Can Wasps Really Recognise Human Faces? IPB Expert Explains
The ability of wasps to recognise human faces has recently become a hot topic on social media. Many believe these insects can remember individuals who have disturbed their nests and will carry out retaliatory attacks at a later date. In response to this phenomenon, Professor Tri Atmowidi, an insect expert from the Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at IPB University, has offered a scientific explanation.
According to Professor Tri, the ability of wasps to recognise faces is not merely a myth, but a fact that has been proven through a number of studies, particularly on certain species. One of his main references is research by Tibbets and a team from the University of Michigan on paper wasps (Polistes fuscatus).
Paper wasps possess a complex nervous system and cognitive process for recognising the faces of fellow colony members. Visually, wasps use eyes with special receptor cells capable of capturing particular colour spectra.
Professor Tri explained that this ability developed out of social need. Within a paper wasp colony, there are several female candidate queens that compete with one another.
“They need the ability to recognise other individuals in their group as part of that social interaction,” he said.
It is this visual processing capability that subsequently enables them to recognise human faces.
It should be noted that not all types of wasps possess this remarkable ability. The strongest scientific evidence to date has only been found in paper wasps, which have a complex colony structure.
Conversely, solitary wasps or wasps with a low level of sociality do not show similar abilities because they have no need to recognise individuals in detail.
In addition to recognising faces, social wasps are also potentially able to remember those who disturb their nests. This is part of their colony defence strategy. If they encounter a previously identified threat again, wasps can respond more intensely and aggressively.
Beyond vision, wasps use chemical communication through pheromones to spread information about danger to other colony members. The combination of visual recognition (faces and movements) and chemical signals makes their defence system highly effective.
Professor Tri urged the public to remain calm and not to disturb wasp nests in their surroundings in order to avoid the risk of being attacked.