A wasp is any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is not a bee or an ant. Less familiar, the suborder Symphyta includes the sawflies and wood wasps, which differ from the Apocrita by having a broad connection between the thorax and abdomen. Also, Symphyta larvae are mostly herbivorous and "caterpillarlike", whereas those of Apocrita are largely predatory or parasitic.

Most familiar wasps belong to the Aculeata, a division of the Apocrita, whose ovipositors are modified into a venomous stinger. Aculeata also contains ants and bees. In this sense, the species called "velvet ants" (Mutillidae) are actually wasps.

A narrower meaning of the term wasp is any member of the Aculeate family Vespidae. This includes the yellowjackets (Vespula, Dolichovespula spp.) and hornets (Vespa spp.).

Characteristics

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The following characteristics are present in most wasps:

• Two pairs of wings (exceptions: all female Mutillidae, Bradynobaenidae, many male Agaonidae, many female Ichneumonidae, Braconidae, Tiphiidae, Scelionidae, Rhopalosomatidae, Eupelmidae, and various other families).
• An ovipositor or stinger (only present in females because it derives from the ovipositor).
• Few or no hairs (in contrast to bees); exceptions: Mutillidae, Bradynobaenidae, Scoliidae. Though less efficient than bees, some wasp species are significant pollinators.
• Nearly all terrestrial; only a few specialized parasitic groups are aquatic.
• Predators or parasitoids, mostly on other terrestrial insects; some species of Pompilidae, such as the tarantula hawk, specialize in using spiders as prey, and various parasitic wasps use spiders or other arachnids as hosts. Wasps are critically important in natural biocontrol. Almost every pest insect species has a wasp species that is predator or parasite upon it. Parasitic wasps are also increasingly used in agricultural pest control.

  Wasp parasitism

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  Wasps themselves do not take any nutrients from their prey. Indeed, adult wasps, much like bees, butterflies, and moths, derive all of their nutrition from nectar. Wasps paralyze their prey by injecting it with venom through their stingers. They then inject the prey with eggs; when the eggs hatch, the larvae eat the prey alive, saving the vital organs for last. They pupate inside the prey's body, and upon becoming adults, cut a hole in the prey's skin and fly out.

  Guepe.jpg

  Common Families

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  • Agaonidae - fig wasps
  • Chalcididae
  • Chrysididae - cuckoo wasps
  • Crabronidae
  • Cynipidae - gall wasps
  • Encyrtidae
  • Eulophidae
  • Eupelmidae
  • Ichneumonidae, and Braconidae
  • Mutillidae - velvet ants
  • Mymaridae - fairyflies
  • Pompilidae - spider wasps
  • Pteromalidae
  • Scelionidae
  • Scoliidae - scoliid wasps
  • Sphecidae - digger wasps, e.g. the Cicada killer wasp
  • Tiphiidae - flower wasps
  • Torymidae
  • Trichogrammatidae
  • Vespidae - yellowjackets, hornets, paper wasps.

  See also

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  • Common wasp
  • Parasitic wasps
  • How to tell bees from wasps
  • Volucella pellucens
  • Mud daubers are a common species of wasp.

  References

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  External links

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  • A pictorial life cycle of organ pipe wasps
  • Links to many parasitic wasps and other insects used for biological control
  • Phylogeny of the order Hymenoptera contrasting the groups discussed in this article
  • Medline Encyclopedia N.I.H. - Insect bites and stings
  • New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated - Insect bites and stings and how to prevent them
  Hymenoptera | Pollinators | Biological pest control agents

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