Dr. Gavin Broad is the principal curator in charge at London's Natural History Museum Insect Collections. One of his favorites among his collections are the wasps. As a matter of fact, he owns drawers after drawers of wasps which were gathered from all corners of the Earth.
Hate wasps?
Sure you do!
But do you know that wasps are the best way to get rid of cockroaches?
A wasp can help you rid off a cockroach in just 4 steps. First, the wasp will inject some powerful neurotoxins directly into the roach's brain. The neurotoxins will disable the cockroach from flying and it will follow the wasp's every whim.
Second, the wasp will slice off one of the roach's antennae and suck the goo that comes out. This serves as the snack of the wasp while working on the roach's helpless body.
Third, the wasp will lead off the cockroach to its lair by the stump. Like a dog on a leash, the wasp will pull the cockroach to where it will bury its victim.
Fourth, before the wasp will close up the tomb, it will lay an egg on the cockroach. The roach's corps will serve as a breeding ground and food supply for the wasp's progeny. The progeny will surely enjoy feeding on the brain-dead cockroach.
This is not the only amazing thing about wasps. They have a role in the ecosystem and not just to scare off or pester human beings.
According to Gavin, "every wasp is glorious." The ampulex compressa or the destroyer of cockroaches has an extraordinary iridescent exoskeleton which is why they are better known as the jewel wasp.
Rhyssa persuasoria or sabre wasp is a fascinating European wasp which is frequently found within the British forests. These European wasps have a splendid ovipositor, a multi-function "hypodermic needle" at the end of its abdomen. This wild wasp is known to hunt the larvae of sawflies hiding under the bark of trees. It uses its ovipositor to drill through the tree barks to sting the grub and lay an egg on them.
The megarhyssa is a bigger version of the rhyssa persuasoria which can be found everywhere in the world. Just like the rhyssa persuasoria, the megarhyssa has an ovipositor which is twice as long as that of the rhyssa persuasoria's ovipositor at 15 centimeters long.
Gavin added that the success of parasitoid wasps is to keep the meat of its prey fresh. Wasps do not kill its object of desire immediately, it merely immobilizes them with the use of venom.
This is probably the art and science of nature. It is how our ecosystem works. Each a
What is the smallest wasp?
The tinkerbella and kikiki are two of the smallest wasps in the world with about 0.2mm in length. These wasps need a microscope to see that they exist.
And what is the largest wasp?
One of the biggest wasps in existence is the pepsis. The pepsis is known as a tarantula hawk as its favorite prey is the tarantula. The wasp lands over the tarantula and stings to immobilize it. When the tarantula can no longer move, the wasp will position its egg on the spider. The organs of the spider will serve as food for the wasp's progeny.
For Gavin, wasps are amazing insects that deserve to be loved. He also concluded that he cries whenever he hears people say that they hate wasps. He also added, "why don't people already love wasps? They're the lions of the insect world."
To love or not to love wasps, that remains a question!
