Content
- Wasps in the cherry laurel - do the insects harm the shrub?
- Wasps love everything that tastes sweet
- Wasps can signal aphid infestation
- Tips & Tricks
Wasps in the cherry laurel - do the insects harm the shrub?
Many garden owners observe in late summer that many wasps settle on the cherry laurel, brushing themselves, crawling on the leaves and finally flying away again. We'll tell you why the animals are magically attracted to the laurel cherry.
Wasps love everything that tastes sweet
In addition to protein-rich food to raise their brood, the wasps need carbohydrates as "muskelbenzin".That's why the insects are so interested in everything that tastes sweet. Through their mouthparts, the wasps rely on food sources that are easy to reach.
The cherry laurel has naktardrüsen lying outside the bloom. Using these extrafloral nectarines, it secretes a concentrated sugar solution that is a treat for wasps, ants and many other insects
The main ingredients of the vegetable juice are:
The concentration of sugar in the sap depends on the climatic conditions and soil conditions. This explains why so many wasps can be found in some laurel cherries, but shrubs elsewhere seem to be spurned by the insects.
Wasps can signal aphid infestation
In addition to sweet plant juices, wasps as well as ants drink the sweet excrements of aphids. Honeydew contains relatively high levels of sugar due to digestion and drying after excretion, the concentration can be up to 90 percent.
Tips & Tricks
In the dense foliage of the cherry laurel, wasps occasionally also build their nest. Since the insects are important beneficial agents, you should only remove an inhabited wasp nest if it poses a danger. Please refrain from destroying the nest and have it resettled by a specialist if necessary.