Dave Bevan / Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) adding material to nest, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK, July.

Ingo Arndt / Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) detail of nest surface, Hessen, Germany, April.

John Abbott / Paper wasp (Polistes metricus) flying from flower, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, USA Controlled conditions. September

Alex Hyde / Common Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) feeding on a pot of jam, photographed against a white background. Derbyshire, UK. September.

Morley Read / Eusoical wasps (Polybia) swarming from the entrance of their nest hanging under a leaf, Napo Province, Ecuadorian Amazon. (non-ex)

Morley Read / Eusocial wasps (Polybia) at the entrance of their nest hanging under a leaf, Napo Province, the Ecuadorian Amazon. (non-ex)

Morley Read / Eusocial wasps (Polybia) swarming from the entrance of their nest hanging under a leaf, Napo Province, Ecuadorian Amazon. (non-ex)

Chris Mattison / Green wasp (Ropalidia sp), two, one guarding nest. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar.

Chris Mattison / Green wasp (Ropalidia sp), two, one guarding nest. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar.

Heather Angel / Hornet raiding Wasp brood on nest attached to bamboo stem. Wasps moving to top of nest. Shunan Zhuhai National Park, Sichuan Province, China.

Nick Upton / European wasps (Vespula germanica) entering and leaving an underground nest, with one removing an injured grub, Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / European wasps (Vespula germanica) entering and leaving an underground nest, with some removing balls of soil, Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / European wasps (Vespula germanica) entering and leaving an underground nest, with some removing balls of soil, Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / European wasps (Vespula germanica) entering and leaving an underground nest, Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / European wasps (Vespula germanica) entering and leaving an underground nest, with some removing balls of soil, Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Ingo Arndt / Median wasp (Dolichovespula media) nest, cross section showing combs. Hessen, Germany.

Philippe Clement / Three common wasps (Vespula vulgaris), eating from open jar of jam in summer

Philippe Clement / Common waasp (Vespula vulgaris) approaching a wasp trap on a balcony, the trap is filled with sugary drink and attracts and traps wasps until they drown in the liquid, Belgium, August.

Dave Bevan / Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) nest in an electricity meter box, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Insect hotel with drilled logs and bundles of bamboo stems, some with partially completed mud nests of Mason wasps wasps (Ancistrocerus sp), garden, Gloucestershire, UK, May.

Ingo Arndt / Median wasp (Dolichovespula media) detail of nest surface, Hessen, Germany, April.

Ingo Arndt / Median wasp (Dolichovespula media) nest, Hessen, Germany, April.

Ingo Arndt / Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) nest in early stage of construction, Hessen, Germany

Ingo Arndt / Median wasp (Dolichovespula media) cross section of nest showing combs, Hessen, Germany, April.

Ingo Arndt / Median Wasps (Dolichovespula media) at nest entrance, Hessen, Germany, June.

Ingo Arndt / Median wasps (Dolichovespula media) building nest, Hessen, Germany, June.

John Abbott / Red wasp (Polistes carolina) in flight Lamar County, Texas, USA Controlled conditions. August

Alex Hyde / Wasps (Apoica pallens) resting at their nest during the daytime, unusually for social wasps this species is nocturnal, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Alex Hyde / Wasps (Apoica pallens) resting at their nest during the daytime, unusually for social wasps this species is nocturnal, Corcovado National Park, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Alex Hyde / Paper wasps (Polistinae) at nest attached to underside of leaf with eggs visible in paper cells, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Nick Upton / Female Greek paper wasps (Polistes hellenicus) tending grubs in their nest in coastal scrubland, Lesbos / Lesvos, Greece, May.

Nick Upton / Femae Greek paper wasps (Polistes hellenicus) on their nest in coastal scrubland, Lesbos / Lesvos, Greece, May.

Paul D Stewart / Illustration of Hornets and Wasps, from Arcana entomologica, or, Illustrations of new, rare, and interesting insects by J.O. Westwood, 1845.

MYN / Marc Pihet / Asian hornet (Vespa velutina), Maine-et-Loire, France, November, meetyourneighbours.net project

Cyril Ruoso / Asian predatory wasp (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) people destroying and removing the nest, invasive species, Nantes, France, September 2015

Cyril Ruoso / Asian predatory wasp (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) in flight, invasive species, Nantes, France, September.

Pascal Pittorino / Paper wasps (Polistes gallicus) on nest, Var, Provence, France, June.

Alan Williams / Common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) nest in garden shed showing wasps building nest Cheshire, England, UK. August.

Simon Colmer / Planks on building showing feeding marks of wasps and hornets, which chew the wood to make pulp for their nests. Sussex, UK, May.

Colin Varndell / Common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) feeding on fallen apple. Dorset, UK September.

MYN / Andrew Snyder / Close up of Paper wasps (Mischocyttarus sp.) constructing a linear nest, Kanuku Mountains, Guyana, July. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

MYN / Andrew Snyder / Paper wasps (Mischocyttarus sp.) constructing a long linear nest, Kanuku Mountains, Guyana, July. Meetyourneighbours.net project.

Angelo Gandolfi / Paper wasps (Polistes sp.), Santa Catarina State, Brazil, September.

Kim Taylor / Wasp nest (Polistinae sp) nest beneath a horizontal branch in rain forest. Costa Rica

Roman Willi / Group of Paper wasps (Belonogaster sp.) guarding their nest, Katavi National Park, Tanzania. Focus stacked image. Cropped.

Roman Willi / European Paper wasp (Polistes dominula) guarding its nest, Lucerne, Switzerland. July. Focus stacked image.

Roman Willi / Potter wasp (Odynerus spinipes) returning to nest with paralysed caterpillar prey, Lucerne, Switzerland. June.

