- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
So begins author Chris Alice Kratzer in the preface of her new book, The Social Wasps of North America, published by the company she founded in 2020, Owlfly LLC.
But what she writes is neither true nor what she believes.
Kratzer quickly points out that wasps are "essential, complicated and beautiful."
Indeed, they play important roles in our ecosystems. For one, they provide a beneficial service: natural pest control. Look, ma, no pesticides! Two, they're pollinators.
This book is more than a labor of love. it's a passionate, dedicated look at wasps, written in a conversational tone by a long admirer and supporter of the insects.
Kratzer, who grew up in New Jersey where she continues to live, remembers interacting with insects in her environment, and yes, getting stung multiple times by assorted insects, including wasps. That comes with the territory. Did she become an entomologist? No, she opted to become an engineer. Kratzer received a bachelor of science degree (2019) in mechanical engineering, energy and the environment, from Rochester Institute of Technology. She worked full time as a engineer in New York until May 2020. Today she's the executive director of Owlfly, managing its two divisions, Owlfly Engineering and Owlfly Publishing.
As Kratzer writes on LinkedIn: "I founded Owlfly LLC in 2020 as an opportunity to develop, produce, and market sustainable technologies and publications that demonstrate high potential for climate change mitigation."
Wasps continue to fascinate her and fold her into the Hymenoptera world.
You may want to know why wasps sting, how to avoid the stings, and what to do if you're stung. She tells you.
She explains the meaning of inquilines. "An inquiline (also called a cuckoo or social parasite) is an animal that exploits the next of another animal in order to lay its eggs or raise its young."
She writes about prey and food sources. She calls attention to the fact that social wasps "catch and dismember prey with their strong mandibles." And did you know that "their tiny waists prevent them from eating any sold fluids?"
Caterpillars, she says, are "the primary food source for most social wasps." Wasps also "hunt grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, moths, butterflies, beetles, flies, earthworms, lanternflies, cockroaches, smaller wasps, small spiders and cicadas."
There aren't many engineering-trained professionals who write so well and knowledgeably about insects as Kratzer. She began writing her book in 2018, and by January 2020, at age 25, published it. Her path to writing the book included: holing up in the Cornell University Insect Collection; networking with experts; learning how to read taxonomic papers; and teaching herself to write software "to align and compare genetic barcodes.
"I spent close to a thousand hours poring over observations on the community science platform iNaturalist by identifying wasps, mapping ranges and studying color variations," she writes.
The result is this incredible 400-page book, billed as field guide "to all known species of social wasps from the high arctic of Greenland and Alaska to the tropical forests of Panama and Grenada." It covers 208 species in 22 genera, and features some 900 color illustrations. Many of the images are from macro photographers posting to iNaturalist.
Her book brings back memories of Iowa State University Professor Amy Toth's May 2015 seminar on wasps at the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Toth told the crowd that wasps are pollinators, they attack pests of agricultural crops, they are extremely intelligent, they are artists, and they are "beautiful, complex and fascinating creatures." She coined the hashtag, #wasplove.
Who knew there are so many species of 'jackets? The one familiar in California is the Western yellowjacket, Vespula pensylvanica.
Kratzer also elaborates on paper wasps. We in California know well the European paper wasp, Polistes dominulo. But did you know its scientific name, dominulo, means "little mistress?" And, as its name implies, it's native to Europe. Introduced in the United States (Massachusetts) in the 1970s, "it has since become a major pest species and one of the most abundant wasps on the continent," she writes.
We remember "Wasp Woman" Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and a UC Davis distinguished professor of entomology, telling us about the differences between European paper wasps and Western yellowjackets. (See Bug Squad blog,) "European paper wasps (Polistes dominula) are not scavengers. They only take live insects, particularly caterpillars. Western yellowjackets, Vespula pensylvanica, are serious scavengers..." (Not to mention the fact that the yellowjackets have dark antennae and the paper wasps, orange.)
Note that the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) provides a wealth of information on Western yellowjackets and paper wasps in its PestNote: "In Western states there are two distinct types of social wasps—yellowjackets and paper wasps. Yellowjackets are by far the most troublesome group, especially ground- and cavity-nesting ones such as the western yellowjacket, which tend to defend their nests vigorously when disturbed. Defensive behavior increases as the season progresses and colony populations become larger while food becomes scarcer. In fall, foraging yellowjackets are primarily scavengers, and they start to show up at picnics and barbecues, around garbage cans, at dishes of dog or cat food placed outside, and where ripe or overripe fruit are accessible. At certain times and places, the number of scavenger wasps can be quite large."
The colorful little tidbits that Kratzer sprinkles throughout her book are intriguing. For instance, the Western yellowjacket is NOT found in Pennsylvania despite its species name, pensylvanica. Someone mislabeled the original specimens. And by the way, its sting is rated 2/5 (painful) on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index.
