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What Do Wasps Eat?

Feeding the Young Wasps in the Nest

Many larval wasps eat only meat, brought to them by the adult worker wasps. The adults fly from the nest, seeking insects including spiders, flies, beetles, and others. Grasping them with their jaws, they sting the prey, paralyzing it. Then, they fly back to the nest to feed the immature wasp larvae the fresh kill. Other species of larval wasps feed on regurgitated nectar brought back to the nest by the worker wasps. The adult drinks nectar from plants, honeydew produced by other insects, or internal juices from a caterpillar, then return to the nest where they regurgitate the liquid and feed this to the larvae. An interesting fact about wasp behavior and feeding habits is that the larval wasps also feed the workers. After eating, the larvae produce a highly concentrated, nutritious liquid that the workers lick from the mouths of the larvae.

Solitary Wasp Feeding Behavior

Some wasps are parasitic, laying eggs inside other living insects. The larval wasps then feed within the insect, eventually killing it. Other solitary wasps may bring insects to their nest, placing them with the wasp's eggs so the young have food as soon as they emerge from the egg.