21 March 2020 | New Scientist | 43that causes Chagas’ disease. Further wasp
venom constituents are being explored as
treatments for neurological conditions,
allergies and cardiovascular disease.
As if all this weren’t enough, wasps can play
a role in conservation too. They are affected by
climate change, intensive agricultural practices
and the same pesticides that are implicated in a
widespread decline in insect numbers. All this
makes them good indicators of environmental
stress, if we can track their fate. In 2017, the
Big Wasp Survey was launched in the UK to do
just that. It is a citizen science project that aims
to map the diversity and location of wasps by
sampling specimens using traps in gardens all
over the country and comparing year-on-year
numbers of species and individuals.
Our ignorance about wasps is still vast but,
by looking beyond our prejudices, we can see
their potential to tackle some of the biggest
problems we face. A wider understanding of
their diversity (see “What is a wasp?”, far left),
life histories, ecologies and behaviours is long
overdue. It is time we stopped demonising
wasps and learned to love them. ❚no exception, if bee venom is anything to
go by. There is a long tradition of beekeepers
accidentally (and deliberately) courting
bee stings to get relief from the pain of
rheumatoid arthritis. Tests in animals
confirm that administering bee venom
reduces the severity of arthritis. This may
work by stimulating the immune system
or increasing the release of corticosteroids,
which quell inflammation.Therapeutic venom
Being more varied than bee venom, wasp
stings may prove even more useful as a source
of medicines. Several active ingredients
already show promise. An extract of the
venom of the large, black Brazilian wasp,
Polybia paulista, for example, disrupts
and kills cancer cells (in mice, at least) by
attaching to particular lipid molecules in their
membranes. This extract is one of a class of
wasp venom components called mastoparans.
Even more promising is another type of
mastoparan. It latches on to specific lipids too,
so could be used to rupture cell membranes
in targeted body tissues, either to destroy
cells or to create portals for pharmaceuticals
to get into them. It also shows encouraging
antibacterial and antiviral qualities, and
inhibits the development of the parasiteRichard Jones is a London-
based entomologist and
writer. His book, Wasp, is
published by Reaktion BooksSU
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buzzard, among other animals. Subterranean
nests are their preferred targets and, to
protect themselves while digging out wasp
grubs, honey badgers have dense shaving-
brush bristles on their snouts while honey
buzzards have small, dense guard feathers
around their faces. As the defences of predators
have evolved, so too has the potency of wasp
venom to keep them at bay.
Partly as a result of this evolutionary
arms race, a wasp sting is a potent weapon.
On average, a sting delivers 15 microlitres
of venom – a complex cocktail of bioactive
molecules that varies from species to species.
It includes histamines to increase blood flow,
proteases and lipases to rupture flesh and
blood cells, and neurotransmitters to confuse
and overstimulate nerves. Humans may not
be the intended target, but a single wasp sting
can raise a welt the size of half a ping-pong
ball. Multiple stings can cause redness,
nausea, vomiting, wheezing and confusion.
If you receive over 100 of them, you should
seek emergency medical help: there is no
antivenom, but dialysis can remove the
toxins from the blood before significant organ
damage occurs. The average adult would be
lucky to survive 1000 or more wasp stings.
Paradoxically, however, venoms often have
medical applications. Although little research
has been done on wasp venom, it is likely to be“ Some orchids
would become
extinct without
their tipsy wasp
pollinators”
Some wasps, like
Cosmosoma myrodora
(left), pollinate flowers.
Others might help treat
diseases, including
Polybia paulista
(above), whose venom
can kill cancerous cells