From a page in Erasmus’ study books.
The wax wasp is a tiny arthropod, technically classed as a parasite. They live in families of up to three or four, and often such family groups will take up residence in close proximity to one another. The groups are usually made up of one female and several males. The wax wasp makes their nest out of wax, usually collected from the ears of large creatures. These nests start off as a number of vertical columns and as the columns grow in number, they are covered and stuck together by another layer of wax, until the entire hive looks like a large ball of wax. Such hives are usually found in caves, crevices, or other cool areas. If the wasps choose an area that is too hot, or in an unusually hot period, their hives will melt and fall, usually smashing on the ground, and forcing the unhappy creatures to start over.
The female and male wasps both go out in search of earwax. They find a large animal such as a dog, horse, or human, and burrow into the ear of their target. Once inside the ear, they will stay for as long as they can – up to a maximum of 2 days without sustenance – gathering wax for their hive. They gather the wax with large, scoop-like mandibles at the front of their cone-shaped body, and also with their small, feathery legs. Once a sufficient amount of wax has been gathered, they will take their leave of the host.
Usually these insects are harmless, although their bulbous abdomen can occasionally inhibit hearing in the host due to blocking up the ear canal. If they are provoked however, such as in an attempt to physically extract them from an ear, they will put their stinger into effect. The venom of their sting causes extreme pain, and the ear often swells, trapping the arthropod inside and giving it a measure of protection against attack. It is usually advised that people who have become infected by a wax wasp leave the creature be, and wait for it to come out of its own accord.
The wax wasp is not overly aggressive by nature, and some people even invite these creatures in, believing that the thorough cleaning job that they do is beneficial. There have been small tribes known to worship the wasps, believing that only a shaman may play host to them, and that once the wasp is inside the ear, it whispers the secrets of the gods to the shaman, taking away a little of the shaman’s ear wax as a price for the information. The shaman would entice the creature by dribbling wax into their ears, and whilst the wasps were with them, they would sit and meditate, throwing pungent herbs onto the fire to better aid them in listening to the whispers. There is a theory that the dry rattle of the wasp’s wings whilst it is inside the ear may have inspired belief in the ‘whispers of the gods’. The strength of the imagery of this particular shamanic ritual has created the culturally recognised motif, wherein a shaman can be symbolised by a man or woman with a wasp flying into or out of their ear. This motif can be seen in pictures, and is included in many folk stories.
The wasps lay their eggs in the wax tubes that make up their nest. With the egg they seal a spine from the Pepper Cactus. Once the larva hatches, it will begin to consume the spine, which contains enough nutrition to see the hatchling through its larval stage.
Although the wax wasp is essentially harmless, and has such a strong affiliation with shamanism in the Desert culture, many people dislike it, and even fear it due to its invasive behaviour, and the threat of its sting.
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