Introduction

With more than 200,000 species of wasps, they are of the most diverse groups of insects on the planet (1). They live in almost every climate and region, except areas that are cold all year round, like the polar regions (1). They are found all over North America and Australia. These creatures have a pointed body and waist that makes them distinguishable from bees (2).  They are of utmost importance in natural biocontrol, as they prey on pests and serve as an excellent source for agricultural pest control (2). They are also social insects, ruled by a queen that develops a new nest each year and is the only wasp that lays eggs (2). When the cold winter comes, the only one likely to survive is the queen, while all the workers die off (2). 

Cultural Connections

Wasps and humans have a domesticated relationship that is viewed as a cultural act between biological and human nature. Both biological and socio-cultural factors are intertwined. These relationships serve as an influence to human culture and act as icons and symbols that highlight the human imagination and shape approaches of gender, community, identities, and society (4). 

In Japanese culture wasps are considered of cultural significance because they play a role in the nourishment of humans. They are viewed as being a healthy food that is rich in minerals and high in proteins used in many Japanese recipes. The first discovered historical record of wasps as food dates back to 1715. The ‘black wasp’ being the most collected and edible wasp (4). 

Not only are wasps seen as food, but in Japan, people also raise and care for wasps and have created an emotional attachment to them that is reflected in the names of their villages “愛好会 (aikōkai) which means ‘loving group’” (4). Additionally, in central Japan, wasp larvae are collected during the fall season. This activity is generational, as fathers and grandfathers of collectors have been using the same methods of collection for years. Folks have a unique way of collecting wasps and once they have their hives, many go home and begin processing the nests as a family. The layers of the nest are separated and the larvae and pupae are removed using tweezers which are later cooked for immediate consumption or frozen (4). 

Along with the relationships built between wasps and humans, the caring of wasps, and their part of Japanese culture nutrition, folks in Japan also have their own wasp nest contests that include more recipes with wasps as a central component. Wasp nest contests first took place in Shitara, Aichi prefecture, in 1990 (4). In these competitions, wasp collectors’ nests are weighed and sold. Participants also receive some sort of trophy/recognition from their community. A staple in these competitions is the food and being able to connect with their friends and community after the contest through enjoying local wasp cuisine. A popular local food is  “五平餅 (gohei-mochi) —pounded sticky rice molded into an oblong shape on a cedar stick, brushed with a sauce made by grinding together wasp larvae, soy sauce, miso, peanuts, sugar, and fresh ginger root, and grilled over wood embers—and 蜂の子ご飯 (hachi-no-ko-gohan), rice steamed with wasp larvae” (4), among others. 

In Europe, a couple of tales exist around Christmas Wasps. There is one pertaining to the devil that is not being told as often anymore and is now only really prevalent in Jutland, Denmark, the Faroe Isles and the Yorkshire Wolds. In the story, dark dye and light wheat cakes are baked called Hvepekager, or wasp cakes that are left out on the night of the winter solstice and are meant to symbolize the black and yellow of the Christmas wasp. One adaptation of the story presented by the Brothers Grim dates back to at least the 1600s. It narrates the story of a deal made between a farmer and the devil on a winter night in which the farmer makes a deal with the devil so he can see his son become a successful lawyer. The farmer pays the devil by taking him to a place where he could get the best honey and leads him to a wasps’ nest in the ground. He tells the devil he must stick his hand inside and reach for the honeycomb. When the devil sticks his hand inside the nest, a large and angry wasp repeatedly stings the devil, sending him away to his chamber. The farmer proceeds to ask the wasp for a favor, and gets stung as well (9). The Christmas Wasp or King Wasp was born from this story. The Christmas Wasp was considered to be capricious, distributing punishment at random. Children who read the story of the Christmas Wasp were warned to beware of the Christmas Wasp during the holidays. This has morphed with the “Better not pout, better not cry, Santa Claus is coming to town” chant that is said during the Christmas holiday. 

A different version of the story is told in East Anglia in Great Britain involving the ancient family of the DeGranvilles. In this family, the death of one of their members was always preceded by a ghostly black dog around Christmas time. To prevent this, DeGranville heirs kept wasps close by in the winter and used them to sting the dog on the nose, which would drive the dog away and postpone the death of a family member for another year (9). More on the Christmas wasp and full story can be found here: http://greydogtales.com/blog/folklore-origins-christmas-wasp/ (10).

Different stories about cultural ties of wasps have been found across sub-Saharan Africa. In Central and West Africa, nests of potter wasps are oftentimes used as medicine for curing mumps, which is a viral infection that causes the swelling of salivary glands. The nest is crushed and water is added to it. This mixture is placed on the cheeks of children. This method is used in Sub-Saharan Africa and in the Amazon to relieve symptoms like pain and fever (11). The Mossi ethnic group in Burkina Faso, Kamba people in Kenya, Nchope people from Mozambique, speakers of Tsonga-Changana, Toro people of Rwanda, Nyoro and Ganda people of Uganda, and the Bunyoro Kingdom believe in the myth that mixing a grounded up wasp or its nest with larvae in dog food can make the dogs more vicious (11). Additionaly, Ewe people of Togo and people from Zambia believe woman drink wasp nests to help them become pregnant and to prevent abortion. Shona people from Zimbabwe believe women drink wasp nests to facilitate delivery and people from Togo believe they’re used for menstrual pain (11). Another story told in Chad, Africa, is that wasps know how to make nests, but not how to collect honey because they were considered to talk too much and not have the patience to listen to the bee talk about how they make a hive (11). Which is reflected in humans when we don’t have the patience to listen to each other. 