Bottom line: The Social Wasps of North America is an eye-opener, a page-turner and a mind-boggler that offers a field-guide approach to social wasps. This book belongs in your library whether you're a scientist, a citizen scientist or a curious person who just wants to know about the incredibly diverse social wasps that live in our amazing world.
And, at your next gathering of social (and anti-social) folks, ask if anyone knows the origin of the species name, dominula....
Little mistress!
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
My first thought was "Wow! Haven't seen a Polistes dominula nest for years!" (The last one I saw was hanging out on the lip of a trash can in a UC Davis parking lot; it vanished the next day.)
And the second thought: #wasplove," a hashtag coined on Twitter by Amy Toth of Iowa State University.
Back in May of 2015, Toth, now an associate professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology and the Department of Entomology, delivered a presentation on wasps at a seminar hosted by the University of California, Davis. As her website indicates, she's interested in the mechanisms and evolution of insect sociality, using paper wasps and honey bees as model systems. Current research projects involve de novo sequencing of paper wasp genomes and transcriptomes, comparative genomic analysis of Hymenoptera, genomic and epigenetic mechanisms regulating caste evolution, and the influences of nutrition and viruses on honey bee behavior and health.
Toth holds a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where she studied with Gene Robinson, and also did postdoctoral work with Christina Grozinger at Pennsylvania State University.
Wasps are pollinators and they attack pests of agricultural crops, Toth told the Department of Entomology and Nematology at her seminar.
However, many folks we know just aren't fond of wasps. They're unwelcome guests in their yard, patio or picnic. See the information on "Yellowjackets and Other Social Wasps" on the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program website, which includes "Preferring to live in or near orchards or vineyards, they (paper wasps) hang their paper nests in protected areas, such as under eaves, in attics, or under tree branches or vines. Each nest hangs like an open umbrella from a pedicel (stalk) and has open cells that can be seen from beneath the nest. Sometimes white, legless, grublike larvae can be seen from below. Paper wasp nests rarely exceed the size of an outstretched hand, and populations vary between 15 to 200 individuals. Most species are relatively unaggressive, but they can be a problem when they nest over doorways or in other areas of human activity such as fruit trees."
We remember asking Toth to list what she loves about wasps.
Here's her list, as posted earlier on a Bug Squad blog:
1. They are pollinators
2. They contribute to biocontrol of lepidopteran pests in gardens and on decorative plants
3. They have been shown to carry yeasts to winemaking grapes that may be important contributors to the fermentation process and wonderful flavors in wine!
4. They are the only known insect (Polistes fuscatus) that can recognize each other as individuals by their faces.
5. They are devoted mothers that will dote on their young all day long for weeks, defending their families with fury.
6. Their social behavior, in my opinion, is the most human-like of any insect. They know each other as individuals, and are great cooperators overall, but there is an undercurrent of selfishness to their behavior, manifest in nearly constant passive-aggressive interactions between individuals.
7. They are artists. They make perfect hexagonal nest cells out of paper, which they make themselves out of tree bark + saliva.
8. They are extremely intelligent. They're predators, architects, good navigators, and great learners. Among insects, they have large brains, especially the mushroom bodies (learning/memory and cognition area of insect brain).
9. They are beautiful, complex, and fascinating creatures!
And my No. 10: they are quite photogenic.
Yes, they are.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
It's National Pollinator Week. Do you know where your pollinators are?
If you're thinking bees, butterflies, beetles, birds (hummingbirds) and bats, you're correct.
But what about European paper wasps (Polistes dominula)? They're pollinators, too, says associate professor Amy Toth of the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, who researches wasps and coined the hashtag, #wasplove.
Several years ago she delivered an excellent presentation to our UC Davis Department of Entomomlogy and Nematology, and I later asked her 10 reasons why we should love wasps.
It's worth repeating:
- They are pollinators.
- They contribute to biocontrol of lepidopteran pests in gardens and on decorative plants.
- They have been shown to carry yeasts to winemaking grapes that may be important contributors to the fermentation process and wonderful flavors in wine!
- They are the only known insect (Polistes fuscatus) that can recognize each other as individuals by their faces.
- They are devoted mothers that will dote on their young all day long for weeks, defending their families with fury.
- Their social behavior, in my opinion, is the most human-like of any insect. They know each other as individuals, and are great cooperators overall, but there is an undercurrent of selfishness to their behavior,
- They are artists. They make perfect hexagonal nest cells out of paper, which they make themselves out of tree bark + saliva.
- They are extremely intelligent. They're predators, architects, good navigators, and great learners. Among insects, they have large brains, especially the mushroom bodies (learning/memory and cognition area of insect brain).
