Black wasp: habitat, harm and benefit, are black wasps dangerous for humans

Black wasps belong to the pompilidae family. Ground or road insects are medium to large in size, 1.5-5 cm in length. They feed on spiders and bedbugs. An insect bite is dangerous for humans, as an allergic reaction to the poison can be fatal.

The sting of such a wasp is very powerful, capable of easily piercing a thick shell , so no clothing will save the victim from attack. At the same time, in garden plots, stalked bellies destroy spiders and flies, pollinate flowers and plants, which helps people.

Black wasps rarely attack without reason, so if you follow safety precautions, you can avoid meeting this insidious enemy.

What does it look like

The black wasp is slightly larger in size than its usual yellow relatives and reaches 1.5-5 cm in length. They have a dark head and chest, the abdomen can be covered with spots or stripes of yellow, white, purple, which depends on the type of pompilid.

The wings are smoky and when folded are located parallel to the body. The legs of earth wasps are thin and long, equipped with ridges for digging. The head has eyes and antennae. The body is covered with thin short hairs.

Pompylids have a very powerful sting that easily penetrates the shell of insects or larvae. Black individuals move feverishly, performing zigzags; they constantly flap their wings. Such dashes are periodically replaced by short flights. Wasps feed on nectar, while the larvae are fed on the prepared body of a spider or other insect.

Description of appearance

Black wasp is medium or large in size – 15-50 mm. Dark head, chest, abdomen with stripes and spots of yellow, white, red, purple. The wings are dull, smoky, folded parallel to the body.

The legs are long, thin, and have digging ridges on the front legs. Hind tibia with spines and tubercles. On the small head, eyes and small antennae are clearly visible. Pompilids have a powerful sting, with which they calmly pierce the shell of large insects and their larvae. A photo of a black wasp is presented below. The color varies depending on the species.

Red-bellied road wasp (Anoplius viaticus)

Distributed in central Eurasia. The length of the body of this wasp is from 6 to 15 mm. The chest of the red-bellied black wasp is black in color, its base is covered with felt formed by light short hair. The abdomen is red on the front side, with black stripes. The female of this wasp species preys on the wolf spider . Before hunting, she digs a nest, into which she then drags the paralyzed victim and lays an egg on it.

Crossbill wasp (Batozonellus lacerticida)

The black wasp is large in size, with an average length of 10–21 mm. The body is covered with yellowish spots, the limbs are predominantly yellow-orange, the wings are dark with yellowishness, framed at the edges by a dark border. These wasps hunt, as you might guess from the name, cross spiders. The nests into which they drag the prey are made in the sand. This individual is distributed throughout almost the entire territory of extratropical Eurasia to Japan to the east and in North Africa.

Dipogon hircanum

This wasp is 0.5-1 cm long and has a completely black color. The front wings have a dark spot in the upper corner. The object of hunting for females of this species of wasps are side-walking spiders that live in trees. They create nests in the inner part of shoots or stems. They live everywhere in extratropical Eurasia, east to Japan and Kamchatka.

Habitats

Black wasps can live almost anywhere except in extremely harsh climates. Since insects live in the ground, it is important for them to find loose soil suitable for digging, but at the same time, the soil should not crumble, otherwise the home will be unstable. Wasps usually settle in a mixture of clay, sand and limestone; it is this composition that provides all the needs of insects.

In Russia, the earthen species can be found in fields, forests, near roads, in gardens, vegetable gardens, and summer cottages.

Black insects often settle near residential buildings. In the homestead, wasps destroy flies and spiders and pollinate plants, thereby providing significant assistance to humans.

Cryptochilus ringed lives in Central Asia, Crimea, and Transcaucasia. Loves rocky areas. These wasps are distinguished by orange wings and yellow stripes on the abdomen.
The tarantula hawk inhabits South America. This is a very large wasp, 5 cm long, and the sting reaches 7 mm. The larvae of such pompilids mature longer than those of other earth wasps and feed on the body of a poisonous tarantula.
The red-bellied road wasp is found in central Eurasia. Its abdomen is covered with red spots, which is where this species gets its name. The larvae are fed by the wolf spider.

Hover flies

Hoverflies, also known as syrphids, are a large family with about 6,000 species. Some of them look more like bees, others like wasps, and others like bumblebees. They live everywhere, with the exception of Antarctica, desert areas and tundra. They got their name because of the characteristic sound made by their wings.

Interesting! Syrphidologists study hoverflies. They even hold special symposiums dedicated to fly research.

A striped insect, similar to a wasp, absolutely harmless to humans. It can often be found in plantings of dill, carrots, parsley, and flowering plants in the garden. Adult hoverflies feed exclusively on flower nectar and pollen and occupy an honorable place among pollinating insects

What do hoverfly larvae eat?