There is also some superstition about religion dealing with wasps. Nyanja people of Zambia give future husbands a drink made from wasp nests “to ensure a successful marriage” (11). Since the wasp returns to its nest, that drinking also guarantees that the husband will return home to their wife. There are also many stories around the small waists of wasps that are tied to sterility. Yoruba people of Nigeria believe that a long time ago, wasps used to have a normal waist, but as people passed on the road talking, a wasp would come out from its nest and watch all of this while placing its hands on its hips. This lasted so long that his abdomen was almost divided into two parts (11). Hutu people from Burundi believed that the wasp had intentions to see the king, yet the king refused, and the wasp began a hunger strike, which is why she is very thin (11). Another story of the Ila people from Zambia believe that the mason wasp brought fire from heaven (11). This happened when birds and insects started wondering how they could get fire from heaven. Volunteers included a vulture, a fish eagle and a crow, but only the mason wasp survived after resting 30 days on a cloud. All this time the wasp was being observed by God, who took pity on him and granted him fire who advised him to always build their house near a fireplace (11). 

Wasp’s role in the food system

While hunting for nectar on flowers, wasps become accidental pollinators, as they travel from plant to plant accidentally carrying pollen on them (3). They also have some plants who are specifically reliant on them for pollination, such as most orchids which mimic female wasp pheromones (5). Along with this, over 30,000 species of wasps are known to hunt a diversity of invertebrates including bugs, spiders, roaches, and flies (5). Their short lives and fast reproduction match fluctuations in prey populations farely well too (5). Wasps are also considered to be very nutritious, as they are high in amino acids and protein. Farming them would be more sustainable and efficient than livestock as “it takes 12 times fewer resources to ‘rear’ a gram of protein from insects compared to beef” (5). Larval secretions are also found to be rich in antimicrobials that have been effective against disease-causing bacteria (5). Wasps have also been known for dispersing seeds (6), cleaning up rotting flesh (7), and working to monitor the environment (8). 

Additionally, the venom of social wasps contains mastoparan, which has cancer-cell killing properties (5). And across sub-Saharan Africa the Banen people from Cameroon, Changana speakers in Mozambique, and Sukuma people of Tanzania have found that wasps in orchids prevent mangoes from being stolen (11). Sukuma people of Tanzania, speakers of Sara-Neillim in Chad and Shona people of Zimbabwe, have valued wasps for protecting bird nests that are stormed by egg poachers (11).

Sources cited

  1. “Wasps, Bees, and Ants.” BioKids - Kids’ Inquiry of Diverse Species. March 11, 2022. http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Hymenoptera/ 

  2. “Wasps.” Animal Corner. March 11, 2022. https://animalcorner.org/animals/wasps/

  3. Osterloff, Emily. “What do Wasps do?” Natural History Museum. March 11, 2022. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/what-do-wasps-do.html

  4.  Payne, Charlotte L.R. and Evans, Joshua D. “Nested Houses: Domestication Dynamics of Human–Wasp Relations in Contemporary Rural Japan.” Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. February 8, 2017. https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13002-017-0138-y

  5. Sumner, Seirian. “Wasps: Why I Love Them and Why You Should Too.” The Conversation. April 28, 2021. https://theconversation.com/wasps-why-i-love-them-and-why-you-should-too-155982

  6. Chen, Gao et al. “Seed Dispersal by Hornets: An Unusual Insect Plant Mutualism.” Wiley Online Library. July 11, 2017. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jipb.12568#:%7E:text=Hornets%20and%20ants%20provide%20complementary,dispersal%20in%20other%20myrmecochorous%20plants.

  7. Esposito, Maria Cristina et al. “Social Wasps and Bees Captured in Carrion Traps in a Rainforest in Brazil.” Wiley Online Library. March 24, 2005. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1479-8298.2005.00098.x 

  8. Ciszek, Robert et al. “Facing the Threat: Common Yellowjacket Wasps as Indicators of Heavy Metal Pollution.” Spinger Link. May 18, 2020. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-020-09107-2 

  9. Dwyer, Paula. “All About the Folklore of Christmas Insects.” Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - Division of Plant Industry. December 24, 2020. https://fdacsdpi.wordpress.com/2020/12/24/all-about-the-folklore-of-christmas-insects/ 

  10. Grant, John Linwood. “Folklore and Origins of the Christmas Wasp.” Grey Dog Tales. November 23, 2017. http://greydogtales.com/blog/folklore-origins-christmas-wasp/ 

Huis, Arnold Van. “Cultural Aspects of Ants, Bees, and Wasps, and Their Products in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Springer Link. March 4, 2021. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42690-020-00410-6