Description
Native wasps in Australia also contribute significantly to the management of spider and insect populations. Australian native wasps construct their nests in carports, sheds, and the vicinity of houses. They live in colonies. Australian paper wasps resemble Asian hornets; however, they are smaller, have a reddish-brown body colour, and have a distinguishing yellow face, abdomen, and thorax. The nests of Australian paper wasps are not often very large. They typically live in areas close to people and can be easily recognized thanks to their unique appearance. It measures around 30 mm long and has a black thorax with yellow/orange triangular patches on the sides. Its head, antenna, and legs are all orange and yellow. They have segments on their abdomen that are banded in black, yellow, and orange.
Appearance
A total of 35 native paper wasp species exist in Australia, with sizes ranging from 8 to 26 mm. All have stripes of yellow, brown, or black. The newly introduced European Wasp is far more aggressive than Australian native Wasps and has highly noticeable yellow stripes on a black background.
- Worker Queen, 13 mm long. 19mm in size
- Bands that switch from black and yellow
- A pair of wings
- Tiny waist
- Needle-like stinger
Life Cycle
A worker wasp’s lifespan can range from 12 to 22 days, depending on the species, whereas a queen can live for up to a year.
- Yearly colonies
- Spring is when queens start their nests.
- In late summer, aggressive numbers
- By October, colonies start to decline.
- Winter nesting is limited to inseminated queens.
Habits
- As the colony matures later in the summer, they are drawn to sweet snacks and become more of an annoyance. Early in the year, they feed on insects, especially caterpillars and dangerous flies. In addition to collecting larvae and other insect larvae to feed their young, adult wasps eat nectar. The native wasp of Australia contributes significantly to pollination functions and population management within the Australian ecosystem.
- There are over 35 native species of paper wasps, and each one has a unique nest pattern. Despite not being as overtly violent as European wasps, Australian paper wasps will probably swarm and sting any intruders to their nest.
- Being active throughout the day is preferable because they have poor night vision.
- The nests of Australian native wasps are not often very large. A wasp nest that resembles little shards of pottery stuck to your wall is called a mud dauber. They typically live in areas close to people and can be easily recognized thanks to their unique appearance.
- Bees and wasps pose the greatest public health risk of all venomous creatures in Australia, resulting in more than twice as many hospital admissions and the same number of deaths as snake bites.