What is a predominant predatory trait of the Family Vespidae?
They are predominantly predatory, feeding their young insects or spiders.
The Family Vespidae encompasses many of the social wasps commonly recognized, such as hornets and yellowjackets, and their ecological role is strongly associated with carnivorous behavior. These wasps operate as predators, actively hunting various arthropods, including insects and spiders, which they capture, sometimes paralyze, and then bring back to the nest to provision their developing larvae. This predatory strategy is crucial for sustaining the high metabolic demands of a growing social colony. While the text notes that the ability to sting evolved via convergent evolution and other families might be parasitic or predatory in different ways, Vespidae is highlighted specifically for this predominant predatory feeding of their young with animal prey.
