What Are the Enemies of Wasps?

Mammals

• Omnivores will usually eat a wide variety of foods, including insects. Nocturnal animals such as raccoons and skunks will go hunting for bee and wasp nests. To get to the wasps, they damage the nest; eat the larvae and any adult wasps they find. Bears destroy nests in a similar way. Although humans don't normally eat wasps, they can make it hard for wasps to survive through the use of pesticides and insecticides. Reducing food sources, blocking ideal nest building areas, and other natural pest control methods bring down wasps' numbers.

Birds

• Ground foragers like stellar and scrub jays consume a variety of insects, including wasps. The honey buzzard and the bee-eater, known for eating bees, will also eat wasps. Bee eaters catch flying insects and shake them against a twig or branch to avoid being stung. Honey buzzards will take an interest in both adult wasps and their larvae.

Insects

• Robber flies, dragon flies, preying mantids and hornets all eat wasps. These insects use two different ways of attacking. One method is to get to the wasp from above by perching and attacking. Another way is by being faster than the wasp so that it can be caught midflight. This method also requires the insect to have good eyesight. In order to feed, robber flies inject venom into their prey before sucking the insides of the wasp out. Dragon flies stab their prey to death with sharp mouth protrusions.

  In addition to perching and attacking, preying mantids use camouflage to get the wasp unaware. The mantis digs into the wasp and sucks the insides out. Hornets use sharp mandibles to cut up the wasp's body into small pieces. They take only the thorax to their nest in little sections for their young.

Other Enemies

• Wasps are affected by the temperature and time of year. In cool climates, a queen will come out of hibernation and start looking for a place to lay her eggs in the warmer months. Long winters prevent her from starting early. It also reduces the size of the nest. If the warmer seasons bring too much rain, it will prevent adult wasps from going out and hunting for food.