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When we talk about insects, we usually think of pests. But there are numerous types of insects that are actually not that harmful, and that actually help control pests rather than spread them. wasps are one of the perfect examples of insects that help protect the environment. They are hugely beneficial to their own ecosystems and those of others due to the large amount of harmful insects they catch. One of the most common wasps, the yellow jacket helps backyards, gardens, and other natural habitats in ways people are usually unaware of. So, what do yellowcoats eat that makes them so useful for pest control? Let’s dive in!
The background of Yellowjackets
There are many species of yellowcoats in the United States, belonging to the taxonomic family Vespidae. Yellowjacket queens can lay more than 25,000 eggs in a single season, and their nests can contain up to 5,000 wasps at a time. The first generation of yellowjackets is responsible for caring for and feeding the queen, as well as her progeny.
Yellowjackets help with pollination, but their lack of fluffiness makes them less effective than honey bees or bumblebees. Rather than being drawn to flowers, yellowjacks are a godsend for gardeners because of their eating habits, which brings us to the question: What do yellowcoats eat?
What do Yellowjackets eat?
Adult yellowcoats eat sugars and carbohydrates as part of their primary diet, but they also eat insects, meat and even fish!
Sugars and carbohydrates that yellowjackets eat are mainly found in the following foods:
- Fruit
- Flower
- Nectar
- tree sap
- fruit juices
- Foods rich in sugar
To collect the sugar from the above foods, yellowjackets stick their long tongues into the food source.
Yellowjacket larvae feed on proteins derived from:
- Insects: flies, crickets, aphids
- caterpillar
- moths
- Spiders
- Meat
- Fish
Yellowjackets require proteins for their larval stage. Adults prey on other insects and bring them back to the colony to feed the fry, which are chewed and conditioned in preparation for larval consumption. That’s also how gardeners take advantage of yellowjackets in their gardens!
aphids, beetle grubs, cabbage worms, flies, crickets and other crop-damaging insects are all prey for yellowcoats. They also eat spiders, which is a bit of a mixed bag because spiders also prey on pests, although some of them are quite dangerous. In addition to eating caterpillars, yellowjackets also eat moths, but don’t assume they are butterfly killers just because they eat caterpillars.
Yellowjackets also eat critters that are already dead. If that doesn’t sound important, experts will tell you it is… so you can thank yellowjackets for keeping your yard free of dead bugs! In a 2,000-square-foot yard, yellowjackets are estimated to consume more than two pounds of insects in the form of live or dead insects.
How Do Yellowjackets Feed Their Young?
Larvae wiggle to let female workers know they are hungry. Then a female worker wasp leaves the nest to forage for food, captures its prey and returns to the nest after finding a suitable food source. The female worker uses her powerful jaws to chew prey, cutting it into manageable pieces until it turns into paste. This way the immobile larvae can eat their food more easily. The female worker ticks the larvae to trigger them to secrete fluid through the salivary glands. Once the larvae start to produce a sugary liquid, the worker feeds on it and while drinking, returns the paste to the larvae using their salivary glands. This exchange of food between the adults and the larvae is known as trophallaxis.
What do Yellowjackets eat in late summer and autumn?
As a group of social wasps, yellowcoats prefer to eat insects and get their sugar supply from a colony process. But normal food supplies run out in late summer and early fall, as insect resources tend to decline during these seasons. A major source of conflict between humans and yellowcoats is when the latter seek alternative food sources. Any sugary substance such as fizzy drinks, juices, candies, a long list of cold cuts, cakes, fruits and vegetables, as well as ice cream, are all their favorites. Large swarms of these insects can ruin a picnic and be a nuisance in and around homes and outdoor eateries.
Are Yellowjackets Harmful to Humans?
Yellowjackets are usually friendly insects, but if provoked they will strike with all their might. This is why slapping or otherwise disturbing yellow jackets is not encouraged.
More than one in five people has had a sting experience with a yellowjacket, says the University of Illinois. When populations are at their peak and food sources are running low, yellowcoat workers forage in places such as garbage dumps, campgrounds, restaurants and picnic areas in search of food for the queen and her larvae. Yellowjackets can sting multiple times during a fight with humans, which can be dangerous. Yellowjackets will also attack if they feel their nest is in danger. In some cases, yellowjackets have been known to crawl into open soda cans and stab unsuspecting people when sipping from the cans.
How is a Yellowjacket’s diet beneficial to an ecosystem?
Yellowjackets are friendly neighbors by nature. Although honeybees are social, these fascinating Hymenoptera insects do not produce nectar. So how do they help the environment?
It’s a good idea to have a garden if you live in an area where yellowcoats are common as they are good for your crops and plants. They prey on the pests that damage your plants and aid in pollination. They feed on small, soft invertebrates such as spiders, flies, caterpillars, and others, and then regurgitated the protein to the larvae in their cells back at the nest. A yellowcoat colony’s food gathering sites are only about a mile away, so if you see them often, you’re probably not far from their colony or nest.
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