Wasps are a common sight in California, and while most of them are harmless, some can deliver a painful sting. The Schmidt Pain Index ranks stinging pain on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the most painful.
In this article, we will discuss the types of wasps in California ranked by the pain of their sting, based on the Schmidt Pain Index. The ranking will help you identify the most painful wasps in California and take necessary precautions to avoid getting stung.
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5 Types Of Wasps In California Ranked By The Pain Of Their Sting
European Hornet /Bald-faced Hornet
European hornets, also known as Vespa crabro L., are the largest and only true hornet commonly found in the United States. They were first reported in North America in the 1840s in New York and have since spread to most of the eastern United States, reaching as far west as Louisiana and the Dakotas.
European hornets belong to a family of wasps called the Vespids, which encompass all of the yellowjackets, including the bald-faced hornets. European hornets build paper nests like other yellowjackets and hornets, but unlike bald-faced hornets, which build the large, exposed nests, European hornets rarely build nests that are free-hanging or in unprotected areas.
The nests are typically built in hollow trees, but they are often found in barns, sheds, attics, and wall voids of houses. The workers can be up to an inch long, while queens are slightly larger and can reach 1.3 inches.
The head of European hornets is reddish-brown, becoming yellowish near the face, and the thorax is red and brown, while the abdomen is brown anteriorly and mostly yellow posteriorly with brown tear-drops.
Western Yellowjackets (Vespula Pensylvanica)
Vespula pensylvanica, commonly known as the western yellowjacket, is a species of wasp in the genus Vespula. It is native to regions of North America, largely in areas with northern temperate climates.
The western yellowjacket shares the basic yellow and black pattern with other species of social wasps in the genus Vespula, making it often misidentified. However, it can usually be differentiated by the continuous yellow ring present around each eye, often referred to as an eye-loop.
The western yellowjacket is yellow and black with no hairs, and its abdomen is blunt. It is very common in most residential and forested areas of the state, excepting the eastern plains.
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The species is a serious nuisance and stinging pest, and its population can explode in the absence of cold weather.
Paper wasps
Paper wasps are a group of several species of vespid wasps that gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems, which they mix with saliva, and use to construct nests made of gray or brown papery material.
The name “paper wasps” typically refers to members of the vespid subfamily Polistinae, though it often colloquially includes members of the subfamilies Vespinae (hornets and yellowjackets) and Stenogastrinae, which also make nests out of paper.
There are approximately 300 species of paper wasps worldwide, and 22 species of Polistes paper wasps have been identified in North America. The nests of most true paper wasps are characterized by having open combs with cells for brood rearing, and a ‘petiole’, or constricted stalk, that attaches the nest to a branch or other structure.
Unlike yellowjackets and hornets, which can be very aggressive, polistine paper wasps will generally only attack if they themselves or their nest are threatened.
However, their territoriality can lead to attacks on people, and their stings are quite painful and can produce a potentially fatal anaphylactic reaction in some individuals.
Paper wasps are beneficial in their natural habitat and are critically important in controlling pest insect populations.
Honey bees
Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are eusocial flying insects within the genus Apis of the bee clade, all native to mainland Afro-Eurasia. They are known for their construction of perennial colonial nests from wax, the large size of their colonies, and surplus production and storage of honey, distinguishing their hives as a prized foraging target of many animals, including honey badgers, bears, and human hunter-gatherers.
Honeybees are important pollinators for flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and they live on stored honey and pollen all winter and cluster into a ball to conserve warmth.
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All honeybees are social and cooperative insects, and a hive’s inhabitants are generally divided into three types: workers, queens, and drones. Workers forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean, circulate air by beating their wings, and perform many other societal functions.
The queen’s job is to lay the eggs that will spawn the hive’s next generation of bees, and there is usually only a single queen in a hive. Male bees are called drones, and several hundred drones live in each hive during the spring and summer, but they are expelled for the winter months when the hive goes into a lean survival mode.
Honeybees are disappearing from hives due to colony collapse disorder, and scientists are not sure what is causing this collapse.
Mud daubers
Mud daubers, also known as mud wasps or dirt daubers, are a group of wasps that belong to either the family Sphecidae or Crabronidae. They are called mud daubers because the female wasps build their nests from mud, which they mold into place using their mandibles. Mud daubers are not normally aggressive, but they can become belligerent when threatened, and their stings are uncommon but painful.
Here are some key facts about mud daubers:
– Mud daubers are solitary insects, meaning each nest only has one wasp that is responsible for all the necessary tasks.
– The nests are constructed from mud by a single mated female, and they can vary in shape, from pipe-shaped to globular.
– Mud daubers are about ¾ to 1 inch in length and can vary in coloration between species: many are entirely black, but others can be black with yellow markings or even be an iridescent blue-black color.
– Mud daubers have a long, narrow “waist” (also called a petiole) that connects the thorax to the abdomen, which is a major identifying feature.
– Mud daubers are beneficial in their natural habitat and are critically important in controlling pest insect populations.
Mud daubers are found throughout the United States and are often seen in barns, garages, and the eaves of houses. They construct their nests out of mud, which they gather from puddles, and they place paralyzed spiders in the nest cells as provisions for their young.
FAQS
1. What is the Schmidt Pain Index?
The Schmidt Pain Index is a scale that ranks stinging pain on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the most painful. It was created by Justin Schmidt, a biologist who willingly offered his arm to different stinging insects of the order Hymenoptera to create the index featured in his 2016 book The Sting of the Wild.
2. What are the most painful wasps in California?
According to the Schmidt Pain Index, the European hornet/bald-faced hornet is the most painful wasp in California, followed by western yellowjackets, paper wasps, honey bees, and mud daubers.
3. Are all wasps aggressive?
No, not all wasps are aggressive. Some species, like mud daubers and paper wasps, are not normally aggressive and will only attack if they or their nest are threatened. However, other species, like yellowjackets and hornets, can be very aggressive and will attack unprovoked.
4. What should I do if I get stung by a wasp?
If you get stung by a wasp, remove the stinger if it is still in your skin, wash the area with soap and water, and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling and pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers and antihistamines can also help alleviate symptoms. Seek medical attention if you experience symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing or swelling of the face and throat.
5. Are wasps beneficial?
Yes, wasps are beneficial in their natural habitat and are critically important in controlling pest insect populations. For example, mud daubers and paper wasps prey on spiders, while honey bees are important pollinators for flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
Source: https://petstutorial.com
Category: Animals
