the meaning of the Wasp

Maybe you've been having problems at work lately, or with your girlfriend, or you've just been feeling low. At such times it is natural to question things that you otherwise take for granted, such as The Meaning of the Wasp.

Many go through life without giving this topic much thought. You might pray to the Wasp every day, when you need special favors, or only in desperate moments. You might go to the Hive every single Sunday, only holidays or only when your mother makes you. You listen to the sermons, droning as they may be, but you avoid asking yourself the big questions: why am I here? what place do I have in the universe? what is the meaning of the Wasp? where did the Wasp come from? does it even exist? do I exist?

I am here to tell you the truth, my friend. As an ordained minister of the Universal Hive, I have thoroughly and intensely studied the Meaning of the Wasp.

It is simple and two-fold. The primary meaning of the Wasp is to feed and control the population of other creatures. The Wasp has more esoteric meanings, such as Existing to Exist, Existing due to Random Selection and Successful Existence Breeds Further Existence, and you can read any good book on genetics or natural selection to gain insight into these complex topics. For now, let us further examine the basic meaning.

The Wasp is a creature much like the Bee, but elongated and generally more handsome and pleasing to the eye. The Wasp, Bee and Ant all share a common ancestor, which we will call the Great Stinger. These three animals have done their best to dominate as many ecological niches as they can. Some crawl, some fly. Some go by day, others by night. Some eat leaves, others nectar, others rotting flesh. Some live in large, complex societies, building and living in huge protected nests, while others are solitary creatures, building pencil-sized nests in the ground or on hard surfaces out of paper or mud.

The Wasp must feed her young and she generally does so by bringing home juicy caterpillars, spiders or unfortunate victims. The Parasitoid Wasp brings her babies to the food, laying eggs in or on other insects. She uses her stinger to paralyze prey and also to drive away invaders. Unlike the Bee, whose stinger tears away after one use, the Wasp can sting many times.

It may seem that the Wasp is at the top of the predator pyramid. Who dares eat the mighty, stinging Wasp? Wasp young are soft, like bags full of vitamins and protein. Any hungry omnivore or carnivore will happily eat juicy wasp larvae.

There are other meanings of the Wasp. If you observe carefully, you can notice them on your own. Where would taxi cabs and college mascots be without the Wasp? Embrace the Wasp and her meaning will become clear...