Striped insects belong to the same family as bees - the Hymenoptera. Many people are interested in the question of whether wasps collect honey or not, do wasps collect nectar or can only certain types of insects do this? It is known that in Central America and African countries people breed them in order to obtain aspen honey. The fact is that adults, like bees, feed on nectar and pollinate flowers. That is why they are also able to create honey. The aspen product differs from the bee product in its beneficial properties, taste characteristics, quality and quantity.
The consistency of aspen honey is very thick, viscous, and its composition is based on pollen. The smell is quite pleasant. In comparison with bee products, which are produced in huge quantities, this product is very small. It contains virtually no useful enzymes, although it contains plenty of sugar and protein. It also contains calcium and minerals. In total, wasp honey has no special significance for the human body.
Wasp
Is the wasp honey-bearing?
When asked whether wasps make honey, many will answer unequivocally “no,” but it’s not that simple. The species of wasp that can produce sweetness is called Polybia Occidentalis. They not only create a sweet product, but also accumulate it and make supplies for the winter. Only adults make honey. Their diet includes juices of ripe vegetables and fruits, and flower nectar. The larvae feed mainly on protein foods. Their parents hunt for them small insects, spiders, flies and even bees.
Note! It is noteworthy that wasps largely prefer to consume treats rather than create them. Entire families of them attack bee hives, destroying their reserves in one such “raid.” They drag the bees they come across to their hive and feed them to the larvae. At the same time, they do not take honey, so it practically does not exist in the wasp’s home.
At the same time, a small layer of honey mass forms over time on the walls of the hive and in the cells of the honeycomb. Thus, wasps do not bother themselves with specially creating a sweet product. Sugar coating forms on its own, usually after an insect eats pollen on a flower. It turns out that the answer to the question whether wasps make honey or not is now obvious: no, they don’t. But at the same time, another question, whether there is aspen honey, has the right to an affirmative answer: yes, it does.
Are wasps capable of producing honey and how are they useful?
Whether wasps make honey is a controversial and very interesting question. Experts say that yes, they do, but not every individual and not everywhere. Is this so, let's try to find out together.
Truth or myth?
There are many species of wasps and some of them actually accumulate honey in their hives. However, on the territory of Ukraine, Russia and the closest neighboring states it is impossible to find such a “find” in a hornet’s nest. This is due to the unsuitable climate and the lack of insect species that can produce honey. It is known for certain that honey wasps of the species Polybiinae Occidentalis live in Mexico and South America.
Polybia Occidentalis accumulates a considerable amount of honey in its hives. This property of yellow stripes was used in ancient times and currently by ethnic Indians living in South and North America. Gathering and beekeeping were among the most ancient occupations of the Mexican and South African Indian tribes. In addition, Polybia is such an ancient species that the idea of eating their honey came to settlers much earlier than the idea of breeding bees.
Otherwise, given the specifics of insects as a species, you cannot expect honey from them, because they provide just enough to feed themselves in the winter. Moreover, you should not expect it from ordinary inhabitants of gardens flying over our native expanses. The honey coating or “spray” in their nests is the result of nectar collection. They collect less nectar than bees, mostly just feeding on it and not storing it. But Polybia prepares food for future use, which is why this species has abundant honey reserves.
Wasp honey is essentially a very thick nectar. But they do not produce the enzymes that bees provide their sweetness. By the way, bees communicate with each other in a kind of “language” within the framework of a certain neural network. But wasps don’t do anything like that, and their level of development is an order of magnitude lower than their hardworking relatives. Therefore, the concept of “wasp honey” as such did not exist for the Slavs until a more detailed study of this type of insect.
What role do they play?
Despite their honey uselessness, wasps are a very important part of the natural fauna. They use pest larvae to feed their offspring. Thus, stinging insects, which are so disliked by many, do a good deed for the garden and cultivated plants. For example, the burrowing or ground wasp is the worst enemy of mole crickets and their larvae. In order to attract these orderlies to the garden, farmers even plant flowering plants around the perimeter of the garden.
