Say hello to the Warrior Wasp!

Warrior Wasps are a type of social wasp found in South and Central America, which are known for their extremely potent sting.

Justin Schmidt, an American entomologist who dedicated his life to getting stung by stuff, ranked this wasp as having the most painful sting on the planet, a ranking only awarded two other insects. He evocatively described the sensation of a Warrior Wasp sting as: “Torture. You are chained to the flow of an active volcano. Why did I start this list?”

Love your work Justin.

The good thing is that while these wasps are highly defensive of their nests, they try to avoid using their sting unless absolutely necessary. If threatened, Warrior Wasps will start flapping their wings in a synchronised fashion as a warning before they attack.

This was very handy when I was photographing them. I found that I was usually able to lean in and take photos for around twenty seconds or so, at which point the wasps would all slowly raise their wings and begin beating them together, which was my cue to back away very, very quickly.

–

Warrior Wasp (Synoeca sp.), Bosque Fluir, Sauce, Peru