Posted on 05/08/2019 5:01:19 PM PDT by EdnaMode
Summer is approaching in the northern hemisphere, heralding the return of that great scourge of al fresco diners everywhere: the wasp.
Now, a new study out of the University of Michigan reveals that the striped critters aren't just pesky -- they're smart.
The research found that wasps can use a form of logical reasoning to infer unknown relationships from known relationships, according to a press release.
Essentially this means they can work out that if is X is greater than Y, and Y is greater than Z, X is greater than Z -- an ability that was thought to be a key human trait for thousands of years. In recent decades, however, scientists have shown that vertebrate animals such as birds, monkeys and fish also have this ability, known as transitive inference (TI).
And Elizabeth Tibbetts, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan, has found the first evidence of TI in an invertebrate animal -- namely the paper wasp.
The insects, which are found around the world, are known for making distinctive nests out of chewed wood mixed with saliva that look like paper. While the paper wasp's sting is toxic to humans, it is less painful than those of other wasp species.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
It is their white privilege.
Damn, they're smarter then me. Good thing we invented wasp spray before they invented human spray.......It's war.......
Wasps have no natural defense against vacuum cleaners...
Mathematical relationships are, to a large extent, built into the physiologies of living organisms. Where humans have difficulty in understanding mathematics is in the symbology; they cannot relate the written format to the innate knowledge.
I’m not surprised that an insect would “understand” basic mathematical relationships. After all, they perform feats of advanced mathematics whenever they fly from one place to another and land perfectly at the spot they wanted.
As exemplified by tuning out of CNN decades ago.
My fear of wasps is bordering a phobia. I can’t even watch them when they’re on the other side of a window. They scare the hell out of me.
Essentially this means they can work out that if is X is greater than Y, and Y is greater than Z, X is greater than Z
Only if they can do it on paper.
WASP = White Anglo Saxon Protestants?
Yep!
Tennis rackets pose a problem for them as well.
Do not like up grass clippings. The grass will heat up while decomposing and wasps love that for making a nest.
The Bush family shows us that WASPs can be pretty stupid. Please clap.
“My fear of wasps is bordering a phobia. I can’t even watch them when they’re on the other side of a window. They scare the hell out of me.”
I got stung in the neck by a wasp when I was about 8. Ever since I have killed them any way I can.
Yes! Especially if you stand in the flight path.
I had a great afternoon once with my son-in-law.
We had a spray bottle filled with water and about a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Sprayer adjusted to stream setting.
We took turns.
Wasp/hornet would fly in and land on the side of my house to crawl up into a nest in the eves.
As soon as one would land, one of us would would step in, douse them, and watched them stagger, trying to hold on.
Their lungs would fill with soapy bubbles, theyd drop off and die.
We kept score, cheered for each other, and had a riot.
Good times.
Sometimes, I think of my ex, and wonder why...
They make the average Democrat look stupid.
Not sure about others but red wasps are deathly afraid of hornets. I stuff a brown paper bag with plastic grocery sacks to give it some puffiness and hang these in the barn or in a tree near the porch. No red wasps. They think the bag is a hornet nest,
Central vacuum works the best.
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