Wasps of the Amorphilla species are also useful - they actively destroy caterpillars of various species. In addition, wall, nose, paper and large-headed ones are excellent at clearing the garden of borers, leaf beetles, flies, cicadas and beetles. As you can see, a dangerous insect benefits nature, the harvest, and therefore provides a lot of benefits to humans.
These creatures perform the pollination function, of course, worse than bees, since their natural task is different. But stings, which everyone fears more than bees, are actually not so dangerous. In terms of threat to humans, a wasp sting is not far behind a bee sting. Wasp venom still exhibits a tonic effect, so don’t be too alarmed if a wasp stings. The dangerous number of bites for a person is up to 20.
Video “Wasps through the eyes of beekeepers and their charges – bees”
A story about the life of wasps and their role in the life of bees and apiaries. You will find out whether these insects are useful for the work of bee squads and the apiary as a whole, and what they give to the garden by watching an interesting video.
What does wasp honey taste like?
Why doesn't honey smell?
This product is a nectar consisting of one pollen. It accumulates in wasp honeycombs. The product is very aromatic, fragrant, but crystallizes much faster than the bee product.
In search of flowers, insects fly around the area and carefully examine it. The fact is that wasps, like bees, try to collect nectar from those plants that are as close as possible to their nest. For this reason, the taste of the product depends mainly on what plants are located next to the wasp hive.
Wasp poison and medicine
What is much more interesting for people is not honey, but poison. Relatively recently, scientists discovered the properties of the venom of the Brazilian wasp to stop the development of cancer cells and fight the oncology of certain organs. It is important that the poison does not affect healthy cells and does not interfere with their functioning.
The venom of the Brazilian insect contains a unique protein that interacts exclusively with pathological cells, causes their death, and promotes the restoration of the mucous membrane. The poison is effective against cancer of the blood, prostate, and bladder. The drug is sold through websites on the Internet, the cost of one capsule is about 9 thousand rubles.
Based on the data obtained, research continues to be carried out; there is great hope that it will be possible to create an effective cure for cancer and defeat the disease in a broad sense.
Is it possible to eat wasp honey?
Having found out whether wasps have honey, another logical question arises: can it be eaten?
Honey
Crystallization of honey
The thick, aromatic mixture of pollen and nectar, which has a pleasant floral scent, contains many nutrients of plant origin. However, despite this, the wasp product is significantly inferior to the bee product in many respects. Sweet honey, which, relatively speaking, is made by wasps, has a pleasant taste and rich aroma, and yet it cannot be compared with the classic version. In addition, the nutritional value, even with a high sugar and protein content, is very low. It does not contain enzymes, with the help of which bees process flower nectar and create a product that is familiar in its taste and consistency.
Important! Aspen honey crystallizes very quickly, losing its viscousness. The taste is not very sweet and its properties are not as healthy as bee honey. In fact, it is practically no different from the original raw material - the very nectar that is contained in a flower bud.
The characteristics listed above do not mean that wasp honey is forbidden to eat. It is quite edible and useful to a certain extent. It should also be remembered that the product obtained by collecting flower juice and pollen from poisonous crops can cause serious poisoning in humans.
The truth about how wasps and bees make honey
Bees and wasps are representatives of one of the largest orders of insects - the Hymenoptera. Representatives of this family are characterized by living together, nursing their offspring (their larvae), and sharing responsibilities between family members. This is where the similarities between wasps and bees end. We can talk about the differences for a very long time, let's start with how they make honey.
Wasps of the species Polybia Occidentalis accumulate a considerable amount of honey in their hives
Do wasps make honey?
The ability of a wasp to produce honey is a very common question on the Internet. In answering this, the majority is of the opinion that wasps do not make honey, but are only able to eat and feed their larvae with it. There is some truth here, but it is by no means true. We'll tell you why now. Beekeeping experts say that there are certain types of wasps that are capable of not only eating, but also producing honey. Only the habitat of these insects is far beyond the borders of Russia and other nearby countries.
