Blood Wasps

Blood wasps are a species recently discovered in The Vines, Baross and the Haglands, although it is not known if they are a previously-unknown species or they were magically created. They are hardy and adaptable, and swarms are capable of terrifying - and killing - even the most well-trained individuals and beasts.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Blood wasps are three to four inches long, with red-and-black banded bodies and shiny black wings. When a swarm is hunting or angered, their wings produce a deep, rasping buzz which is audible over long distances as a deep drone which can be felt as much as heard.

Ecology and Habitats

The wasps build nests underground, with a tall tower forming the external sign of their presence. They prefer warmer climates, and are believed to have originated in the Vines, but are hardy enough to survive a wide range of climates. They dislike cold, however, and will spend winter hibernating in the nest in colder areas.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They are carnivores, consuming both meat and blood, and a swarm is capable of stripping a human to the bone.
After the initial prey is consumed, the drones of the nest hunt the surrounding area to find prey, whereupon they summon the rest of the nest. The swarm surrounds the prey, stinging and biting until it dies. Afterward, each drone eats as much as they can before returning to the nest to disgorge part of its meal for the queen and her young.

Biological Cycle

Mating flights take place in spring, when queens emerge from the nest with the males following, and scouts ranging around while drones form a protective phalanx. If the scouts detect the scent of blood they emit pheromones which can be detected by the rest of the swarm at incredible distances. The swarm envelops their prey, stinging it until it is immobilised by their venom. Then the queen and her males burrow into the body and make their nest, while the drones move earth from beneath the body to entomb it in the base of the new tower. The queen and her court feed on the still-living flesh and lay eggs throughout it, until the eggs are ready to hatch into larvae in approximately a week. By the time they have developed wings of their own a week later, nothing more than a skeleton remains of the swarm's victim.