Wasp sting: how it looks and how the insect bites, whether it leaves in the body, whether it dies after

Everyone knows that wasps, like bees, are stinging insects. For this, the body is equipped with a special apparatus, which is located at the end of the abdomen. The organ is intended to attack those whom the wasps consider dangerous, or to immobilize prey. Consider how the wasps use the sting, whether the insect remains in the body, the insect dies or not. How a sting works. What is the difference between a wasp sting and a bee sting.

Bite or sting?

Despite the fact that the word “bite” is more often used to denote such an action of a wasp, it is better to replace it with the word “sting”, since it is the sting that the insect uses for this. Strictly speaking, it does not bite because it has no teeth.

Specially wasps do not attack animals and humans, this is a defensive reaction when an insect believes that it is in danger. It can bite if you crush or disturb the individual, accidentally scaring it. If the wasps notice a person near the nest and consider that this is a danger, they can attack him with the whole family.

Does it sting

A wasp's stinger has no notches, like bees, it is completely smooth. After the insect has stung, it can pull it back without any consequences for itself. The wasp does not leave it in the tissues, it can be reused.

How a wasp sting works

Located at the end of the abdomen and looks like a thin, rather long pointed spike compared to the length of the body.This is an ovipositor, modified with the loss of the main function - to lay eggs, which working individuals do not possess. Smooth, appears transparent when magnified, though normally black or brown.

Used to pierce the victim's body and inject poison. The sting is connected to the glands that secrete a burning liquid, inside it has a cavity through which the poison enters the wound. For the insect itself, it performs two functions - it is used for defense and attack. In addition to wasps, there are other representatives of arthropods: bees, bumblebees, hornets and ants.

Only females have a sting, which make up the majority of family members. Males do not have such a device, but they have powerful jaws, which females also have. Predators inject poison into the prey insect, which paralyzes it, and takes it to the nest, where it serves as food for offspring. Adult individuals feed on nectar, therefore they do not sting animals on purpose, they do not consider them as potential food.

During the hunt, when you need to get a lot of insects for the larvae, they try to save poison, so they use their powerful jaws.

They can gnaw through the thick chitin of victims and kill them without the help of toxins, simply by cutting them in half.

How is it different from a bee sting

The wasp sting differs from the bee sting in its structure: the absence of notches on the sides. Despite the fact that it is thin, durable, as it consists of chitin. It can retract into the body cavity when the predator does not feel danger, although not all stinging species have this ability.

Wasps can extend their stingers with special muscle fibers. They can bite several times in one attack on a person. At one time, a small droplet enters the wound - only 0.3-0.4 mg of poison, in large species the amount of liquid can reach 0.7 mg. A bee can sting only once, and if there are no relatives nearby, you should no longer be afraid of a bite.

After a wasp sting, you do not need to remove the sting from the wound, because it is not there.

After a bee stings, the organ remains in the wound, and it is better to take it out immediately, because there is still poison left, which will slowly enter the tissues.

As for the pain of the bite and the severity of the manifestation of allergy symptoms, in general they are similar, but it is believed that the wasp bites more strongly. But it all depends on the sensations of a person, the characteristics of the organism and the type of insect.

Does the insect die?

For a wasp, the sting passes without consequences. The insect does not die and is not injured. This is understandable, because it uses the sting for its intended purpose - it provides food for the future generation.

Bee sting looks like a harpoon, the insect cannot pull it out safely. It gets stuck in the wound along with part of the internal organs. The bee dies because the injury leaves her no chance of survival.

How to pull out the sting if it still remains in the wound: carefully take it with tweezers and pull it towards you. It will be more difficult and not safe to pull it out without a tool: you can spread the poison over the skin, and the allergy will be even stronger.

The wasp's sting is an integral part of its body and plays an important role, allowing the insect to take care of food for offspring, its own protection and the protection of the nest. The purpose of the sting of wasps and bees is similar, as is the composition of the poison, but the structure has features that affect how the insect will use it.

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