There are many types of flying insects found on our planet. These insects are also known as the Pterygota. These insects are further classified into ants, butterflies, wasps, beetles, dragonflies, grasshoppers, and many other species.
Wasps are the most commonly visible flying insects. They are also known as Order Hymenoptera in Latin. You can find different species of these insects, and each of them look different. While some of them have a pinched waist, and two pairs of wings, others have some other characteristics. They are also found in different colours and sizes. In fact, these lovely insects can be seen in black colour, yellow colour, metallic green colour, and blue colour.
The most common of these insect species are the hornets and the yellow jackets. These are social creatures, and live together inside a nest. The queen lays the eggs, while the non-reproducing workers do all the work. They are a diverse group, and there are more than 100,000 described species of these around the world.
Social or Solitary
The species of Wasps can be further categorized into solitary and social. While the social ones live in colonies, the solitary ones live alone. When they live in colonies, the female workers are the most active, and they perform all the duties. The largest of these social insects is Asian Giant Hornet, which is about 5cm in length. As for the solitary ones, when they lay their eggs, these are left alone for hatching.
Predatory and Parasitic
While some of these flying insects are predatory in nature, there are others, which are parasitic. The predatory ones kill the other insects and consume them. The parasitic ones lay their eggs inside the bodies of other living creatures, such as spiders and caterpillars.
Wasps can be quite effective and helpful in agriculture. They act as the agents for biological control. They act as biological pest control on tomatoes, where the whiteflies frequently infest. And, they also act as pollinators by feeding on the nectar from the flowers. While some of these flying insects are quite aggressive, and can also sting, if they feel threatened. In fact, they can sting multiple times, and can cause a lot of pain.
When you see these flying insects, you will notice that their wings are hidden. These wings help them in flying for shorter durations, and over longer distances, as well. So, next time, when you see a wasp, you should be able to identify them.