- They are beautiful, complex, and fascinating creatures!
That's Amy Toth's list. To that, I'd like to add one more: they are quite photogenic!
The European paper wasp, so named because of its European origin, is relatively new to the United States. Scientists tell us that the P. dominula was not recorded in North America until 1981. P. dominula was first discovered in the United States in the late 1970s near Boston, Mass. Entomologists worry that it is displacing the native species of Polistes wasps.
Interestingly enough, last year at this time--this very date--European paper wasps were building a nest beneath the overhanging lip of a recycling bin near the Mann lab on the UC Davis campus.
And today they're doing it again. Same place. Same bin. Same spot.
Wrong place. Wrong bin. Wrong spot. It won't be there for long.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
A sign on a recycling bin near the Mann Laboratory at the University of California, Davis, clearly reads "Bottles and Cans Only."
It says nothing about wasps.
But there they were: European paper wasps (Polistes dominula) building a nest yesterday beneath the overhanging lid of a bright blue recycling bin meant for "Bottles and Cans Only."
"They make open-faced nests under eaves all over the place," says Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and professor of entomology at UC Davis.
Associate professor Amy Toth of the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, who studies European paper wasps (she's also delivered several presentations at UC Davis) says she's seen "many interesting (nest) places— in mailboxes, under the caps of metal gas cylinders, on outdoor thermometers."
Classic!
They're also meat eaters. We've seen them shred adult Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) butterflies and caterpillars in our yard and fly off with the parts.
Since this is National Pollinator Week, it should be noted that European paper wasps are pollinators.
Take it from Professor Toth who loves her research subjects. It was she who coined and popularized the Twitter hashtag #wasplove.
For a previous Bug Squad blog, we asked what she loves about wasps. Her answers are worth repeating!
- They are pollinators.
- They contribute to biocontrol of lepidopteran pests in gardens and on decorative plants.
- They have been shown to carry yeasts to winemaking grapes that may be important contributors to the fermentation process and wonderful flavors in wine!
- They are the only known insect (Polistes fuscatus) that can recognize each other as individuals by their faces.
- They are devoted mothers that will dote on their young all day long for weeks, defending their families with fury.
- Their social behavior, in my opinion, is the most human-like of any insect. They know each other as individuals, and are great cooperators overall, but there is an undercurrent of selfishness to their behavior,
- They are artists. They make perfect hexagonal nest cells out of paper, which they make themselves out of tree bark + saliva.
- They are extremely intelligent. They're predators, architects, good navigators, and great learners. Among insects, they have large brains, especially the mushroom bodies (learning/memory and cognition area of insect brain).
- They are beautiful, complex, and fascinating creatures!
That they are. However, they have never been known to read or adhere to "Bottles and Cans Only" signs--or stay away from donation boxes filled with paper bills.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Monarch butterflies aren't the only insects that hang around milkweed, their host plant.
You're likely to see a variety of predators, such as the European paper wasp, Polistes dominula.
This paper wasp is a little skittish around paparazzi so it helps to use a long macro lens, like a 105mm or a 200mm, that will allow you to get eye to eye, or nose to antennae.
It's a meat eater, and a voracious one at that. We've seen it shred caterpillars and attack newly emerged butterflies.
Unlike yellow jackets, "European paper wasps are not scavengers," says Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology and a professor of entomology at UC Davis. "They only take live insects, particularly caterpillars."
Their menu also includes aphids. "For these wasps, meat is meat," Kimsey said. "Aphids are great because you get steak and dessert at the same time."
One of the scientists who studies European paper wasps is Amy Toth of the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, who coined and popularized the Twitter hashtag #wasplove. We've heard her deliver several presentations at the University of California, Davis, and we once asked her to list what she loves about wasps. Her answers are worth repeating! (See more information on a Bug Squad blog)
- They are pollinators
- They contribute to biocontrol of lepidopteran pests in gardens and on decorative plants
- They have been shown to carry yeasts to winemaking grapes that may be important contributors to the fermentation process and wonderful flavors in wine!
- They are the only known insect (Polistes fuscatus) that can recognize each other as individuals by their faces.
- They are devoted mothers that will dote on their young all day long for weeks, defending their families with fury.
- Their social behavior, in my opinion, is the most human-like of any insect. They know each other as individuals, and are great cooperators overall, but there is an undercurrent of selfishness to their behavior,
- They are artists. They make perfect hexagonal nest cells out of paper, which they make themselves out of tree bark + saliva.
- They are extremely intelligent. They're predators, architects, good navigators, and great learners. Among insects, they have large brains, especially the mushroom bodies (learning/memory and cognition area of insect brain).
- They are beautiful, complex, and fascinating creatures!
And to that, we add: European paper wasps are quite photogenic--just don't move around like paparazzi.
