All summer we have been concerned about the aphids, whiteflies, scale insect, stink bugs, june bugs, leaf miners and caterpillars. They have been eating our plants, damaging the way the plants look and even killing them or causing sooty mold to grow over all the leaves. The end is in sight, fall is coming. Some of the leaves are even changing color if they didn't just turn brown and fall off in the first good breeze. Football weather is here and the tailgate parties have begun, schools are in session and the kids are enjoying themselves on the playgrounds. And now the others have come. All season they have been helpful, they have been feeding on caterpillars that were eating holes in our foliage that we tended and fertilized and watered. They fought with the spiders that were building pesky webs around the house and making the eaves look unkempt and unclean. They fed on flies that no one likes and crickets that drive everyone crazy with their chirping. They would chew up these specimens then feed them to their young within the nest and even share the food with other adults within the colony. Now the colonies have ceased to grow and no longer need large quantities of protein. The queen is no longer laying eggs and she and the colony no longer need large quantities of protein.
The queen and workers are more concerned about obtaining sweets and carbohydrates. The will often be found around human food and drinks. And will be found in numbers at outdoor activities where these are found. A canned drink is an almost irresistable attraction to these wasps, and they will fly or crawl in to feed on the liquid within the can. Unwary people have been stung on the lips, in the mouth and even in the throat. You must keep a watchful eye upon your food and drinks at tailgating parties and picnics and even at break on the school playgrounds. Garbage cans should be kept covered and not allowed to become too full for the lid to close. Large amounts of sugars are need to maintain the queen and workers at this time so the numbers of foragers can be quiet large at any one time, especially until temperatures drop below 60 degrees.
Some studies have been done to determine if wasps get part of their protein requirement from pollen. Diessection has shown that wasps do ingest pollen when feeding on nectar, and since pollen ranges from 5% to 40% protein this source can satisfy part of the nutritional need. The question was raised when wasps were observed visiting flowers, on a recent visit to Restoration Park this activity was quiet evident.
