Between 2008 and 2015, 1,610 people were killed during animal encounters. Based on sensational news reports that tend to cycle through, particularly during the summer months, one would think sharks were big contributors to that number. Or snakes, surely snakes. But, based on data from “An Update on Fatalities Due to Venomous and Nonvenomous Animals in the United States (2008–2015)” published by Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, the journal of the Wilderness Medical Society, sharks aren’t even on the killer radar. And snakes are bumping the bottom of the list (behind spiders and in a tie with lizards). No, the majority of deaths, with 60 per year, happened during encounters with hornets, wasps, and bees. There are thousands of known species of wasps, including yellowjackets; hornets are also a subspecies of wasps.
Wasps typically don’t get the news coverage of, say, sharks, but this year they went big with “super nests” and captured the media’s attention. In June, scientists working with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System warned that 2019 could be a big year for super nests in Alabama. These massive perennial nests (some described as the size of a Volkswagen Beetle) may develop when “milder winters combined with an abundant food supply allow some colonies to survive and enter spring with much larger numbers.” In a New York Times article published June 30, 2019, a super nest discovered in an Alabama smokehouse is described. The giant wasp nest stretched about seven feet wide across the ceiling. The property owner’s decision to attack the monstrosity by spraying “hornet killer” resulted in him being stung 11 times. The Alabama scientists have warned this could be a big year for these super nests thanks to warmer winters. While the Alabama super nests have dominated the news as of late, Texas is not immune. In 2016, a massive hornet’s nest that took over the couch in an abandoned trailer in East Texas made local news highlights.
When not observed from behind a can of Raid and a standpoint of abject horror, wasp nests may be viewed as things of beauty. A search of Etsy, an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and craft supplies, turns up multiple listings for harvested wasp nests selling for up to $250. So, who are these tiny, deadly artists and how do they do it?
Wasps in Texas
Wasps found in Texas include paper wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, cicada killers, mud daubers, and Mexican honey wasps. Distinguishing between a wasp and a bee can be tricky at times, but Texas A&M Agrilife Research’s Texas Apiary Inspection Services offers these characteristics to help differentiate between the two:
- Wasps tend to have more prominent coloration and patterns than bees.
- Wasp bodies are usually smoother, whereas bees tend to be more hairy.
- Due to their hairless bodies, wasps do not carry pollen. They do feed on nectar and collect other insects to feed to their carnivorous young.
- Wasps can sting repeatedly, as opposed to some bees that lose their stinger once it is used.
Paper wasps are typically 1 inch in length, commonly found throughout Texas, and most easily identified by their nests. Walk the perimeter of your home and you’ll probably see at least one hanging under the eaves. As described by Texas Apiary Inspection Services: “These nests are constructed from chewed wood fiber, are umbrella shaped, hang from a single filament, and have one tier of hexagon-shaped cells. If allowed to persist, a nest will grow on average to a diameter of 6 to 8 inches and can contain several dozen wasps.”
Thanks to their black and yellow markings, yellowjackets are the most likely to be mistaken for bees (and Texas high school mascots). A yellowjacket nest may be terrestrial or aerial and is also constructed from chewed wood fiber and consists of multiple horizontal combs. Once complete, “the entire nest is covered by a papery shell (also called an ‘envelope)’, except for one hole near the bottom of the nest that is used as an entrance.”
Hornets in Texas are baldfaced hornets, a type of yellowjacket. Their nests, which can be up to 3 feet in length, are constructed like the yellowjackets’ but are primarily aerial.
When it comes to human targets, cicada killers are more buzz than bite as they are reportedly “more focused on snagging cicadas than they are about meddling with humans.” July and August may be the time you see more of these larger wasps as they’re on the hunt for their target when male cicadas are actively looking for females. Female cicada killers paralyze their prey and bring it back to the wasp nest, typically dug in sandy soils. The cicada is deposited into a cell and an egg is laid on top of it.
Few Texas landowners are not familiar with the work of mud daubers. Their adobe homes, constructed by the female from balls of mud, can appear on virtually any surface, anywhere. Like the cicada killer, the female mud dauber paralyzes her prey, in this case a spider, before depositing it in one of the nest cells. Once a cell is full, it will be capped over and a new brood cell begun. When an egg that has been laid on top of the spiders hatches, the larva then eat all of the spiders, which then leaves room for the larva to mature into an adult mud dauber. Nature is nothing if not efficient.
In 2013, Mexican honey wasps caught the attention Texas Agrilife thanks to “a lot more calls than normal from people throughout Bexar County saying they’re finding large round nests in trees on their property.” The Mexican honey wasps, about the size of houseflies and non-aggressive, build paper nests in the canopies of trees and shrubs. The largest nest reportedly found “was off Interstate 37 between the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi. We estimated a population of about 20,000 for that one.”
Wasps, what are they good for?
As the leading killer in “animal encounters” can there be any positive qualities attributed to wasps? As long as you aren’t one of their victims, yes. As described above, they readily dispatch spiders and cicadas. While they do have some pollinating abilities, it is not to the extent of bees who can carry more pollen on their hairy bodies. The primary purpose of wasps in the ecosystem, rather, is pest population control. For example, they eat caterpillars and larva that feed on food crops. In June of this year, a study from Oregon State University described how farmers can integrate tiny samurai wasps as part of an overall management strategy to control stinkbugs, a pest that damages crops including wine grapes, blueberries, cherries, and hazelnuts.
Like all wildlife, wasps play an important role in ecosystems. And like most wildlife they just want to do their thing and not be bothered. That being said, keeping people and pets safe is also important. There are a variety of natural solutions to solving wasp nest situations that may be safer for people, pets, and other wildlife that are beyond the scope of this article. But here is one clear wasp nest removal tip: if you open your smokehouse door and see a seven-foot wasp super nest stretched across the ceiling. Step back, close the door, and call the professionals. A can of “hornet killer” is not going to cut it.
