Wasps: the key facts at a glance

An insect with a bad reputation

Few insects are as widely misunderstood as the wasp. Yet the dozen or so species native to Switzerland perform important tasks in the ecosystem: throughout the summer, workers hunt flies, caterpillars and aphids to supply the brood in the nest, pollinating numerous flowers in the process. It is only in late summer, when there is no brood left to feed, that the insects deliberately seek out sugar — ripe fruit, soft drinks or the cake on the coffee table. It is precisely this phase that shapes the wasp’s reputation, even though it accounts for only a small part of its life cycle.

A colony that lasts a single summer

A wasp colony consists of a queen, countless workers and, from late summer onwards, young queens and drones. Unlike honey bee colonies, this one does not survive the winter: only mated young queens make it through the cold season, sheltered in dead wood or wall crevices, and in spring they build a completely new nest out of chewed wood fibre. The old nest is never occupied again. If you would like to know more about the roles within the colony, you will find the details in our guide to the wasp colony.

Defence, not attack

Wasps do not sting out of aggression but to defend themselves or their nest — and unlike the honey bee, they can do so more than once. The widespread myth that hornet stings are many times more dangerous does not stand up to closer scrutiny either. Natural enemies such as birds, spiders and other insects additionally ensure that populations stay in natural balance.

Further reading

This guide is the starting point for our Biology & Background section. More in-depth answers can be found in the articles on the usefulness of the wasp, on nest building, on the question of how far wasps fly, and on the myth of dangerous hornet stings. If you want to identify a particular species, our species overview is the place to look.