20 Interesting Facts About Wasps

Despite their modest size, wasps deliver very painful stings. However, they don’t intentionally attack humans, but if they are accidentally disturbed, they can cause quite a lot of trouble. These insects are primarily interesting from a biological perspective because their species are highly diverse, and many of them differ significantly from one another.

Facts About Wasps:

1. Some species of wasps lead a social life, forming hive-like colonies, while others are solitary.
2. Hornets are technically a type of wasp.
3. The number of wasp species is enormous, with over 17,000 species identified worldwide.
4. Most wasps are colored with black and yellow, or black and white stripes and spots.
5. When defending against external threats, unlike bees, wasps use not only their stingers but also their mandibles to bite the threat.
6. Unlike bees, wasps do not produce honey.
7. A single wasp colony can house up to several thousand individuals.
8. Unlike a bee’s stinger, a wasp’s stinger does not have barbs, so it does not injure itself when stinging and can sting multiple times.
9. Wasps, like bees, respond to the smell of venom and may join in an attack.
10. Some species of wasps lay their eggs in the nests of other wasps or bees.
11. The larvae of common wasps are predatory, feeding on other small insects, while adult wasps prefer to eat nectar. However, some species remain predatory even as adults.
12. Wasps are abundant on all continents except Antarctica.
13. Wasp larvae live for about 20 days. They spend roughly the same amount of time in the pupal stage before emerging as adults.
14. In temperate regions like central Russia, by autumn, entire colonies of social wasps usually die off, with only the fertilized queen surviving to start a new colony the following spring.
15. Thanks to their slender “waists,” these insects can bend their bodies almost in half and sting from nearly any angle.
16. In hot weather, wasps become noticeably more aggressive, so it’s wise to be cautious around them.
17. Dragonflies often hunt wasps when the opportunity arises.
18. Wasp venom can cause anaphylactic shock, and in large doses, it is deadly on its own.
19. A queen wasp can lay more than 2,000 eggs at a time.
20. Some species of wasps live parasitically, laying their eggs directly into the bodies of other insects.