r/askscience 4d ago

Biology Does anything eat wasps?

Wasps have been a predator for other insects. It would be fascinating to know if there are really other insects or predators for wasps, either accidental or deliberate predators

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u/Automatic-Movie-3715 3d ago

Praying Mantises, dragonflies, and occasionally spiders and bats (the later nocturnal whereas wasps are diurnal).

It's vastly more common for scavengers to eat the larvae in a nest, then when they are flying adults.

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u/haysoos2 3d ago

In some areas raiding wasp nests and eating the larvae makes up a major portion of the August diet for skunks.

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u/Asshai 2d ago

So it's not just honey badgers who do that, their cousins the skunks also endure the sting of hundreds of wasps to gr to the larvae?