Road wasps are stinging insects widely distributed around the world, known for their "love" for spiders. They belong to the suborder of the complaining, the family of Hymenoptera, and in total there are about 5 thousand species; especially concentrated in areas with a tropical climate.
In Russia, pompilids (as they are also called), there are about 300 species. They are represented in maximum diversity in Central Asia, the Far East and Transcaucasia.
Road wasps and their description
The body of road wasps is shiny and smooth, characterized by a black color with a splash of white, red or yellow. Stinging insects are easily recognized by thin elongated limbs. On the front legs, digging ridges can sometimes be observed.
Hind tibia from the outside are equipped with numerous denticles, most noticeable in females. The wings are dim, most often smoky. The abdomen of males is equipped with 7 visible segments, in females there are 6. The eyes are oval.
Features of existence
Road wasps (photo is in the article) in size reach 40 mm, move quickly, while constantly fluttering with transparent wings.
In search of food, they fly very close to the surface of the earth. They do not live in families; they prefer solitary existence. Care for the offspring consists in procuring a sufficient supply of food for future larvae. On the eve of egg laying, females go hunting for prey, which for the most part are spiders. Then the victim, paralyzed with a sting, is dragged into a previously dug mink in order to lay eggs on it.
Sometimes road wasps capture alien holes with pre-harvested prey, for which they are called kleptoparasites.
In addition to holes dug in the soil, some females use tree trunks for laying eggs, strong shoots of plants, they can sculpt clay nests themselves on stones, branches, lower leaf plates.
One on one with a spider
Road wasps, which, unlike their other brethren, have a powerful developed sting, mainly feed on spiders, most often several times larger than them. They are able to easily and instantly neutralize their prey by directing the sting first into the oral cavity of the insect, and then to the congestion point of most of the nerve endings responsible for the life of the spider.
Types of Road Wasps
Road wasps, the description of which, for their own safety, it is recommended to everyone to know, depending on their specialization in different groups of spiders are divided into several types.
In the middle zone of Eurasia, a red-bellied species is often found, the female of which is characterized by relatively small sizes, from 6 to 15 mm. Prefers to hunt a wolf spider. The chest is colored black, in front of it is red, at the base is covered with short light hairs.
In the territory of North Africa, extratropical Eurasia, the wasp-crucianus is common to the eastern part of Japan; based on the name, he chooses to himself the spider-crosses as a sacrifice. It is characterized by a large, up to 21 mm in length, body, covered with yellowish spots. The wings are also yellowish, framed at the edges with a dark border. Extremities are yellowish-orange. The nests for dragging prey are mainly equipped in the sand.
The dipogon is average. A road wasp, the bite of which leaves a lot of painful sensations and unpleasant memories, has a completely black color of a small, about 0.5-1.0 cm in length, trunk. A dark spot is clearly visible in the corner of the front wings. As a victim, the insect selects side-walker spiders living on the trees. Such insects received their distribution on the territory of Eurasia, towards the east to Japan and the coast of Kamchatka.
Wasp of the road: is a bite dangerous?
The advantage of such insects is the extermination of spiders dangerous to humans and the destruction of garden pests. Sometimes in order to protect themselves, a wasp can sting a person. If an unpleasant event does occur, you should immediately make sure that there is no sting left in the body of the affected person. Removing its residues should be done very carefully, using tweezers.
In order to avoid infection, it is strictly forbidden to cut, scratch the wound. The bite site must be treated with any antiseptic: alcohol tincture or hydrogen peroxide. For the quickest subsidence of puffiness through gauze tissue, it is recommended to apply ice to the affected area and constantly change it.
Effectively removes the effects of contact with a road wasp; the use of a large amount of liquid: plain water or weak sweet tea. For allergic manifestations, antihistamines should be taken. Throughout the entire painful period, it is recommended to monitor the patient's condition and, at the slightest sign of deterioration (nausea, headache, dizziness), seek medical help from a medical institution.
The consequences of a bite of a road wasp in an adult are observed in the form of painful sensations and swelling at the lesion site for 2-3 days. A great danger, up to the manifestation of purulent processes and anaphylactic shock, contact with such an insect carries pregnant women, children, the elderly, as well as patients with asthma, diabetes mellitus, allergies.
Wasp Control Methods
Traffic wasps, settling next to a person’s housing, give enough trouble. They can be removed by using special traps, aerosols and concentrates containing a universal insecticide. The most effective drugs:
- Aerosol "Moskitol". Not recommended for use in confined spaces due to toxicity.
- Gett. The validity period of such a powerful tool in and around the treatment site is about 6 months. The drug is low toxic to humans.
After chemical treatment, the nest can finally be eliminated by deep digging, if the latter is in the ground.
Top for reliability it is recommended to pour steep boiling water. With a local location, the nest can be placed in a bucket of boiling water and covered with a lid. After the water has cooled, remove and discard.
