Photo by Marc Schulte on Pexels.
Writing inspired by the following SWC prompt:
Tell the story of the last wasp.
The Sting in the Tale
by Brigid Whoriskey
Daily Gazette, November 2025
THE LAST WASP HAS DEPARTED
The Department for Pest Extermination has finally declared the region to be hornet free. After a concerted campaign to eradicate the venomous swarms that terrorised our communities for years, they have finally done it. There have been no hornet attacks for over 18 months and hospital admissions are negligible. The weekly death announcements are now a distant memory. The Department announced that the last of the aggressive Giant Asian Hornets has succumbed to the lethal Wasp Dust. ‘Bug Buster’ Sigmond Baxins has been awarded the National Medal of Science for his invention of the miracle insecticide, that enables citizens to once again go about their daily lives without fear of the deadly sting.
The eradication of our species was the only solution they could come up with. That’s how important we are.
Well, brace yourselves humans.
You have no idea what’s coming!
The no-attack strategy was, I am proud to say, my brainchild. Adaptation took time and came at a price. Population decline was experienced by all colonies and catastrophic collapse by many. The weak, the young and the less venomous succumbed first. The slow acting nature of the Wasp Dust meant that hornets brought it back to the colony before they knew they were infected, spreading it throughout the nest. Initially we swarmed, seeking vengeance and stinging with abandon, but that only increased the extermination programme. The Bug Buster human adapted the formula to make it more lethal and only the strongest survived. I remember when it came to our nest. My spiracles struggled to draw in the oxygen I craved and a slow suffocation almost stole my strength before I could leave the toxic nest. I crawled away, my abdominal muscles straining to inhale bit by bit as I waited for nature’s restoration.
Those of us who survived the slaughter went underground. We spent the first year of our ‘eradication’ secretly bolstering our strength and resilience. We thank humans for our enhanced vigour. Only the strongest and most venomous hornets and Queens survived. Vespa Mandarinia is now the most powerful strain of Asian hornet ever seen. We learned much from the human’s sustained attack that took so many of our kind.
We held back.
We increased our numbers.
We tested our attack strategies.
We ingested tiny particles of Wasp Dust.
We placed microscopic particles on the insects we fed to our larvae.
We supercharged our resistance to the dust.
We elevated our power beyond our expectations.
Our nests are now hidden underground and in the dense jungles. They are no longer visible in high branches of trees, adding confidence to the human belief that we are obliterated. We smuggled small groups inside trains, stowed-away on boats and planes (ridiculously easy) and we are now building colonies in most parts of the world.
Recent trials have shown that a single sting from a strong male can leave an adult buffalo writhing in agony. Two or three stings will take its life. Nice to watch if you have the time. Most of us can administer 10 stings in a second. I can do up to 20. With our increased potency, one sting will be sufficient for most humans, and they have no chance if we deliver two or three.
Our strategy is to start big. Infiltrate large rooms and places that humans gather to watch their beloved sports and concerts. They killed us by stealth; we will be visible to all. We will include some buildings with teaching rooms in the first attack, where young humans learn. After all, our larvae had no defence from the Dust. Five hornets per room will do the job in 20 seconds. We might leave one human child per room to tell the tale.
The fear will start.
The Bug Buster will be called and he will start his extermination programme to no effect. We will then target individual families, maternity hospitals, places of worship, and homes where they place their elderly.
The terror will rise.
Some humans will remain to enjoy their winters in relative peace and some survivors will chose to migrate to colder climates. We will wait a couple of years before we let them know that we are no longer dormant in winter, thanks to the strength the Dust has given us. Those winter attacks will turn the dial up on the terror once again. Safe zones will no longer be safe. There will be breaks between attacks and we will disregard some areas for long periods of time, giving them the semblance of safety. Then one by one we will target them too. We do not need full extermination, but put it like this: the growing global population crisis that humans drone on about will no longer be an issue.
As for the Bug Buster, he is already on our watch list.
We will visit him often, but we will not sting.
When he opens his curtains in the morning, we will be there.
When he sits to relax, we will land for a second on his hand, or his face.
We will buzz in his car but will not appear.
When he sleeps at night we will fill his room with droning.
Sometimes we will creep across his face, disappearing when he awakes to wonder if we were really there or if we have now invaded his dreams. He is not deserving of our venom, that is too quick. We will give him the gift of guilt for the multitude of deaths he has caused. He will also live with the terror that we are always coming for him.
It’s been nice to tell you my tale, but I have more training to do and more Queens to distribute. Then the mission will begin. Not long now.
Looking at the forest floor I realise I need more training zones. At my command they rise off the ground, just a metre or so, and they stretch further than the eye can see all around me. My vast little army, stingers poised, wings vibrating, forest humming.
So not quite the last wasp then.