of species of wasps, and they come in a plethora of colors and shapes. From yellow to blue, the brighter their color, the more stingy they will be. Likewise, their brightness serves as a stern warning to leave them alone.
At the same time, there are two types of wasps, social and solitary. As the name suggests, if you stumble upon a social wasp nest, brace yourself to be swarmed by them all. Similarly, when a predator attacks a wasp, it leaves a specific pheromone behind, which sends its fellow social wasps in a frantic stinging spree.
Nevertheless, some predators of wasps like bears and birds either have strong surfaces or are willing to bear the pain in exchange for their favorite meal.
So while wasps are major predators of small insects, they aren’t immune to being prey. There are times when their bright color and black stripes fail to deter, or perhaps attract their predators towards them.
I hope that this article on predators of wasps was helpful! If you are interested, visit the Animal Facts Page!