gall wasp

noun

1. any wasp of the family Cynipidae, the larvae of which form characteristic galls on plants.

gall wasp

noun

1. any small solitary wasp of the family Cynipidae and related families that produces galls in plant tissue, which provide shelter and food for the larvae

Word History and Origins

Origin of gall wasp¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Gall insects are everywhere: It is estimated that 1,000 species of gall wasps in North America are responsible for the galls on oaks alone.

From Seattle Times

“Each gall wasp is attacked by between 10 and 25 different species of parasites.”

From New York Times

Then, puncturing the gall, it injects its eggs, beside or inside the young oak gall wasp.

From New York Times

After feeding on the gall wasp’s body from the inside, the crypt-keeper wasp burrows out of the hosts' head.

From Fox News

To find out how many hosts this “hypermanipulator” has, researchers collected more than 23,000 galls containing more than 100 species of oak gall wasps—and some crypt keepers.

From Science Magazine