# Do insects seek revenge if you try to kill them

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-insects-seek-revenge-if-you-try-to-kill-them/730383>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 8, 2015, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-insects-seek-revenge-if-you-try-to-kill-them/730383 "2015-09-08T22:10:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 19

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**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\
**Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-insects-seek-revenge-if-you-try-to-kill-them/730383/19 "2015-09-09T05:54:54Z")

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> [@Colibri](#):
>
> As a professional biologist with some familiarity with neurobiology, I have the background to authoritatively state that insects don’t remotely have the level of neurological development to be capable of anything that can be considered revenge. In fact, the idea is so far-fetched I don’t think that it’s necessary for us to prove this negative. There would even be few vertebrates, probably including only the more intelligent birds and mammals, that would even have memories long enough to make the concept possible.
> 
> In most cases, animals are only going to attack in order to defend themselves. Even when animals recognize individuals that have hurt them in the past, they probably only attack as a pre-emptive defense. It’s not because of any sense of justice or retribution.

Well you probably wont believe this but a friend of mine said that he once walked into his shed and there was this big wasp colony. He saw them and slowly backed away. He began to daily walk in and walk out and soon they had an “understanding” that he wouldnt harm them and they would not go after him. It worked well that he easily could just walk in and out doing his business and the wasps would peacefully go about theirs. While if another person tried this, the wasps went after them. Well once he walked in and one particular wasp was being aggressive towards him. He left and when he came back, that wasp was dead and the others were acting peaceful. It seems they “took care of one of their own”.

So while you might think a particular wasp might not be so smart, hive insects can form a central “brain” and have higher level thinking. This is why often beekeepers can work around their own hives and not get stung while the bees will attack newcomers.

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