Why do we see more wasps in August and why are they so attracted to sweet stuff?
In late summer wasp colonies are at their largest and the worker wasps are very active so inevitably we see more of them. The worker wasps are out and about killing and collecting insects such as spiders, aphids and caterpillars to feed the larvae back in the nest. In return the adult wasps feed on a sweet saliva that the larvae secrete.
Toward the end of the summer the queen wasp stops laying eggs and consequently there are no longer larvae to provide saliva to the wasps. The adult wasps must look for energy sources elsewhere and are often attracted to human activities. Sugary foods such as jam and fizzy drinks are perfect as they provide a quick and easily accessible source of fuel. Alongside our picnics and beer gardens wasps also get sugars from wild sources such as nectar, tree sap and fruits.
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The life cycle of wasps and their colony 'begins' in spring. When the weather warms and food becomes more available the queen wasp emerges from her hibernation. She searches for a new nesting site (or re-uses an old one) where she constructs a small number of cells in which to lay her eggs.
These eggs hatch into worker larvae and at this stage of development primarily consume protein, so the queen wasp hunts insects, spiders and other small invertebrates to feed them.
Once these worker wasps have emerged they take on the role of bringing protein to feed the next generations of larvae. The now growing population of worker wasps also take over the expansion of the nest and build new cells while the queen's focus shifts to laying eggs.
By late summer the colony is reaching its peak and at this time the colony begins to produce new queens and males that will mate. The queen wasp then stops producing eggs, the new queens go on to hibernate over winter and the rest of the colony dies.
Thanks to the lovely member of staff at Weaver Green Cafe who prompted me to research why the wasps were so insistent on sharing my sticky bun!
(The life cycle of solitary wasps or different species of social wasps may vary.)