The "Bees" of Autumn
Have you noticed the masses of yellow and black buzzing around your hummingbird feeder? Are they interested in your ‘let’s eat outside, cuz there's so little season left’ lunch? Do you see them on the ground, the road, tables, deck rails, everywhere? Also, know that I am using ‘bee’ as a generic term for all flying, stinging insects of those distinctive colors. We’ll get more specific in a moment.
Here at 8700 feet, the days are now cooler and the nights approach or hit freezing. We’ve winterized our outdoor plumbing and my greenhouse is now full of the plant pots we had around the property that had held many pollinator-friendly flowers. What moments of warm and sunny are left of the season will be ‘a-buzz’ with activity. Have you noticed also, that these bees are slower and more sluggish than in the high summer months?
So, let’s start by getting some terms correct. Is it a bee or a wasp you are seeing? While they share many taxonomic characteristics, they are very different creatures. The autumn activity of both species is fascinating and they are up to very different lifestyles at this stage, but we are focusing now on those insects that you see an abundance of these days, and that would be WASPS. How so?
Bees are adorably fuzzy with solid bodies and are not interested in your beer, soda, or sandwich.
Wasps, as the British would say, are ‘nipped in the waist’ (separated body and tail) and are not adorable or fuzzy. Wasps would love to share your beer, soda, sandwich, and whatever else there is for lunch. If you are not willing to share, they might just be hungry enough to fight you for it.
And there is the entire Autumn behavior summed up. The wasps are hungry and it’s time for cake. Their duties in the nest are done as the breeding season has ended and they have just a short time left to live. There’s a bit of hanky-panky to do with the possible queens that might survive the winter to produce the next generation, but after that, they are wayward jobless youths. Live it up, for tomorrow we die. Beer? Cool!
OK, I am oversimplifying things. So, during the summer, the breeding season is when wasp larvae are being produced and growing, the nest is expanding and is being tended to by the workers; those who build more larva cells, those who feed, and those who forage. By foraging (or more accurately, scavenging), this is what protein they can find in dead animals, other insects, and some sugars to be found in insects, fruits, and human food tasties. These proteins feed the growing larva and more larva are started, more work is done, and more scavenging and building is needed and the nest gets bigger (sometimes up to tens of thousands of wasps) and the work keeps going. Buzzz, buzzzz, buzzz. Oh, and then there is defending the nest. Think of the dumb kid throwing rocks at a large hanging nest or more likely another animal. Wasps can sting repeatedly and they know who to chase after. Add security forces to their resumes. It’s not all sweet Pooh Bear being a ‘little black rain cloud’ if you are allergic to their venom. So, don’t throw rocks at the nest.
And then, the breeding season just stops. The queen is no longer producing larvae that need caring for and the workers are out of work. The nest is abandoned, food becomes more scarce and it’s getting cold. Depending on the areas of the country, elevations, and other factors, this is sometime in September into October. Just in time for final barbecues, tailgate parties, and last lunches on the deck. Now, the wasps are not so much looking for protein for the larva, but carbohydrates to keep themselves energized. Again, beer? Cool! They’ve earned it, haven’t they?
Moving further into Autumn, once the temperatures are sustained at 45°F and less, that generation of workers begin to die off. Some may find some shelter and hold out longer, but the fate is inevitable in the colder climates. Certainly, here in the Colorado Foothills, we will soon not see the wasps around at all. Even now, what wasps are present are sluggish in the cold and aren’t much of a threat. Unless you have a sunny afternoon in the 70s and a beer on the deck.
Many people put wasps in the same category as pests like mosquitoes and don’t see any good reason for them. But if you’ve read any of my other essays, you’ll know that I’ll point back to the balances that all creatures provide. Wasps hunt many of our other harmful insects like aphids and help to keep those populations in check. They are a part of the cycles that breakdown the dead animals and other decaying material. And - they are food for many birds, mammals, and other of the more human-pleasing insects such as dragonflies.
If you are wondering about actual bees now, we’ll get into their Autumn activity in a separate post.
So, next time the wasps are bothering your autumn picnic, maybe give them a drop of beer or soda to celebrate a life of devoted work and their passing season.
Sources:
- https://bee-america.com/blogs/news/why-fall-is-a-busy-time-for-bees#:~:text=As%20long%20the%20as%20the,the%20colony%20throughout%20the%20winter.
- https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-a-bee-and-a-wasp
- https://www.diffen.com/difference/Bee_vs_Wasp
- https://webdoc.agsci.colostate.edu/bspm/arthropodsofcolorado/Yellowjackets.pdf