Wasp (Insect)

''This article is about the insect. For the article about the group of people, see W.A.S.P.''



A wasp is a type of insect closely related to a bee (although it is neither a bee nor an ant). Most of the tens of thousands of wasp species sting, and some people are unfortunately severely allergic. While some wasp stings aren't that painful (such as that of a yellow jacket) some are extremely painful (such as that of a tarantula hawk). The sting of a Japanese Giant Hornet (pictured above to the left) is moderate (probably about a 3.0 out of 4.0 on the Schmidt Scale) in terms of pain, but the venom is so lethal, that 42 people were killed by their stings in China in 2013 alone (link). Most sting last between 10 and 30 minutes, but some are longer and some shorter. For instance, the sting of a Tarantula Hawk, while the second-most painful sting in the insect kingdom, only lasts 3-5 minutes. Some wasps, such as the Wood Wasp pictured above to the right, do not sting.