How Do Male Wasps Work?
WouterUnlike most bees, male wasps do not lay eggs or work in the colony. Instead, they congregate in groups of a few hundred. They never return to their nests. Instead, they are protected by females.
Most male wasps do not sting. They do not have venom glands. They also do not have an ovipositor, a device used by female insects to lay eggs. Originally, the ovipositor was used by social species to defend themselves against predators. Eventually, the ovipositor evolved to serve as an egg-laying device.
The female wasp, on the other hand, has an ovipositor and a stinger. The stinger acts like a needle. It is designed to inject venom. It also helps the wasp to defend itself. Unlike male wasps, female wasps can sting multiple times.
The male wasp is also smaller than the female. The antennae are fairly long. The wasp body is about 3/4 inches long. The wasp sting is located near the tip of the abdomen. The wasp is also covered in a layer of skin.
While the stinging wasp venom is very strong and can cause anaphylactic shock, it is rarely used to sting humans. Rather, the venom is more suited to paralyzing insect prey.
A group of scientists recently set up two Petri dishes outside of a wasp nest to observe the behaviour of male wasps. They found that these tiny wasps worked just as hard as their larger counterparts. In fact, they spent four times as much time on the female.
