Do British wasps ever feed on carrion?

Do British wasps ever feed on carrion?

BBC Wildlife contributor Richard Jones answers your wild question.

Magazine gift subscriptions - from just £14.99 every 6 issues. Christmas cheer delivered all year!
Published: August 9, 2017 at 6:10 am

They do indeed. Adult wasps are omnivores – though they regularly visit flowers to feed on nectar, they are primarily insect predators, taking flies, bugs, aphids, caterpillars (or whatever they can get) and feeding the chewed remains to their grubs back in the nest (the larvae are wholly carnivorous).

Wasps are also highly successful scavengers, and in summer are attracted to fallen fruit, cream teas, barbecues, rubbish bins – and carrion. The insects have powerful jaws to despatch their prey, and these are also useful for tearing morsels of decaying flesh from any animal remains they might come across.

Back in the nest the wasp grubs accept animal protein from all sources. Wasps attracted to carrion will also attack the blow flies and maggots on the corpse, giving them a variable position in the complex ecological web of death, decay and recycling.

Do you have a wildlife question you’d like answered? Email your question to wildquestions@immediate.co.uk or post it to Q&A, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Immediate Media Company, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST.

Main image: Adult wasps are omnivores. © Steve Cook/EyeEm/Getty

© Nature Picture Library/Getty

Sidebar Image

Indulge In Your Passion!

Try 6 issues of BBC Wildlife magazine and get every issue delivered direct to your door for just £12!

SUBSCRIBE NOW
Want to be updated when there is Discover Wildlife news?
By entering your details, you are agreeing to Discover Wildlife terms and conditions. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Indulge In Your Passion!

Try 6 issues of BBC Wildlife Magazine and get every issue delivered direct to your door for just £12!

This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2024