Why Wasps Build Nests
Wasp nests provide shelter and protection for the queen and developing young. These constructions shield eggs, larvae, and pupae from environmental threats and predators. For social wasp species, the nest functions as a central hub for colony organization.
Nests offer a secure nursery for the next generation’s growth. Solitary wasps construct nests as individual brood chambers for their offspring. The nest serves as a safe environment for the wasp life cycle, supporting individual development and colony survival.
Materials and Initial Construction
Many social wasps use wood fibers mixed with their saliva to create a paper-like material for their nests. They gather wood from sources such as dead trees or fences, scraping off fragments with their mandibles. The collected fibers are chewed and combined with saliva, forming a pulpy mixture.
This pliable pulp is applied layer by layer, hardening as it dries to form durable paper. The queen, for social species, initiates the nest by forming a slender stalk, a pedicel, which anchors the structure. She then constructs the first few hexagonal cells around this support, laying an egg in each. The hexagonal shape of these cells maximizes storage space while minimizing building material.
Diverse Nest Architectures
Wasp species vary widely in their nest construction methods, creating a variety of architectural forms. Paper wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets, all social species, build nests from paper-like material derived from wood fibers. These paper nests can appear as exposed, umbrella-shaped combs hanging from eaves, or as complex, multi-layered structures enclosed within a protective outer envelope, often found in trees, shrubs, or cavities.
Solitary wasps, such as mud daubers and potter wasps, use different building materials and techniques. Mud daubers construct distinctive tube-like nests from mud, often resembling organ pipes or irregular clumps attached to sheltered surfaces. Potter wasps mold mud into globular, pot-like structures, each housing a single larva with its food supply. Some social wasps, like certain yellowjackets, create underground nests by excavating soil or utilizing existing burrows. These subterranean nests are lined with paper-like material, forming combs within the earthen cavity.
Nest Growth and Colony Life
For social wasp colonies, nest construction is an ongoing process that extends beyond the queen’s initial efforts. Once the first generation of worker wasps matures, they take over the task of foraging for materials and expanding the nest. These workers continuously add new layers of hexagonal cells and, in many species, extend the outer protective envelope, allowing the colony to grow.
Social wasp nests have a seasonal lifespan, peaking in size and population during late summer. As the season progresses, the colony produces reproductive individuals, and the nest eventually declines and is abandoned. Workers also undertake maintenance activities, repairing damaged sections and removing waste to keep the nest clean and functional. In contrast, solitary wasp nests are smaller, individual structures that do not expand into large communal dwellings.