The many ways that invertebrates can defend themselves include developing a bad taste and synthesising lethal compounds from host plants
Needless to say, we compared notes during our encounters, whilst filming my Animal Planet series.
There are many different ways that invertebrates can defend themselves from predators. Some develop a really bad taste via some pretty awful chemistry derived from food plants (green vegetable bug, cabbage white butterfly caterpillar), others simply synthesise lethal compounds from their host plants (cardiac glycosides in monarch butterfly caterpillars).
The blister beetle produces cantharidin, made famous as the aphrodisiac Spanish fly – only humans manage to see the positive angle of what is, in reality, a real toxic material!
There are even insects that are pure magicians with chemicals, such as the bombardier beetle. It can mix hydrogen peroxide (rocket fuel!) with a catalyst to create an explosive series of hot, stinking farts that can scorch an attacking ant. A clever “turret system” allows perfect aim from the tip of the abdomen.
It’s all about defence of the individual insect.
But when an insect species becomes involved in a social structure, measuring thousands, sometimes millions of individuals, the risk of predation is stepped up dramatically. It makes sense: here’s an abundant and sumptuous breakfast for any vertebrate!
Wasps, ants and bees – and especially their larvae in the nest – are soft prey full of great proteins; Justin calls this nutritional quantity, and that calls for some serious protection.
Enter evolution. Within the hymenoptera order, eggs are laid through an ovipositor. It’s a system many insects use to carefully place embryos in a suitable location. Wasp ovipositors allow eggs to be laid inside plant tissue, or – if you are a parasitoid – inside a live insect host, with great precision.
There’s no doubt that the evolutionary process that delivered social wasps and bees also altered the primary function of the traditional ovipositor. The glands, associated with oviposition became quite useful as the venom factories that really put a kick in the sting.
“Defence” now evolved into a numbers game of many angry defenders, armed with a potent and painful venom.
Bees, especially killer bees, and wasps are masters at scaring potential predators away, as I found out on many occasions. My exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2) alerts the tribe of impending danger; the reaction is swift: get the bugger, put some venom “markers” in his skin and attack with even more of the same.
That venom is a mixture of proteins, fatty acids plus a whole range of trace elements, some of which do the job of neurotransmitters in the human body. And they are all perfectly delivered by that aculeus, right inside your body.
I don’t think it makes a heck of a lot of difference if you put on an urban myth acid or an urban myth alkaline. It’ll hurt like hell and Justin certainly agrees with me.
Oh and by the way: for both (killer) bees and wasps he puts on wet table salt, just to numb it a bit! ✤