The honey-bearing species of this wasp is found in distant countries of South America and Mexico. This is where Polybiinae Occidentalis lives. An individual of this species with great success collects and accumulates honey nectar in its hives, eats it itself and feeds it to its offspring (larvae). Science knows that since ancient times, peoples living in the territory of these states have been feeding on polybia honey.
Wasps of the Amorphilla species actively destroy caterpillars of various species
The inhabitants of our latitudes are incapable of accumulating honey in their hives. The nectar on the walls of their homes (spray) is only a thin coating of honey. Its quantity is so small that it is only enough to feed the wasps themselves and feed the larvae. Moreover, it is known that they mainly obtain nectar not for harvesting, but for eating. The taste of nectar is significantly different from the usual honey, mainly in that it is not so sweet and thicker.
Despite the lack of skills in producing honey, wasps are very useful for fauna. Their main merit is that they destroy many pests and their larvae that live in gardens and vegetable gardens. For example, the ground wasp eats mole crickets and their larvae. Another species (Amorphyll) feeds on flies, borers, leaf beetles, and cicadas. That is why knowledgeable gardeners love representatives of this family, luring them to their lands with fragrant flowers.
The wasp's ability to pollinate is somewhat worse than that of the bee, but it still performs this function. Among other things, you should not be afraid of its bite. The tonic effect that appears after a bite is beneficial for humans. If it does not exceed the permissible amount (more than 20).
Ground wasps eat mole crickets and their larvae
How bees make honey
Unlike their counterparts, hardworking bees are an order of magnitude higher. This is confirmed by the neural network - the language of communication between insects. All responsibilities for collecting, receiving, further reproduction and feeding of offspring (larvae) in the hive are strictly distributed. The hardworking bee not only produces a large amount of honey of different varieties, eats itself and feeds its offspring with it.
The main sources of nectar are various trees, flowers and shrubs. The taste of the honey produced will depend on the plant from which the pollen is collected. Which you and I will eat on winter evenings. The process of how bees make honey is divided into the following stages.
Bee at work
- With the arrival of spring and the blooming of the first flowers, the time to collect nectar begins. Scout bees go looking for suitable plants. Moreover, we note that they are only looking for places and taking pollen for testing. Insect collectors will collect honey nectar after the scouts inform them and direct them towards the collection site.
- Bees collect nectar using their proboscis, which the wasp does not actually have. Which gives them another advantage. The taste buds located on the legs help her determine whether there is pollen on the plant. During collection, the bee places the found nectar into its oral cavity, where the processes of producing special enzymes occur with the help of the secretion of the salivary glands. This process is very important in all phases of honey nectar production.
- Acceptance and further processing of the collected product is carried out by receiving bees. They place the product in the cells of the honeycomb, then the honey processing process begins. It is crucial in the chain as the quality of honey depends on it. First of all, insects place honey in the honeycombs, so that they are only a quarter full. Such proportions give water the opportunity to evaporate correctly and quickly. The nectar is then moved to the upper walls of the cells, and the hive is well ventilated to remove water vapor. During the process of condensing honey, bees transfer it from one honeycomb to another many times. Lastly, the ripening honey is placed in the upper part of the honeycomb, filling it to the top.
- The final stage of honey preparation by bees is sealing the cells with honeycombs with wax caps. The honey's moisture content (water content) at this point should be no more than 21%. Only such a product can be of high quality and ready for use.
Should you look for honey in a wasp's nest in Russia?
How to choose honey
Among the Slavic and other peoples living in Russia, there has never been such a thing as “wasp honey.” This expression was used in a figurative sense, and was also used as the name of alcoholic drinks made from a beekeeping product.
For your information! The harsh Russian climate, as well as the climate of other countries located close to Russia, is not suitable for honey-bearing wasp species. And even more so, no one here is breeding these insects for the purpose of extracting a sweet product.
