primary comb is planar or spherical and is usually constructed in a spiral sequence. Nests can contain thousands of individuals and range in size depending on species and colony age or health. Diet and foraging The diet of Honey wasps is made up of carbohydrates from nectar and honey, and protein attained from predation upon various insects such as beetles, weevils, lepidopterans, aphids and various larvae. They have a wide feeding flexibility, probably due to the seasonal availability floral nectar and insect prey. Floral nectar and insect protein are both stored within the comb of the nest. Brachygastra mellifica and B. lecheguana are well known for their large stores of nectar. B. azteca also stores nectar but in smaller quantities. In addition to nectar, species often collect honeydew from honey-dew producing cercopids and nymphal membracids. Ecosystem services The nectar gathering activity of these wasp species allows them to provide pollination services to some plant types, such as myrtaceae in the Cerrado, sunflower (Helianthus annuus L., Asteraceae) and mesquite in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Avocado. Additionally, honey wasps benefit some plant species by preying upon endophytic herbivorous insects. Damaged plants release volatile compounds that act as chemical and olfactory cues for predatory Brachygastra species, attracting them to the source of the grazing herbivorous insect. They have been observed attacking many insect pest species such as Asian citrus psyllid, (Diaphorina citri), tomato leafminer (Tuta absoluta), cotton boll weevil larvae, (Anthonomus grandis) and the white coffee leaf miner larvae (Perileucoptera coffeella), suggesting that they have potential to be used as a biological control agent for human crops. Predators Spiders commonly catch individual wasps in their webs. Opossums and woodpeckers have been observed attacking entire nests. Conservation Conservation of these wasps species is important to allow them to continue providing ecosystem services. Conservation practices include the protection of wasp nests, the maintenance of floral diversity, the preservation of forests and the use to pest control methods that do no harm these wasps. Selected species Brachygastra azteca Brachygastra lecheguana Brachygastra mellifica References Vespidae Taxa named by Maximilian Perty