Solitary wasps may appear fierce, but looks are deceiving. With about 12,000 species in Australia, they’re not aggressive by nature and won’t sting without cause.

Solitary wasps are closely related to solitary bees. In fact, solitary bees evolved from meat-eating wasps, into pollen-loving vegetarians, about 125 million years ago.

Today, many solitary wasps continue to feed their young with protein from other insects, making them nature’s ultimate pest controllers. Caterpillars, beetle grubs, spiders, grasshoppers, katydids and flies are all on the menu.

While their hunting skills are impressive, they also play a vital role in pollination. Visiting different flowers to feed on nectar, to fuel their hunting tasks and transferring pollen along the way.