The Hunting Wasp

by John Crompton

Describes the characteristics and behavior of the wasp, explains how they hunt for their food, and looks at wasp society

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1987

Reviews

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the topic may seem dull, the author's clear enthusiasm for the subject matter kept my interest piqued. Crompton is in love with his wasps and his smitten state shows in his writing. You are forced to forgive the fact that personification is a sin in the field of biology.

In appearance Ammophilia is a little peculiar. Evidently they were wearing long waists when she came out, so that her abdomen looks like a pear on the end of a length of string. Nevertheless she is graceful and svelte. Her favorite color is black with the upper half of her abdomen an orange red, giving her quite a chic effect.

For a while Ammophilia lives on and around the flowers, basking in the sun and sipping nectar. Her life is one purely of pleasure and differs in no way from that of a butterfly. But motherhood brings changes. It develops tenderness and affection side by side with a capacity for fiendish cruelty. Ask any hunter which he would rather meet, a leapordess with cubs or the larger and normally more formidable male. So when the eggs begin to stir within her, Ammophilia turns her attention to other things than flowers. She ceases to be a dawdler. She loosens the sting in its sheath - that as yet unbloodied sword, so slender and delicate, so feminine in its daintiness - and goes a hunting.

In addition to his starry-eyed descriptions of all different types of hunting wasps, Crompton supplements the chapters with chilling, unsettling accounts of the charnel house activities occurring in the nests where wasp larvae and paralyzed victims are sequestered. He also includes stories about his pyromaniac house maid, a murderous gardener, and his own personal tragedies in his efforts to raise and protect honey bees. Overall, I thought he did quite well considering his audience was a bit of a niche market.

[Kevin Driskill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crompton is very passionate about wasps. This work is filled with fascinating tidbits about hunting wasps and every other subject he could tuck into the pages. There is even a brief excursus on swatting flies. Often he draws similitudes between the female wasp and the human house-wife or mother. The author clearly personifies the insect world beyond credulity. Crompton finds fault throughout the book with a French colleague and even quotes him extensively. The opposition seems to be concerning the debate over instinct vs. learned behavior, and Crompton is a strong proponent of the evolutionary theory. Over all it is a very entertaining read and has given me a new appreciation for a creature I rarely took notice of in the past.

[David Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised when I read about John Crompton that he was the brother of Richmal Crompton, and the William books may have been based on him.
This is a brilliant book about hunting wasps, I really wish more politicians would have read this as it also has some brilliant insights into human behaviour.