A wasp stinger is a specialized appendage found in female wasps. Understanding its structure and function provides insight into the wasp’s defensive capabilities.
The Wasp Stinger: Size and Structure
The wasp stinger is a compact structure, typically measuring 2.5 to 2.67 millimeters long, with about 1.5 millimeters designed for penetration. This size is roughly comparable to twice the width of a grain of sand. The stinger itself is a modified ovipositor, an organ originally used for egg-laying, which explains why only female wasps possess the ability to sting.
The stinger’s design includes three main components: a central stylet and two paired lancets. These lancets are equipped with minute barbs and slide along rails on the stylet. This arrangement forms a hollow channel through which venom travels. A venom sac, located within the wasp’s abdomen, stores the potent liquid injected during a sting.
How a Wasp Stings
When a wasp stings, it rapidly inserts its stinger into the target’s skin. The paired lancets, which are part of the stinger, move back and forth to facilitate penetration. Muscles surrounding the venom sac then contract, actively pumping venom through the stinger’s hollow channel into the victim.
A notable characteristic of wasp stingers is their reusability. Unlike other stinging insects, wasps have a smooth or minimally barbed stinger. This allows them to easily withdraw it after injecting venom, enabling multiple stings without self-harm.
Wasps can also regulate the amount of venom released with each sting, adapting to the perceived threat.
Wasp vs. Bee Stingers: Key Differences
A key distinction between wasp and bee stingers lies in their physical structure.
Honeybee stingers are barbed, featuring backward-facing hooks along their shaft. When a honeybee stings, these barbs firmly anchor the stinger in the skin.
This barbed design means that when a honeybee pulls away, its stinger, digestive tract, and venom sac are torn from its body, resulting in the bee’s death.
In contrast, a wasp’s stinger is smooth or has minimal barbs. This allows wasps to sting repeatedly without fatal injury, as their stinger does not become lodged in the skin.
While a honeybee delivers a single, larger venom dose (around 50 micrograms), wasps inject smaller amounts (2-15 micrograms) multiple times.