#Wasps

[apsciencebylyn]

Reminder that fairy wasps can sometimes look like actual humanoid fairies when they hover

[technicallydelightfulpenguin]

I love Wasps, Mosquitoes, Cockroaches te same i love Bees and Butterflies.

they say they love insects but they hate wasps and mosquitoes

[michaelnordeman]

European hornet/bålgeting. Värmland, Sweden (May 31, 2024).

[woso-dreamzzz]

*wasps!r locks dirtbag and pink ribbons in a closet*

dirtbag: what the hell! i don’t want to be back in here!

wasps!r: *slides a note under the door*

pink ribbons: *reading* in life and love, communication is the key, only your true feelings will set you free

dirtbag: oh i hate this bullshit.

wasps!r: *bangs on the door* listen to the note! you’re not coming out of here until you do!

dirtbag: what in the therapy fuck is this fresh hell?

pink ribbons: what are our true feelings?

dirtbag: i don’t have feelings, im a brick wall

Suddenly Wasps!R falls in love with Alexia and now she thinks she's an expert on love, light and life

Dirtbag hates it

[sandpaperoctopi]

fairies!! species they're based on:

first row: Cylindrogaster sp. earwig, Saunders' webspinner, long-tailed silverfish, Galápagos carpenter bee (gynandromorph), Psilodera fasciata (small-headed fly), Elasmus sp. wasp, sawfly larva, Arilus carinatus (wheelbug), elephant hawkmoth

second row: European firebug and nymphs, milkweed assassin bug, garden tiger moth, rainbow scarab, Abachrysa eureka (lacewing), Brunettia ishiharai (moth fly), cowpea aphid, acorn weevil, Hunter's little paper wasp

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Yellowjacket-Mimicking Moth: this is just a harmless moth that mimics the appearance and behavior of a yellowjacket/wasp; its disguise is so convincing that it can even fool actual wasps

This species (Myrmecopsis polistes) may be one of the most impressive wasp-mimics in the world. The moth's narrow waist, teardrop-shaped abdomen, black-and-yellow patterning, transparent wings, smooth appearance, and folded wing position all mimic the features of a wasp. Unlike an actual wasp, however, it does not have any mandibles or biting/chewing mouthparts, because it's equipped with a proboscis instead, and it has noticeably "feathery" antennae.

There are many moths that use hymenopteran mimicry (the mimicry of bees, wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, and/or bumblebees, in particular) as a way to deter predators, and those mimics are often incredibly convincing. Myrmecopsis polistes is one of the best examples, but there are several other moths that have also mastered this form of mimicry.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta, another moth species that mimics a yellowjacket

These disguises often involve more than just a physical resemblance; in many cases, the moths also engage in behavioral and/or acoustic mimicry, meaning that they can mimic the sounds and behaviors of their hymenopteran models. In some cases, the resemblance is so convincing that it even fools actual wasps/yellowjackets.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta

Such a detailed and intricate disguise is unusual even among mimics. Researchers believe that it developed partly as a way for the moth to trick actual wasps into treating it like one of their own. Wasps frequently prey upon moths, but they are innately non-aggressive toward their own fellow nest-mates, which are identified by sight -- so if the moth can convincingly impersonate one of those nest-mates, then it can avoid being eaten by wasps.

Above: Pseudosphex laticincta

I gave an overview of the moths that mimic bees, wasps, yellowjackets, hornets, and bumblebees in one of my previous posts, but I felt that these two species (Myrmecopsis polistes and Pseudosphex laticincta) deserved to have their own dedicated post, because these are two of the most convincing mimics I have ever seen.

Above: Pseudosphex sp.

I think that moths in general are probably the most talented mimics in the natural world. They have so many intricate, unique disguises, and they often combine visual, behavioral, and acoustic forms of mimicry in order to produce an uncanny resemblance.

Several of these incredible mimics have already been featured on my blog: moths that mimic jumping spiders, a moth that mimics a broken birch twig, a moth caterpillar that can mimic a snake, a moth that disguises itself as two flies feeding on a pile of bird droppings, a moth that mimics a dried-up leaf, a moth that can mimic a cuckoo bee, and a moth that mimics the leaves of a poplar tree.

Moths are just so much more interesting than people generally realize.

Sources & More Info:

Journal of Ecology and Evolution: A Hypothesis to Explain Accuracy of Wasp Resemblances

Entomology Today: In Enemy Garb: A New Explanation for Wasp Mimicry

iNaturalist: Myrmecopsis polistes and Pseudosphex laticincta

Transactions of the Entomological Society of London: A Few Observations on Mimicry

[cpericardium]

The time I opened an academic paper titled "parasitoid wasps" and read several sections about thermal temperatures in avalanche flow, wondering when the wasps were going to show up, before realising the file was probably mislabelled. "wow this sounds deadly and to think, the wasps haven’t even attacked yet"

[shailion]

Fixed a wasp meme :)

[dogfennel]

wake again after rest

[musiclovingmoth]

DON'T BELIEVE MAINSTREAM MEDIA

WASPS ARE OUR FRIENDS

[hawkpartys]

so i forgot that i had a ziploc w gall specimens in it in my pocket so today at work i went huh whats this and then pulled a ziploc containing multiple live wasps out of my vest

[addicted2wasps]

Pretty self-explanatory, I think! Most wasps are small, parasitoids, and can't even sting! They're all beautiful in my eyes (even yellowjackets)! The Pompilid in the top left corner can sting, but it's not black and yellow, so it gets a pass.

Wasps FTW!

[ratbugs]

ants are genuinely so chill.

i don’t understand where this immense fear of ants we have in our society comes from. ants, wasps, bugs in general.

literlly slow down and take two seconds to allow them to exist in your world and you’ll see how wonderful and sweet and curious they are.

i have a whole bunch of twig ants in my room. no idea where they came from - but we don’t use pest control so we have lots of bugs around.

they are the sweetest gentlest babies in the entire world. they come and hang out with me while i’m at my computer, running over my hands and my mouse. i give them drops of water and they sniff out the juice in my cup if i have any.

what is so interesting to me, is that in the past few years i’ve spent seeking out bugs as much as i can - i’ve been bitten by an ant maybe… three times? and each time was when they had gotten caught in my clothing and got scared.

there’s this table on my campus that is always covered in ants. hardly anyone sits there because of it. but they just like…. don’t do anything?? i sit there all the time and i’ve only ever been bitten ONCE sitting at that table, when a poor little ant got stuck under my sock and was scared.

don’t get me wrong, i completely understand fearing wasps or ants due to allergies. that i understand.

it’s when it’s just the simple fear of them existing, that i don’t understand. seriously, when you don’t put your whole damn foot in their nest or spray their hive with a hose, they’re just chill.

they’re so sweet, they’re so curious, they’re so chill.

ants and wasps and all bugs deserve so much more love than they get. Please PLEASE PLEASE give your local buggies some love today 🐜🐜

[etcstims]

Clean my face | source

[mathpope]

polistes exclamans x pogonomyrmex barbatus 👭🐜🤝🐝 (there is no wasp emoji)