In the hives of ordinary wasps, you can notice a thin layer of nectar accumulated on the walls of the home. This is nothing more than the result of insects collecting flower and fruit juice. However, the total mass of nectar reserves is very small, and only in exceptional cases can it reach 20-30 g. Such a layer, as mentioned earlier, is formed by chance, due to the fact that insects, collecting pollen and nectar for their own consumption, bring their particles on their paws straight into the hive. Over time, the nectar accumulated on the walls of the nest ripens and becomes similar to the classic product.
Visitor responses
forest gnome
Shmel kone4no nesiot miod, tolko ego bivaet malo… tak, kak zhivu v lesu v childhood ne raz prixodilos probovat takova mioda. Pri senokose, kogda slu4aino kosa popadala na gnezdo shmelei, deti vsegda probovali etot miod. Shmeli, how to pravilo mirnie i nekusaetsa. Miod takoi zhe samii, kak i domashnix p4iol, mozhet bit tolko zapax krep4e.
Wasp honey exists, I tried it about 20 minutes ago, and it is negligible, in one cell there is a droplet the size of a saccharine. You can’t really taste it, but it’s clearly more bitter and sore). Actually, I went online to look for the consequences of use and came across your site. I suppose they store it for a “rainy” day and as a nutritious mass for cures at first.
fahaka
Message: Bumblebees, like bees, bring honey to the hive. Usually honeybees put the nectar brought to the hive into the cells of the honeycomb. Bumblebees, in contrast, collect honey in a kind of honeycomb jugs, which differ from bee cells both in volume and shape, as well as in design. The average capacity of each jug is 0.84 g.
honey with a volume of 0.6 ml., for bees, respectively - 0.25 g and 0.35 ml. Bees have a well-expressed instinct for collecting honey. They, subject to certain conditions, can collect it as long as there are still free honeycombs and the bribes have not run out, which cannot be said about bumblebees. They collect nectar only in case of unfavorable weather and then in small quantities, so they can never make commercial honey.
Bumblebees spend all the collected food to maintain their vital functions and feed their own larvae. Two bee and three bumblebee families were placed in the same area with such honey plants as raspberries, phacelia, motherwort, linden, bruise and others. The bees belonged to the Central Russian breed, and the bumblebees belonged to two species: two families B.
Hipnorum and one family of B. Agrorum. After honey collection, 34 kg were pumped out from two bee colonies. honey, and bumblebee honey was selected using an eye dropper (48 g). After this, the content of water and protein compounds in honey was determined using a refractometer IRF-454B in a Kjeldahl apparatus, diastase number (Gauthe method), and specific gravity.
The presence of invertible sugars was determined using a circular polarimeter SM-3, and the pollen composition was determined under a microscope (x600). Bumblebee honey is liquid, has a low specific gravity (especially from Bombus Agrorum) and is similar to sugar syrup. It has a higher content of protein, sucrose and minerals, the amount of which is 1.7-2 times higher than in bee honey. It has a rich pollen composition. If bee honey is dominated by pollen from linden, then pollen grains from red clover are clearly dominant in bumblebee honey.
There is absolutely no pollen in the bee pollen from plants such as pikulnik, purpurea, and blackroot, since the flowers of these plants are difficult for bees to access. It should be noted that bumblebee honey has relatively low enzymatic activity. It contains 3-8 times less diastase than bee honey
It is especially low in honey collected by the Bombus Agrorum family. This is explained by the fact that the number of individuals here did not exceed ten. In general, bumblebee honey is characterized by high biological activity. It contains a lot of microorganisms and enzymes isolated from them. It ferments even at a temperature of 8-10 degrees. C. This process occurs especially quickly under anaerobic conditions. Therefore, bumblebee honey should be stored at a lower temperature of 1-2 degrees. WITH.
Wasps and bees are close relatives because they belong to the suborder of stalked-bellied insects. Both species have a black and yellow color and a sting. They are also similar in their lifestyle: they feed on nectar and juice of sweet fruits, playing an important role in plant pollination. It is natural that some people have a question: do wasps make honey like bees?
Wasps include at least 11 families of stalked-bellied insects. They are spread all over the globe. The answer to the question of whether wasps produce honey will be only partly in the affirmative. Indeed, some of the species produce a product that is vaguely similar to it, which differs from the usual bee product.
