Image: Sting of Queen Wasp
Description: This is the stinger of a queen wasp, Vespula vulgaris. It is contained in a vintage microscope slide set and dates to 1913. You can see the inner workings of a wasp's sting quite clearly at this resolution: two tiny barbs are contained in the tip. The first barb is thrust into the unfortunate receiver in order to stabilise the insect so it can deliver a second spike which injects the actual venom. The shot was captured through a 19th century Broadhurst & Clarkson microscope, with my camera set up on a tripod looking directly down into the viewfinder. The photograph can be found in full resolution at this address.
Title: Sting of Queen Wasp
Credit: Own work
Author: TJBlackwell
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes
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