This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Wasps eating cosmos ?
blueberry77
Posts: 80
I have a number of white cosmos, up to about 4ft tall and flowering. But then they all started keeling over - looked like something had eaten through the main stem. Also noticed that there were groups of wasps on the fallen plants, looked like they were eating it.
I didn't know wasps did this, and is there any way to prevent it in future ?
0
Posts
Hello blueberry77,
Firstly, the wasps haven't got it in for your cosmos. Something else, such as slugs and snails, will have had a go at them. Wasps like to eat sweet things, suchas nectar, and meaty things, such as other insects.
I don't know for sure, but I would think that the fallen plants are exuding some sort of sugary liquid and the wasps are drinking it.
The stems were partly cut through about 3 inches up, didn't look like what you'd expect from slug damage. The sap must be sweet, there were groups of wasps feeding on it.