Content
- Vespidae Subfamily
- the pot wasp
- the pollen wasp
- Tropical and subtropical wasps
- the wasps
- The genera Euparagiinae and Stenogastrinae
- The best known types of wasps
- hore wasp
- yellow wasp
The wasps, popular name of the wasps in Brazil, they are insects belonging to the Vespidae family and are part of one of the largest orders of insects, including ants, drones and bees, among others. Are eusocial animals, although there are also some species that prefer solitude.
One of the most distinctive features of the different types of wasp is the "waist", the region that divides the thorax from the abdomen. also can be distinguished by having a stinger which they can use in various situations and not just once, as it happens in the case of bees.
Wasps make their nests out of clay or plant fibers; these can be in the ground, in trees, as well as in the ceilings and walls of human dwellings; all of this depending on the type of wasp we're talking about. In this article by PeritoAnimal you will get to know the various types of hornets. Good reading.
Vespidae Subfamily
To better understand everything related to wasp types, we must detail that there are 6 subfamilies of wasps or vespidae, by scientific name, which are:
- Eumeninae - are the hornets known as pot wasps. With nearly 200 genera, it includes most wasp species.
- Euparagiinae - It is a subfamily with a single genus of wasps, those of the genus euparagia.
- Masarinae - Pollen wasps. With 2 genera, they feed on pollen and nectar instead of prey.
- Polystinae - They are tropical and subtropical wasps that have 5 genera. They are animals that live in colonies.
- Stenogastrinae - Subfamily that has a total of 8 genera, characterized by folding its wings on its back like bees.
- Vespinae - Wasps eusocial or living in colonies and which has 4 genera. Socialization is more developed than in the Polistinae.
As you can see the types of wasps (or hornets) in the family Vespidae it is extensive and varied, with species that live in colonies or solitary; carnivorous species and others that live by eating pollen and nectar. There are even differences within the same subfamily, as with the Vespinae.
In this other article you will see how to scare away bees and wasps.
the pot wasp
The wasps of the subfamily Eumeninae or Eumeninos, are known because some of the species within this subfamily they build their nests using clay in the shape of a pot or pot. A pot wasp specimen is the Zeta argillaceum, who also use holes in the ground, wood or abandoned nests. Within this subfamily there are almost 200 distinct genera of wasps, most of them are solitary and some have primitive social characteristics.
This type of wasp can be dark, black or brown and with patterns that contrast the background color, such as yellow or orange. They are animals that can fold their wings lengthwise, like most wasps. They feed on caterpillars or beetle larvae. They also consume nectar which gives them energy to fly.
the pollen wasp
Among the different types of wasps, those of the subfamily Masarinae or masarinos are insects that feed exclusively on pollen and nectar from flowers. This behavior is more similar to that of bees since in most wasps the carnivorous behavior is a common denominator. In this subfamily are the genera Gayellini and Masarini.
Like the pot wasp, these werep types are dark in color with contrasting light tones that can be red, white, yellow and more. They have apple-shaped antennae and live in clay nests or burrows made on the ground. They can be found in South Africa, North America and South America in desert regions.
Tropical and subtropical wasps
polystine or wasps Polystinae are a subfamily of vespids, where we can find a total of 5 distinct genera. are the genres Polystes, Mischocyttauros, Polybia, Brachygastra and Ropalidia. They are wasps that live in tropical and subtropical climates, in addition to being eusocial.
They have a narrow abdomen, with curved antennae in the case of males. Queen females are similar to workers, something rare since in general the queen of a colony is much larger. the genres Polybia and Brachygastra have the peculiarity of producing honey.
the wasps
These hornets, also known as wasps Vespinae, are a subfamily that has 4 genera, we talk about Dolichovespula, Provespa, Vespa and Vespula. Some of these species live in colonies, others are parasitic and lay their eggs in nests of other insects.
are wasps that have the most developed sense of socialization that the Polystinae. The nests are of a kind of paper, formed from chewed wood fiber, and they nest in trees and underground. We can find them on every continent in the world, with the exception of Antarctica. They feed on insects and, in some cases, meat of dead animals.
Some species invade the nests of other species, kill the queen of the colony and force worker wasps to take care of the invading chicks. They can invade nests of the same species or nests of species to which they are related. In the genre Wasp there are wasps that are colloquially called hornets, because they are more robust than traditional wasps.
The genera Euparagiinae and Stenogastrinae
In the case of the subfamily Euparagiinae of wasps there is a single genus, we refer to the genus euparagia. They are characterized by having veins in the wings, having a characteristic patch on the mesothorax and forelegs with unique shapes. They live in desert regions in the United States and Mexico.
the subfamily Stenogastrinae, in turn, it has a total of 8 genres, where we find the genres Anischnogaster, Cochlischnogaster, Eustenogaster, Liostenogaster, Metischnogaster, Parischnogaster, Stenogaster and Parischnogaster. They are types of wasps characterized by folding their wings behind their backs and not being able to do this lengthwise as in the rest of the family.
In this subfamily there are species that live in colonies and species that live alone, are found in tropical regions of Asia, Indochina, India and Indonesia.
And since we are talking about insects, you may be interested in this other article about the most poisonous insects in Brazil.
The best known types of wasps
Among the best known wasps in Brazil, we can mention the horse wasp, also called the hunting wasp, and the yellow wasp. Let's describe a little more of each of these wasp types below:
hore wasp
The hornet wasp or wasp was given different names, and may be known, according to the region of Brazil, still as dog-horse, hunting wasp and spider-hunter. The animals so called are part of the Pompilidae family, especially insects of the genus pepsis.
The horse wasp has two characteristics that make it very feared: it is considered by many the insect with the most painful bite in the world. The other is that it hunts spiders so that they become hosts and, later, a meal for their larvae.
This type of wasp is, on average, 5 centimeters, but some individuals can reach 11 centimeters.
yellow wasp
Like most hornets, the yellow wasp is another dangerous insect due to its sting. In addition to a lot of pain, it can cause allergic reactions and inflammation.
The yellow wasp (Germanic Vespula) mainly inhabits the Northern hemisphere of the world, being present in Europe, Southwest Asia and North Africa.
Its abdomen is composed of yellow and black layers and its antennae are completely black. The nests are usually made of cellulose and they look like paper balls on the ground, but they can also be built on the ceiling or inside cavity walls. This type of wasp is very aggressive, so it is important to avoid approaching both the animal and its nest.
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