Wasps with faces

2002/07/15 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Biologia

They make it mammals, birds and fish, but until now it was not thought that insects knew each other looking at the face. They were considered to use chemical substances to identify members. The wasps of the species Polistes fuscatus, however, have yellow and black spots and stripes on the face and in the belly, which appear to be used to know each other.

The discovery was made by the researcher of the University of Cornell, Elizabeth Tibbets. To carry out the research, he selected wasps from several cabins and with a small brush he painted the faces. Some made new spots and stripes with unusual patterns. Returning to the cabin, he saw that masked wasps received more attacks.

More information is available on the website of the journal Science.