#genitalspines

[addicted2wasps]

Did you know that male wasps cannot sting? Males of any Hymenopteran don't have stingers for that matter. There are some male wasps that have what is called a Pseudostinger (like Myzinum, Thynnidae) or sharp genital spines (like Anterhynchium, Eumeninae), but neither deliver venom. A stinger is a modified ovipositor, which is an egg-laying apparatus that only females have. Here, I am holding a male Vespula, I think a very xanthic V. flavopilosa, or V. germanica, which was subsequently released.