   #copyright

Wasp

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Insects, Reptiles and
Fish

                           iWasps
   Aleiodes indiscretusparasitizing gypsy moth caterpillar
   Aleiodes indiscretus
   parasitizing gypsy moth caterpillar
                  Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Arthropoda
   Class:   Insecta
   Order:   Hymenoptera

                                  Suborder

   Symphyta
   Apocrita
   See text for families.
   Polistes dominulus building nest in California
   Enlarge
   Polistes dominulus building nest in California
   Wasp drinking syrup
   Enlarge
   Wasp drinking syrup
   The basic morphology of a female yellowjacket wasp
   Enlarge
   The basic morphology of a female yellowjacket wasp
   Wasp stinger, with droplet of venom
   Enlarge
   Wasp stinger, with droplet of venom
   The wasp's fine hairs are visible in this photograph.
   Enlarge
   The wasp's fine hairs are visible in this photograph.
   Wasp ocelli (simple eyes) and dorsal part of the compound eyes
   Enlarge
   Wasp ocelli (simple eyes) and dorsal part of the compound eyes

   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, which includes the yellowjackets (Vespula,
   Dolichovespula spp.) and hornets (Vespa spp.).

Characteristics

   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.

Reproduction in wasps

   Generally wasps do not have a mating flight. Instead they reproduce
   between a single queen and a male drone in the vicinity of their
   nesting area. After successfully mating, the drone's sperm cells are
   stored in a tightly packed ball inside the queen. The sperm are kept
   stored in a dormant state until the following spring. At a certain time
   of year (often around autumn time) the bulk of the wasp colony dies
   away, leaving only the young mated queens alive. During this time they
   leave the nest and find a suitable area to hibernate for the winter.

   After emerging from hibernation during early spring, the young queens
   search for a suitable nesting site. Upon finding an area for her future
   colony, the queen usually constructs a basic paper nest into which she
   will begin to lay eggs. This varies from species to species in
   specifics, as not all wasps live in paper nests.

   The sperm that was stored earlier and kept dormant over winter is now
   used to fertilize the eggs being laid. The storage of sperm inside the
   female queen allows her to lay a considerable number of fertilized eggs
   without the need for repeated mating with a male wasp. For this reason
   a single female queen is quite capable of building an entire colony
   from only herself. The eggs laid initially are sterile female workers
   who will begin to construct a more elaborate nest around their queen
   and take over her role of feeding the larvae.

   In wasps, sexes are significantly genetically different. Females have a
   diploid (2n) number of chromosomes and come about from fertilized eggs.
   Males, in contrast, have a haploid (n) number of chromosomes and
   develop from an unfertilised egg.

   Towards the end of the summer, the female wasps begin to run out of
   stored sperm to fertilize more eggs. These eggs develop into fertile
   males and fertile female queens. The male drones then fly out of the
   nest and find a mate thus perpetuating the wasp reproductive cycle. The
   queens will then leave the colony to hibernate for the winter once the
   other wasps begin to die off. After successfully mating with a young
   queen, the male drones die off. Generally young queens and drones from
   the same nest do not mate with each other.

   Unlike most species of bee queens, the wasp queens only live for one
   year although exceptions are possible. Contrary to popular belief, the
   queen wasp does not organize the wasp colony or have any raised status
   amongst the social group. She is rather the reproductive element of the
   colony as all members of the colony are theoretically direct genetic
   descendants of the queen.

Wasp parasitism

   With most species, adult parasitic-wasps themselves do not take any
   nutrients from their prey. Indeed, adult parasitic-wasps, much like
   bees, butterflies, and moths, derive all of their nutrition from nectar
   or the sweet secretions from their brood. Parasitic-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.

Nests

   The nests of social wasps are first constructed by the queen and are
   initially about the size of a walnut. The size of the nest increases as
   more workers are propogated. Unlike honeybees, wasps have no wax
   producing gland. They manufacture a paper-like material from wood pulp.
   Wood fibers are gathered from weathered wood, softened by chewing and
   mixing with saliva. The paper is then used to make combs with cells for
   brood rearing.

Common families

     * 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.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