Syrphid larvae look like small leeches. They are distinguished by a wrinkled body of yellow or greenish color. They have no legs and are not particularly mobile. They feed on aphids, insect eggs, and spider mites, which bring considerable benefits to agricultural land. A caring mother syrphid lays eggs directly in the aphid habitat.

The development period of the hoverfly larva lasts 15-20 days. Young individuals are very voracious and by the end of growing up they eat up to 200 aphids, and in general they destroy about 2000 small insects during their lives.

However, not all hoverfly larvae prefer to see garden pests on their menu. The food preferences of all species are very diverse. Some of them are purely vegetarians and eat only plant tissue. The most exotic representatives process manure or wood.

Lifestyle

In spring, black wasps collect nectar and spend the night in tree hollows, flowers, plants, and grass. In May-June, they begin to dig burrows to create offspring, which only the queen can produce. In each colony there is only one queen and all the other wasps carefully protect her.

The depth of the tunnel can be 3 cm. At the end of the hole there is a cell for the larva. To prevent anyone from getting inside the tunnel during the absence of the black wasp, it is blocked with a pebble or an earthen breast.

While hunting, the queen looks for a spider and paralyzes it with her poison. She cannot fly with a heavy load, so she drags her prey along the ground. Having placed the spider in the prepared cell, the queen lays an egg on top of the body, which after a few hours transforms into a larva.

Over the course of 2 weeks, the new individual goes through a full stage of development. During this period, the larva feeds exclusively on the prepared body of the spider, eating it gradually. First it consumes the reproductive and excretory systems, then moves on to other organs, leaving the nervous and respiratory systems at last. This is necessary so that the spider remains alive until the larva fully matures.

At the end of the cycle, a cocoon is obtained, and after a few more days the black wasp imago hatches , which prefers nectar. If the larva was laid at the end of summer, then without having time to go through the entire cycle, it can remain over the winter in the hole in the form of a pupa, so that when spring arrives, it can hatch into the world.

For each larva the queen forms a separate burrow. Blacks generally do not produce large nests. But wasps do not fly alone; if this happens, then solitary black predators are called universal. Such individuals feed on bedbugs and poisonous spiders. They are very strong and resilient.

Features of existence

Road wasps (there is a photo in the article) reach 40 mm in size, move quickly, and constantly flutter their transparent wings.

In search of food they fly very close to the surface of the earth. They do not live in families; they prefer a solitary existence. Caring for the offspring consists of preparing a sufficient supply of food for future larvae. On the eve of laying eggs, females go out to hunt for prey, which for the most part are spiders. Then the victim, paralyzed by the sting, is dragged into a previously dug hole in order to lay eggs on it. Sometimes road wasps take over other people's burrows with already prepared prey, for which they are called kleptoparasites.

In addition to burrows dug in the soil, some females use tree trunks and strong plant shoots to lay eggs; they can sculpt clay nests themselves on stones, branches, and lower leaf plates.

The danger of the black wasp

The black wasp is beneficial in the garden, but can harm a person if it bites him. Usually the bites are not fatal and the swelling subsides after 3-4 days, but if there is individual intolerance, this greatly complicates the situation. In this case, a person may die if he is not provided with medical assistance in time.

The pain of a pompilid bite is equivalent to the bite of a red ant.

Immediately after an insect attack, it is necessary:

Disinfect the wound with peroxide and manganese.
Apply cold to stop the penetration of toxins.
Take an antihistamine to relieve swelling and redness.
Drink tea, water, Regidron solution. A large amount of liquid will speed up the elimination of toxins.

Typically, an insect bite causes redness and burning at the site of penetration. Pain and swelling may vary in intensity depending on the individual characteristics of the victim’s body.

You should be wary if, after a bite, the swelling extends beyond the penetration zone, body temperature rises, shortness of breath appears, difficulty breathing, and blood pressure drops. All these symptoms indicate intolerance to poison.

In this case, you need to take an antihistamine and call an ambulance. It is especially dangerous if a wasp has bitten a child or a pregnant woman. In this case, anaphylactic shock can be fatal.

No less dangerous is a bite to the mouth, tongue, face, or neck. Severe swelling provokes suffocation, which also requires medical intervention.

How dangerous is an insect and its poison?

The bright yellow color is a warning. It gives predators the information that this order of insects is poisonous and can pose a serious threat to the attacker.

The venom of one wasp does not paralyze an adult, but can cause an allergic reaction. It is indicated by the following symptoms, which appear within an hour after the poison enters the body:

severe itching;
skin rash;
burning at the site of the bite.

