The Ultimate Wasp Quiz

The modern wasp is much closer to its prehistoric ancestor, while the bee evolved from the wasp into a kinder, gentler creature.

The scenes in the movie Alien that depict life forms gestating, feeding, and eventually breaking out of host creatures were based on the fact that certain wasps lay their eggs inside of host insects whom they have paralyzed.

You think you know a wasp when you see one, but there are actually more than 20,000 species of this insect, some of which look quite weird.

The outer shell of a wasp, known as the exoskeleton, is made of a long-grain polymer called chitin, a glucose derivative.

Wasps are part of the insect family, which means that they have six legs.

The main body of a wasp's exoskeleton is known as the thorax, to which the legs and wings are all attached.

Only female wasps have a stinger. Male wasps are inactive, and many can't even fly.

The ovipositor, which eventually evolved into a stinger, was originally the part of a female wasp's anatomy used to lay eggs directly into other creatures. This is why only female wasps have them.

If you've been stung, you should leave the area immediately to avoid being stung again. Go wash the injured area, and then apply an ice-filled washcloth in 10-minute intervals. You can then determine whether you need to take further action.

While wasp venom does cause a lot of pain to large creatures, its primary purpose is reproductive. It is designed to paralyze insects, so that the wasp can lay her eggs inside the victim.

Wasps inject their venom directly into their victim's blood stream. This allows for efficient delivery of the poison, and it augments the poison's effects.

Norepinephrine, one of the active ingredients in wasp venom, causes a temporary loss of blood flow to the stung area, dramatically augmenting the pain of the sting.

The war on terror has enlisted wasps (and bees) to help detect explosives and chemical weapons.

Larvae of the black and yellow mud dauber feed on spiders. The mother will fill the larva's cylinder with as many as 40 spiders and then leave, never to return.

A single yellow jacket colony will have between 2,800 and 5,000 wasps. If you see one or two, there are likely thousands more in the vicinity.

The term velvet ant is a misnomer, as these hairy crawlers are actually a species of wasp. This particular species shed its wings in favor of ruling the Earth.

When a wasp is in danger it releases pheromones that other wasps smell and interpret as a warning. They will attack anything nearby that they feel qualifies as a threat.

If you want to rid your yard of wasp nests, do so in the winter when the nests are empty.

Perfume doesn't just smell good to humans, wasps love it as well. The sweet smell of alcohol and artificial fragrances will attract wasps from far and wide, so be careful.

Wasps are only interested in finding pollen or hunting insects. They will come after a person only when they feel threatened, so remain calm around wasps; they will likely fly away the moment they have determined you are neither an insect nor a flower.