Wasp
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A wasp is a predatory, flying, stinging insect, with a stinger and membranous forewings and hindwings. It is related to ants and bees, with all of them being members of order Hymenoptera, but is separated from ants and bees by having a stinger and no hair; bees have hair. A rough definition of the term wasp is any member of the aculeate family Vespidae. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their numbers, or natural biocontrol. Parasitic wasps are increasingly used in agricultural pest control as they prey mostly on pest insects and have little impact on crops.
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News tagged with wasps
Ladybugs taken hostage by wasps
Nov 17, 2009 |
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Are ladybugs being overtaken by wasps? A Université de Montréal entomologist is investigating a type of wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) present in Quebec that forces ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) ...
Well-traveled wasps provide hope for vanishing species
Nov 09, 2009 |
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They may only be 1.5mm in size, but the tiny wasps that pollinate fig trees can travel over 160km in less than 48 hours, according to research from scientists at the University of Leeds. The fig wasps are transporting ...
Tiny UK parasitoid wasp discovered
Oct 20, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new species of parasitoid wasp that feeds on a common whitefly pest has been discovered in the UK by a Natural History Museum scientist.
Being a standout has its benefits, study shows
Oct 15, 2009 |
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Standing out in a crowd is better than blending in, at least if you're a paper wasp in a colony where fights between nest-mates determine social status.
Tiny but adaptable wasp brains show ability to alter their architecture
Oct 14, 2009 |
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For an animal that has a brain about the size of two grains of sand, a lot of plasticity seems to be packed into the head of the tropical paper wasp Polybia aequatorialis.
Homebound Termites Answer 150-Year-Old Evolution Question
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Staying at home may have given the very first termite youngsters the best opportunity to rule the colony when their parents were killed by their neighbors. This is according to new research ...
Ant has given up sex completely, researchers say
Aug 26, 2009 |
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The complete asexuality of a widespread fungus-gardening ant, the only ant species in the world known to have dispensed with males entirely, has been confirmed by a team of Texas and Brazilian researchers.
Aphids saved from gruesome death by virus-infected bacteria
Aug 20, 2009 |
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The term "beneficial virus" sounds like an oxymoron. But for pea aphids under attack by parasitic wasps, carrying infected bacteria is the difference between life and a slow death, according to new research. ...
New orchid deception found: wearing the scent of hornet's prey
Aug 06, 2009 |
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Orchids are famous for their deceptions. Most of those with nothing of value to offer their pollinators lure them instead with the scents of more rewarding flowers or potential mates. Now, a report published online on August ...
New life histories emerge for invasive wasps, magnify ecological harm
Jul 20, 2009 |
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A switch from annual to multiyear colonies and a willingness to feed just about any prey to their young have allowed invasive yellowjacket wasps to disrupt native populations of insects and spiders on two ...
Clownfish provide clues to animal conflicts
Jul 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Animal societies are hotbeds of conflict and cooperation, with creatures helping each other one moment and fighting the next. Biologist Andrew Zink has developed a new theoretical framework ...
Changes in brain architecture may be driven by different cognitive challenges
Jun 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists trying to understand how the brains of animals evolve have found that evolutionary changes in brain structure reflect the types of social interactions and environmental stimuli ...
When hosts go extinct, what happens to their parasites?
Jun 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Hands wring and teeth gnash over the loss of endangered species like the panda or the polar bear. But what happens to the parasites hosted by endangered species? And although most people would ...
Small investments to battle soybean pest paying off big, says MSU researcher
Mar 23, 2009 |
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The small amount of money put toward fighting the tiny, yet destructive soybean aphid will pay big dividends in the coming years, said a Michigan State University economist, thanks to a research and outreach ...
Find the aphid: Molted carapaces act as protective decoys for aphids
Biology /
Dec 19, 2008 |
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By leaving the remains of their old exoskeletons, called 'exuviae', in and around their colonies, aphids gain some measure of protection from parasites. Research published in the open access journal BMC Ev ...