So, doctors identify four possible outcomes after a bite:

A common local or non-allergic reaction. Symptoms pass quickly: from a couple of hours to one day. Least painful.
Severe local allergic reaction. Swelling with a radius of five centimeters lasts for 24 hours or more. Usual symptoms are accompanied by inflammation of the lymph nodes, a sharp increase in temperature, and headache.
General allergic reaction. In addition to the usual feeling of malaise, severe swelling, nausea, diarrhea, and shortness of breath are added. Possible abdominal pain, panic attacks and bluish discoloration of the bite site, or cyanosis.
General toxic or non-immunological reaction. The formation of blood clots in the vessels, sudden destruction of muscle tissue, hemolysis or disruption of the myocardium, the main muscular part of the heart, are observed.

In rare cases, a bite can cause anaphylactic shock, accompanied by a sharp decrease in blood pressure. It is especially dangerous for children, the elderly and pregnant women and can even be fatal.

How to get rid

A wasp sting is most dangerous for children and people with individual intolerance. If the insect nest is located close to your home, then it is better to get rid of it. This can be done both with the help of chemicals and using a mechanical method of control.

Chemical control

Most often, chemicals can be found in aerosol form. The concentrated insecticide does not poison the ground and is practically safe for people.

Most Popular:

Moskitol. It is necessary to spray strictly in an open space. If you need to spray the hole, then reduce the dose by 2-3 times.
Gett. A powerful, odorless drug. It has a long-lasting effect, as it remains active for 5-6 months after spraying.

Karbofos and Troapsil are no less popular.

Physical methods

The nest should be removed from the property wearing a protective suit or after pre-treating the area with chemicals. If the nest is located in the ground, then you can dig up the area and pour boiling water over it.

When it is necessary to lure out adults, sweet traps are used. They are made from a plastic bottle and compote or fruit juice. The bottle is cut in half and the upper part is placed neck down into the lower part, where the sweet liquid is poured.

Rules for first aid for a bite

Timely assistance is divided into the following stages:

Disinfecting hands with soap.
Rinse the wound itself under slightly cold water to prevent dirt from getting inside.
Disinfecting the bite site, for example, with hydrogen peroxide.
Apply a compress in the form of a piece of cloth soaked in slightly cold water.
Taking any antihistamine: Supradin, Zodak, Erius, taking into account contraindications and dosages specified in the instructions.

In addition to special medicinal products, lotions made from tea, onion or plantain are very effective for relieving swelling.

Interesting! Contrary to popular belief, unlike a bee, a wasp does not leave a sting after stinging.

If several wasps attack at once, or if, after being bitten by one individual, the symptoms do not go away or intensify within several days, you should immediately consult a doctor. Even after apparent complete recovery, a visit to a local clinic is recommended.

Preventive actions

Black wasps have a sweet tooth. They love floral aromas and fruits. To prevent them from approaching your home, you should not plant flower beds under the windows of the house. It is also unacceptable to throw away spoiled fruit to rot in the garden.

When harvesting, you should carefully inspect each fruit so as not to bring insects into the house . To prevent bites, women are not recommended to use bright perfumes that can attract wasps during the summer months.

Black wasps rarely attack without reason, usually it becomes their self-defense when a person threatens their life. On the contrary, they help people fight pests in the form of spiders, bedbugs, and flies.

Therefore, there is no need to get rid of them except in cases of individual intolerance to poison. In this situation, in order for the earthen insect to stay away from the home, the number of flower plantings near the house should be limited and the missing products should not be stored for rotting.

Pompilid species

Road or ground wasps live all over the globe, differ in size and color, but lead an identical lifestyle.

Pompilid species

Dipogon is average. Latin name Dipogon hircanum. Completely black. Body size is about 1 cm. Wings with small dark spots. They hunt sidewalk spiders. They live in trees, building burrows inside branches, shoots, and hollows. They are representatives of the fauna of Japan, Eurasia, and Kamchatka.
Crucifix wasp. In Latin Batozonellus lacerticida. A large black wasp with yellow stripes on its belly and orange wings. The limbs are black and red. Body size up to 21 mm. Cross spiders become victims. Nests are formed in the soil. They live in Eurasia, Japan, and North America.
Red-bellied wasp (Anoplius viaticus). The insect reaches a size of 15 mm. The body is black, the abdomen is red. Hunts a wolf spider. Builds nests in the ground. The species is distributed in Eurasia.
Black and white wasp. In Latin it is called Monobia quadridens. The body is black with white stripes and spots. The size of females is about 18 mm. The white wasp builds nests in various cavities and abandoned hives of tree bees. The victims are butterfly larvae.

Insects benefit agriculture by destroying a huge number of pests. However, an accidental collision between a person and a predator can result in a bite.

