The natural predators of the wasp

Birds and other hunters

Although wasps are skilled hunters themselves, they are also on the menu for a range of other animals. Several bird species have specialised in insects such as wasps and catch them in flight or directly at the nest. Particularly remarkable is the honey buzzard, which deliberately digs out wasp nests to get at the larvae and combs — in Switzerland, however, it is only a rare summer visitor. Spiders, too, regularly catch individual wasps in their webs, especially close to a nest where there is a great deal of traffic.

Hornets as competitors and hunters

Hornets also count among the wasp’s natural enemies: as larger relatives they prey on smaller wasps to feed their own brood. The relationship between the two groups therefore involves not only competition for food and nesting sites but, in part, a direct predator-prey dynamic as well. Despite their size, hornets are biologically no more dangerous than wasps — more on this in our guide Are hornets really dangerous.

Diseases and other threats

Besides predators, diseases also threaten entire colonies. Certain fungi can colonise a nest and seriously disrupt the development of the brood, especially in damp weather. Some mammals, badgers for instance, occasionally dig out nests close to the ground to reach the protein-rich brood. Taken together, this interplay of predators, competition and disease keeps wasp populations in balance year after year, without any need for human intervention. How a wasp colony organises itself is covered in our guide to the wasp colony. For an overview of the whole subject of biology, see our pillar guide wasps: the key facts at a glance, and for identifying species, the species overview.