Wasps that can produce honey live in hot countries. Therefore, the hives of individuals living in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other neighboring countries are not of interest for beekeeping.
The structural features of the pharyngeal glands of the wasp, unlike bees, do not ensure the production of special enzymes, thanks to which nectar is converted into this most valuable product through a chemical process.
Bumblebee honey
Do wasps and bumblebees produce honey like bees? As for the first ones, everything is clear with them. Bumblebees collect flower nectar and process it to make honey. Since insects do not store volumes, the amount of sweetness is small. The main purpose of bumblebee nectar is to feed the larvae and support the vital processes of the entire hive.
Bumblebee
This product is very useful for humans, since its quantity is very limited, but the benefits for the body are undeniable. Bumblebee honey is a very expensive and rare product.
Few people mine it, and therefore it can be very difficult to find a seller. And yet it is quite possible to purchase this product; this can be done via the Internet.
The product is characterized by the following properties:
- its liquid consistency makes it look like syrup;
- the specific gravity of honey is very low;
- contains a variety of pollen (including plants such as purple damselfish and red clover);
- honeycombs have an unusual shape; in appearance they resemble jugs (however, their capacity is much less than the number of honeycombs).
The small amount of honey reserves is also explained by the short life span of these insects. They do not need to produce and stock the product in large volumes.
Note! Unlike wasps, bumblebees deliberately collect flower pollen in case it is not possible to obtain the required amount of juice directly from the flower.
Honey wasps: myth or reality
Very often you can hear the question, are there wasps that make honey or only bees do this? This interest is quite logical, since the wasp is the bee’s closest relative. In fact, they are still capable of producing honey. However, not all wasps are honey wasps.
In Russia, wasps that make honey are practically not found. They live in Mexico, South America, Argentina. One such species is the Mexican honey wasp (Brachygastra mellifica).
Photo of Mexican honey wasp
The length of its body reaches 1 cm. It is common for them to build nests from a material that is similar to paper. They produce material for nest construction on their own by chewing wood, plant stems or tree crowns. The nests of such wasps can reach a diameter of up to 0.5 meters. However, their honeycombs differ from bee honeycombs in composition and size. They are unable to produce wax, which is necessary for the construction of honeycombs.
Another species lives in the southern United States - Polybia Occidentalis (Polybutene Occidentalis). Their habits are very similar to bees. Wasps of this species produce a lot of honey, but it looks more like nectar. Its main purpose is to feed larvae and adults.
Traps
Considering the above points, it is not surprising that some beekeepers or ordinary summer residents have a desire to destroy wasps. The most common method of catching them is traps. Of course, you can buy them in a store, but their effectiveness will be much higher if you make them yourself. To make it, you need things that every summer resident has on hand, namely: a plastic bottle, scissors, tape or wire.
Important! Many standard insect traps do not work on wasps.
The procedure for making a trap:
- The top third of the bottle is cut off.
- A substance is placed at the bottom of the bottle that will attract wasps.
- The lid is twisted off the cut part.
- Then, the upper cut part of the bottle is turned upside down and inserted into the bottle tightly and secured (small holes can be made just above the level of the neck so that the smell from the bait spreads more efficiently).
If you plan to hang the trap, then make a handle at the top from tape or wire.
The principle of operation of the trap is very simple. Insects attracted by the smell fly to the trap, crawl inside it, and feast on the bait. Then they try to get out by crawling up the wall of the bottle. After many attempts, the insect rests on the junction of the bottle parts.
You can use something sweet as bait. You can pour water with sugar and add jam to the bottle. To improve the effectiveness of the trap, you can make the bait poisoned. To do this, acid or insecticide preparations are added to the finished liquid. They are inexpensive and last a long time. You can find them in specialized stores.
What attracts a wasp near a person?
- In the summer, wasps flock to the smell of sweets, fruits, sweet drinks, jam, and watermelons.
- Wasps also hang around the trash can, so it is recommended to cover the waste bin with a lid.