Bee

Insects similar to wasps are bees. They are extremely often confused with each other. A bee and a wasp have some similarities in their lifestyle, they even sting just as painfully. The bee has a round shape, the head and chest are gray-black with thick, long yellow hairs. Massive paws, long whiskers are clearly visible. A striking distinctive feature is the absence of a “wasp waist” - a thin bridge between the chest and abdomen. The color is yellow-black, but the stripes are narrower and covered with yellow hairs.

Bee

Bees feed exclusively on nectar and form honeycombs from wax, which they produce themselves. Thanks to their ability to reproduce honey, they have long been domesticated and live in beehives. They are periodically attacked by the wasp family. This fact refutes the statement that wasps do not attack their own kind. The similarity in color must be explained by something else.

Longhorn beetle

Imitates the color of Plagionotonus wasps, a representative of longhorned beetles. Outwardly it resembles a bug. Hard chitinous cover, oblong body, head clearly visible, very long, curled mustache. There are no transparent wings, the insect rarely flies. Color black and yellow with stripes.

The body length of an adult reaches 22 mm. The female lays eggs in the wood. During its entire life it reproduces about 100 thousand of its own kind. The larvae gnaw through numerous tunnels and damage the tree. Transformation into an adult takes a long time - up to 10 years. A typical representative of pests with which humans wage a merciless fight.

An insect that closely resembles wasps is a representative of the same family - the hornet. The largest species, characterized by aggressive behavior. Destroys wasp and bee hives. The size of the body reaches 3 cm, the average wasp is 1.5 cm. Massive body, powerful jaws, strong limbs. The giant wasp bites painfully and the venom causes severe allergies.

Wasps are unique insects whose lifestyle, behavior, and physiological abilities are a constant object of study. Insects that have external similarities with them are no longer similar.

Characteristics

Average resistance to diseases, average frost resistance - no lower than 22-23 degrees Celsius. Care is standard agricultural technology.

The main thing is to avoid overloading the bush, otherwise it will immediately affect the yield, even in subsequent seasons. The grapes will accumulate sugar poorly and bear fruit worse.

Agrotechnical work should be carried out when at least half of all flowers bloom; if you rush, the ovaries will almost certainly fall off.

Afraid of spring frosts. It also does not like heavy rains - the berries crack and fall off. Resistance to aphids is average. Wasps also show interest in the Black Emerald.

Ruta, Galahad and Ayuta Pavlovsky are also prone to shedding due to excess moisture.

Benefit or harm

Human economic activities benefit greatly from wasps, because insects pollinate plants. In addition, they take part in the food chain, influencing the prosperity of various species of animals and plants. These predators eat many agricultural pests, which include caterpillars.

Despite the fact that the glitter sting contains a very small amount of a poisonous substance that does not cause any harm to humans, for some people such a bite can be quite dangerous, causing a severe allergic reaction and the formation of swelling.

In case of a bite, it is necessary to give one injection of diphenhydramine so that the wasp venom is absorbed in a short period of time. In addition, the victim needs rest, constant warming of all extremities, as well as plenty of hot drinks. In this situation, you should definitely consult a doctor.

What do pompylids eat?

Pompylids feed on various insects, but mainly on spiders, which are larger in size than themselves. This is due to the fact that this type of wasp has the strongest and most developed sting, unlike other wasps. In addition, road wasps developed their food extraction tactics very carefully and thoughtfully. They direct their sting to the point where all the nerve endings of the spiders, which are responsible for controlling the limbs and abdomen, are concentrated. Therefore, the road wasp can very easily and accurately neutralize its prey.

But before this, the wasp must plunge its stinger into the spider’s oral cavity in order to neutralize the poisonous chelicerae located in it. If a wasp wants to eat a spider living in a hole, then before grabbing it, it must drive it to the surface. In its hole, the spider feels very comfortable and confident, but when it comes out into the light, it becomes weak and defenseless, which helps the hungry wasp to easily grab and neutralize the spider. After the prey is paralyzed, the wasp leaves it for a while to find a suitable place to store it.

Rider

An insect with a long body and a sting makes many puzzle over the name of this creature. The wasps are solitary wasps. They do not build typical nests and do not swarm. Distributed everywhere, including many genera and species. They differ in color and body length. Some have no wings at all, more like an ant.

The most striking representative is the equestrian with a long tail. An elongated black body, high limbs, narrow wings, and a sting. Unlike other wasps, ichneumon wasps use a sting to lay eggs. They pierce the victim’s body, inject poison, and lay their offspring. This is where the female's mission ends. The larvae develop independently. The victims include spiders, beetles, butterflies, and larvae of large insects.

Source

Bee

Massive paws, long whiskers are clearly visible. A striking distinctive feature is the absence of a “wasp waist” - a thin bridge between the chest and abdomen. The color is yellow-black, but the stripes are narrower and covered with yellow hairs.