Great Garden Speakers

Native Predatory Wasps: Their Role as Pollinators and Beneficial Insects

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Native bees and predatory wasps share the same lineage and also share many behaviors and habitat requirements. Predatory wasps feed their offspring invertebrates (insects and spiders) and bees diverged from this carnivorous diet to feed their offspring plant-based food (pollen and nectar). Flower-rich landscapes provide critical habitat for both adult bees and wasps because they each consume flower nectar; in addition, wasps need diverse, flower-rich landscapes to hunt for their prey. Heather will highlight many amazing natural history and biology facts about native wasps illustrating their nesting habitat, prey specificity, and the ecosystems services they provide—pest insect population control and pollination.

Heather Holm

About Heather Holm

I am a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. In addition to assisting with native bee research projects, I inform and educate audiences nationwide, through my books and many presentations, about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them. Much of my spare time is spent planning and executing ecological restoration projects, serving on the boards of nonprofits to promote conservation work, and spending a significant amount of time in the field to better understand the natural history and habitat of native bees and wasps, and the complexities of enhancing pollinator habitat using ecological restoration best management practices.