Alcoholic Wasps

[aggienaut]

   I don't mean to alarm you, but wasps may have invented alcohol. Sacchromyces cerervisiae, the yeast we depend on for fermentation, cannot spread itself across the environment or survive long without food. So how does it survive from one grape harvest season to another, through the winter and periods with a lack of fruit, to say nothing of getting from one food source to another (somehow 0.05% of immature grapes have S. cerevisiae on them but 25% of ripe damaged grapes do. Birds and various insects could spread it about a bit but the yeast has only been shown to survive a matter of hours in bird guts. However, according to a 2012 study, you know where S. cerevisiae provably survives year round? Wasp guts. Survives the winter in overwintering queen's guts, and is successfully passed on by them to their offspring, and from them to any fruits they visit (they like fruit).
   On top of this, and what actually first caught my attention, was a 2024 study showing that the oriental hornet (Vespa orientalis)(hornets are a subset of wasps) can perfectly well metabolize alcohol up to at least 80% ABV (the highest the researchers tested). Knocked on their back for a few minutes, they were soon flying without impairment. Comparatively, consumption of 1-5% alcohol by honey bees leads to impaired locomotion, cognitive abilities, and aggressiveness. Much higher than that significantly increased mortality. The hornets, btw, didn't even show an inclination to avoid the 80% hooch when given a choice between plain sugar syrup and the rotgut.
   But natural fermentation can't achieve greater than 20% ABV (it requires artificial concentration through distillation to make all your favorite liquors), so why do they even have this ability?? Possibly just a few million years of constantly having fermentation going on in their bellies. Also they apparently have multiple copies of the alcohol metabolizing gene NADP+.
    So there you go. Wasps: heavy drinkers, but you may have them to thank next time you're washing down figs with a delicious oatmeal imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels.

Comments

[engarian.livejournal.com]

Fun post. I never knew that about wasps - just look on them as a possible nuisance, and something I don't want too close to me because of allergies to stings.

- Erulisse (one L)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Wasps are very interesting actually! They eat a lot of garden pests like aphids, they're necessarily to pollinate a lot of figs, and yes this whole alcohol thing!

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!
Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ (https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=303).

[murielle.livejournal.com]

I do know that they're not as agressive as I used to believe. Last summer they got used to me putting water out for them and would slowly and gently "swarm" me when I was taking the water out to give them. And when I tried to rescue wasps that fell in the water they seemed to understand. I have a better appreciation for them now. And this is down to you and all I've learned about bees from you over the years. :-)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yeah they look scary but from my experience aren't nearly as aggressive as they look!

[wpadmirer.livejournal.com]

Wow. I have always hated wasps. (I had a terrible reaction to multiple wasp stings when I was in college. Not fun.)

However, I'll cut them a tiny bit of slack for yeast. Even though I drink maybe two beers a year.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Also they're important for pollinating figs!

[kagomeshuko.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

One thing that I "know," but looking now, apparently isn't true, from just random facts is that ants fall over on their right sides when intoxicated.

So, we should say a person is as drunk as a wasp, not as drunk as a skunk? I know, we say the second just because it rhymes.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

haha interesting, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true about the ants though

[kagomeshuko.livejournal.com]

It would be interesting if somebody could research that, but who would even fund that now?

[oleksandr dyakov (from livejournal.com)]

This is absolutely fascinating! I never thought about wasps playing such a crucial role in the survival of yeast — and, by extension, the invention of alcohol. It’s incredible to imagine that something we take for granted, like wine or beer, could trace its origins back to overwintering queen wasps. Also, the hornets' insane alcohol tolerance is mind-blowing. Nature is full of wild, unexpected connections. Thanks for sharing such an awesome piece of science trivia!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yes i thought it was really interesting! I was reading the 2024 paper about the hornets' alcohol tolerance when i came across a casual reference in it to the 2012 paper on "wasps may have co evolved with brewing yeast" and was like what i need to read this immediately!

[aerodrome1.livejournal.com]

Oatmeal imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels? Sounds brilliant!

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yes I used that example because it was the most delicious alcoholic thing I've encountered!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. very cool. thanks.

[lookfar.livejournal.com]

Very cool fact! I assumed that yeast blew around in the air like mold or mushroom spores. You can catch yeast for baking in this way: put dishes of sweetened flour water around and let them ferment, and when you get one that smells like baking yeast, use it. But I guess wine yeast is different!

[basudelon.livejournal.com]

All the inventions and achievements of the mankind look so insignificant in comparison with a genius of the nature.