Unprovoked wasp attacks are very rare, a wasp will normally only use its sting to defend itself or to subdue prey. Many wasps stings are the result of people squashing wasps, either deliberately or by accident. Wasps are attracted to food (especially fish sandwiches) and sweet drinks. People have been stung while they are eating because they have not seen the wasp that is also sharing the food.

Yes — the venom sac at the end of a wasp sting keeps pulsing for a short period after a wasp dies, so if you come in contact with the sting you may still be injected with venom.

Yes. Epenephrine or adrenaline is usually effective at suppressing the allergic reaction immediately, although severe reactions may require a second dose. Later in the process, you may need an antihistamine like Benadryl (the over-the-counter preparation may not be strong enough). Your medical professional can help you in evaluating your need for this and obtaining it.

There are numerous types of insects that can sting you if provoked. Paper wasps, mud daubers, hornets or honey bees. All of these insects might sting you if you disturb their nest, or if they feel that you are a threat. Some are more aggressive than others, and will take less provocation.

There are thousands of species of Vespoid (true) wasps, the actual number is not known. We do know that there is about 800 species of social wasps.

average common or German wasp nest produces between 11 000 and 13 000 workers and from 1000 to 2000 queens a season. Paper wasp nests, which are much smaller than common or German wasp nests, contain up to 200 wasps.

Wasps eat a wide range of invertebrates including spiders, caterpillars, ants, bees, and flies. It has also been suggested that wasps may prey on nestling birds. Wasps also collect honeydew. Honeydew is produced by a native scale insect. The insect inserts its mouth-parts into the trunk of the beech tree to siphon the sap. The excess sap, modified by the scale insect, forms a sugary droplet at the end of a waxy anal filament.

Chitin. Wings are platelike extensions of the integument (outer skeleton), strengthened by a framework of hollow chitinous tubes known as veins.

Virtually any contact between two wasps can be considered a form of communication. Visual and audible signs are used to attract the opposite sex for mating, and size and posture displays are used in courtship or aggression. Exchanges of food and chemical stimuli (pheromones) among the members of a colony are also very important in maintaining the social hierarchy and tasking of the colony members.

A lot of the pain and the skin damage of a paddling (or strapping, etc.) can come from the edges of the paddle, and holes add a lot more edges. I have a paddle with a bunch of small, 0.25" diameter holes that don't even go all the way through the wood. That thing hurts, and it can leave blisters. It even drew blood once. I don't like to use it on bare skin any more, though it's fun through blue jeans.

Queens wasps are bigger because they have to produce and store large quantities of eggs. Being bigger also means that they can store more fat, which is essential if they are to survive winter hibernation — by the time queens leave the colony, fat reserves account for nearly 40% o their total dried weight. The differences in size result primarily from variations in quantity and quality of food received during the larval stage — queens receive almost twice as much food as workers.

Wasps and bees both belong to the order "Hymenoptera" and have many features in common. The most obvious differences are:

Bright colours are a sign of danger. Many species that are venomous, like snakes, spiders and wasps, are brightly coloured, and this colouring warns potential predators that they are dangerous. A predator, that attacks a wasp and is stung will link pain associated with a sting with the yellow/ black colouration and avoid animals with this colouration in future. Different colours are produced by the differential absorption and reflection of light.

In social wasps, workers (sterile females) have an average lifespan of 12-22 days, drones (fertile males) have a slightly longer lifespan than workers, and queens (fertile females) have an average lifespan of 12 months. Check our The Life History of Social Wasps page for more details.

German and common queen wasps usually choose a warm spot, often in a bank with a sunny aspect, but also in attics, house roofs, eaves, or walls in which to build their nests. Paper wasp queens build nests that hang from small shrubs and trees, stalks of vegetation, fences and walls, and often under the eaves of houses.

Yes. In the countries where wasps originate, a wide range of natural predators have been recorded including invertebrates (dragonflies, robber flies, hornets, centipedes, and spiders), birds (at least 24 species are known to eat wasps, including blackbirds, magpies, starlings) and mammals. In Britain, badgers are the chief predator: they destroy entire colonies to obtain the brood-filled comb. Stoats, weasels and mice also disrupt colonies in the early stages.

For wasps on private land, you will need to contact a pest control company. If you chose to use Pestkil, a council contractor on (02) 6051 3555, the quoted price is $55. If bees or wasps are on council property we will organise to have them removed. Please call customer service staff on (02) 6022 9300 to advise where they are.

No, although large dragonflies if held in the hand will sometimes try to bite, but fail to break the skin. They have a lot of "folk names" which imply that they do (such as Horse stinger), but they don't use their egg-laying tube (ovipositor) for stinging. They also don't bite (people) but they are a fearsome predator of other flying insects.

There were two Sting wind controllers produced for a short time in the late 1980's but both are no longer in production and they were rarely seen. Sting EW1 synthesized, electronic wind instrument fingers basically the same as a saxophone or recorder but can be customized with up to 2000 different fingerings available. Nickel plated instrument appears very much like a clarinet with standard woodwind mouthpiece.

It is your new Student ID card that will serve as your library card and provide electronic access to your available money or funds at your Wells Fargo College Checking account. This will include electronic disbursements of your financial aid.