What is a wasp mom?

A wasp mom, unlike a bee mom, typically doesn't raise her young communally. Her life revolves around ensuring the survival of her offspring, but the specific approach varies greatly depending on whether she's a social wasp or a solitary wasp.

• Solitary Wasp Moms: These wasps are independent contractors of the insect world. After mating, the female prepares a nest (often in the ground, mud, or pre-existing cavities). She hunts prey, usually insects or spiders, paralyzes them with a sting, and places them in the nest cell as food for her future larva. She then lays an egg on the paralyzed prey. The wasp mom seals the cell and moves on to create another nest with fresh prey and another egg. She doesn't stay to care for the larva; her work is done. Her success depends on her hunting ability and nest-building skills. More information about their nest building skills can be found at Nest%20Building.

• Social Wasp Moms (Queens): Social wasp moms, like those of yellowjackets and paper wasps, have a more complex life. The queen starts a new colony in the spring. She builds a small initial nest and lays eggs in the cells. She tends to these first larvae, feeding them chewed-up insects until they mature into worker wasps. These workers then take over nest building, foraging for food, and caring for subsequent broods, allowing the queen to focus solely on laying eggs. The queen is the matriarch and her life centers around Egg%20Laying and maintaining the colony. In the late summer or fall, the colony produces new queens who will mate and overwinter to start new colonies the following year.

• Parental Investment: Wasp moms invest heavily in their offspring, though the type of investment differs. Solitary wasps invest time and energy in provisioning each larva with enough food to complete its development. Social wasp queens invest in the initial stages of colony development and in producing workers who will then contribute to rearing future generations. You can find additional resources on this subject at Parental%20Investment.

• Diet and Hunting: The diet of wasp larvae, and therefore the prey hunted by the wasp mom (or worker wasps in social species), is crucial. Different wasp species specialize in hunting different types of prey, ranging from caterpillars and grasshoppers to spiders and other insects. The hunting tactics can be varied, and sometimes even the Hunting%20Tactics change depending on the prey.