These late summer, disoriented worker wasps are the ones that sting.
In summer, worker wasps need sugar to power the insatiable appetites of the young larvae in the nest.
Here the annual cycle changes from raising worker wasps to raising fertile queens, which will hibernate over the winter to start new colonies the following spring.
The worker wasps are disorientated and go searching for sweet foods that can often include soft drinks or jam – which puts them directly in people's way.
A researcher at the University of Washington, studying the wasps in Costa Rica, observed that worker wasps used a range of biting techniques -- from mild nibbling to more aggressive chomping -- to get other workers to hunt for food.
With their queens fully supplied with all the nectar they need, worker wasps now have nothing to do but laze around getting drunk on fermenting fruit, according to environmental authorities.
Joe Mulligan, head of first aid at the Red Cross, said: "It's hilarious that, now worker wasps have finished their life's work, all they are doing now is feasting on fermented fruit and getting 'drunk'drunk
At the same time, the power of the queen is waning and she is getting old, so many worker wasps find their workload decreasing and go "Awol" – hence the jobless description.
The amount of food – flowers and insects – starts to drop at this time of year, so worker wasps will go for the easiest option, be it your can of Coke at lunch, your glass of Pimms at the pub or the discarded apple core or sweet wrapper on the street – much like we would opt for a takeaway rather than cook a three-course meal at home.
That is, their queens are fully supplied with nectar, leaving worker wasps to do nothing but laze around and drink fermenting fruit.