- Wasps do not like the smell of perfume and sweat.
- Wasps react to brightly colored clothing.
If you have to pass by wasps, try to walk calmly and not wave your arms. If you are bitten by one wasp, others may flock to the smell of poison; wasps sense it subtly.
It is impossible to judge wasps unambiguously. On the one hand, these insects protect the garden from pests. On the other hand, they can mercilessly sting people, bringing a huge risk to health and life. Most people are rightfully of the opinion that it is better to stay away from these insects.
Features of life
To find out whether wasps make honey, you must first figure out whether they need it. In most cases we are talking about adults. Adults feed on nectar, juices of ripe vegetables and fruits, but for the larvae they obtain protein food - spiders, flies, small insects, bees.
Wasps prefer to eat honey, but not make it. Many families attack bee hives, completely destroy the reserves at one time, and drag the “captives” to feed their larvae. Honey is not carried into the nest, so there is no honey as such in the honeycombs.
However, a small layer of sticky mass, reminiscent of a beekeeping product, accumulates on the walls of the cells. The question again is whether wasps make honey or not. Insects do not burden themselves with this mission; the coating occurs on its own, after the insect has been on the flower and feasted on the pollen.
In the countries of America and Africa there are several families of social wasps that collect honey and make it. But not in such numbers as usual bees, but only to feed themselves in the winter. To say that wasps do not make honey is also wrong.
It is also important that the wasps in our area do not hibernate in swarms. At the end of summer they leave the nest and fly away in different directions. With the onset of cold weather, metabolic processes in the body slow down, insects become slow and vulnerable. One part dies from natural enemies, the other from the cold. Only young fertilized females remain to spend the winter, whose mission will continue in the spring. In winter, insects fall into suspended animation - they simply sleep and do not need food supplies.
How honey is made from nectar
The collected and decomposed sweet solution remains in the honeycombs after processing. This whole process is called product ripening. The need for honey to mature is determined by the large amount of liquid contained in nectars. By the way, nectar can contain from 40 to 80% water in its composition. This level may vary depending on the climatic zone, weather conditions and characteristics of honey plants.
Honey collection
When transferred, the nectar is re-processed with enzymes, already in the body of non-flying bees. This process further dries the existing liquid. Additionally, during the harvest period, the hive is ventilated by the entire bee colony. The accumulated liquid slowly evaporates, forming a thickening syrup. To speed up the thickening process, working individuals blow it with flapping wings, like a fan. The syrup, which has the desired consistency, is actually the finished honey product. Now the full combs are hermetically sealed with wax plugs, which are made from flakes secreted by wax glands.
Making honey products is the main activity of striped insects. The productivity level of bee colonies may vary. It all depends on the distance between the location of the apiary and the honey sources. Good weather allows you to make at least 13 combined flights in a day, while the individuals manage to completely fill their goiter in no more than half an hour. It has been proven that with the right location, one family of insects can bring 20 kilograms of honey products to the hive per day.
What is the difference
- Unlike a bee, a wasp uses its sting several times, since there are no serrations on it, but a bee can sting only once, after which it dies.
- When attacking, a wasp can also use its jaws, unlike a bee.
- The body of bees is covered with villi, while the body of wasps is smooth, with a bridge in the chest area.
- The hind legs are structured differently: the nectar collector can carry pollen in baskets, wasps do not have this structure.
- Bees live in families of many thousands, while wasps can live either alone or in large groups of several thousand individuals. Their nests in the form of semicircular honeycombs are placed on the roofs of houses, in outbuildings, in the forest on trees - in places that are protected from rain and wind.
- The care of the uterus varies greatly among these insects. The queen bee is surrounded by care from birth to the end of her life, she is fed, cared for, and combs are built for oviposition. The queen wasp builds the nest herself, and she has to spend the winter alone.
- Bees feed their offspring with pollen and nectar, and striped predators catch insects to feed to the larvae, and a significant part of these insects are forest pests. Near the hives they collect dead bees, chew them and carry them away to the larvae as a kind of forest orderlies.