Roman Willi / Potter wasp (Odynerus spinipes) leaving its nest, Lucerne, Switzerland. June.

Roman Willi / Potter wasp (Odynerus spinipes) building a nest in soil, Lucerne, Switzerland. June.

Colin Varndell / Two queen Common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) hibernating, Dorset, UK. January.

Marie Lochman / Hairy flower wasps (Scolia sp.) pair, female is the larger wasp in the front, resting side by side on twig, Peak Charles National Park, north-west of Esperance, Western Australia.

Marie Lochman / Group of Hairy flower wasps (Radumeris radula) male, sleeping in a dry leaf, Eungella National Park, Queensland, Australia.

Doug Wechsler / Group of Blue-winged scoliid wasps (Scolia dubia) roosting on plant stem in early morning, these solitary wasps sleep communally, Pennsylvania, USA. August.

Doug Wechsler / Group of Blue-winged scoliid wasps (Scolia dubia) roosting on plant stem in early morning, these solitary wasps sleep communally, Pennsylvania, USA. August.

Doug Wechsler / Group of Blue-winged scoliid wasps (Scolia dubia) roosting on plant stem in early morning, these solitary wasps sleep communally, Pennsylvania, USA. August.

Claudio Contreras / Umbrella paper wasps (Polistes) on nest. Dzibilchaltun National Park, Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo state, Mexico.

Paul Harcourt Davies / Three Paper wasps (Polistes associus) feeding on nectar from Amethyst eryngo (Eryngium amethystinum) flower, Mount Vettore, Sibillini, Umbria, Italy. September.

Nick Upton / Two Ruby-tailed cuckoo wasps (Chrysis viridula) entering nest of their host species, the Spiny mason wasp (Odynerus spinipes), with incomplete mud chimney over the entrance, coastal sand bank, Cornwal...

Paul Harcourt Davies / Paper wasps (Polistes dominula) resting on leaf, Umbria, Italy. June.

Doug Wechsler / Close up of Bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) nest, natural paper made of different fibers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. October.

Doug Wechsler / Guinea paper wasp (Polistes exclamans) feeding larvae at nest on wall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. August.

Nigel Cattlin / Wasps (Vespula vulgaris) and flies (Muscidae spp.) feeding on a damaged ripe victoria plum on the tree, Devon, England, UK, June

Nick Upton / Three Saxon wasps (Dolichovespula saxonica) nectaring from a Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flower on a woodland margin, one wasp has a pollinia on its head, Somerset, UK, July. This...

Nick Upton / Two Saxon wasps (Dolichovespula saxonica) nectaring from a Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flower on a woodland margin, one wasp has a pollinia on its head, Somerset, UK, July. This p...

Nick Upton / Saxon wasp (Dolichovespula saxonica) visiting Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flowers on a woodland margin, Bath and Northeast Somerset, UK, July. This plant produces opioids and alco...

Nick Upton / Saxon wasp (Dolichovespula saxonica) with a pollinia on its head nectaring from a Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flower on a woodland margin, Bath and Northeast Somerset, UK, July. T...

Nick Upton / Saxon wasps (Dolichovespula saxonica) with pollinia on their heads after nectaring from Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flowers on a woodland margin, Bath and Northeast Somerset, UK,...

Nick Upton / Saxon wasps (Dolichovespula saxonica) nectaring from Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flowers on a woodland margin, Bath and Northeast Somerset, UK, July. This plant produces opioids a...

Nick Upton / Saxon wasps (Dolichovespula saxonica) nectaring from Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flowers on a woodland margin, Bath and Northeast Somerset, UK, July. This plant produces opioids a...

Nick Upton / Saxon wasp (Dolichovespula saxonica) with a pollinia on its head nectaring from a Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flower on a woodland margin, Bath and Northeast Somerset, UK, July. T...

Nick Upton / Saxon wasp (Dolichovespula saxonica) with a sticky pollinia on its head after nectaring from a Broad-leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine) flower on a woodland margin, Bath and Northeast Somerset...

Nick Upton / German wasp (Vespula germanica) nest surface built from layers of chewed wood fibres. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.

Nick Upton / German wasp (Vespula germanica) inside nest, horizontal combs separated by vertical petioles. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.

Nick Upton / German wasp (Vespula germanica) emerging from brood cell sealed with silk, inside wasp nest. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.

Nick Upton / German wasp (Vespula germanica), newly laid eggs inside nest. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.

Nick Upton / German wasp (Vespula germanica) nest interior with developing larvae, some brood cells sealed with silk prior to pupation. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.

Nick Upton / German wasp (Vespula germanica) nest interior with developing larvae, some brood cells sealed with silk prior to pupation. Wiltshire, England, UK. July.

Morley Read / Wasp nest (Polybia sp.) hanging from a rainforest understory shrub in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador. The wasps are in a defensive position outside the nest to repel an attack.

Morley Read / Nocturnal paper wasp (Apoica pallens) colony at nest. Orellana Province, Ecuador.

Nick Upton / Three Common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) drinking from a garden pond, then taking off, Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nick Upton / Two Common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) drinking from a garden pond, then taking off, Wiltshire, England, UK, July.

Nigel Cattlin / Common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) feeding through a hole in the skin on a ripe red discovery apple on the tree, Berkshire, England, UK, August

Nigel Cattlin / Common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) feeding through a hole in the skin on a ripe red discovery apple on the tree, Berkshire, England, UK, August

Nigel Cattlin / Ripe discovery apple eaten from the inside by wasps (Vespula vulgaris) and earwigs (Forficula sp.) Berkshire, England, UK, August leaving mummified skin on the tree.