European Wasp

The European wasp's yellow-and-black striping is perhaps the world's most imitated warning pattern. This honest signal—backed by a genuinely painful and repeatable sting—has created an entire mimicry industry. Countless harmless insects, from hoverflies to beetles to moths, have evolved wasp-like coloration to exploit predator wariness. The wasp's authentic danger creates public goods: predator education that benefits any species appearing similar.

Unlike poison dart frogs that sacrifice themselves to educate predators, wasps can sting repeatedly without dying, making individual-level signal enforcement practical. A bird that attacks a wasp learns immediately and survives to avoid similar patterns. This repeatable punishment creates stronger, faster predator education than single-use defenses. The wasp can personally ensure its warning is respected rather than relying on kin selection to spread avoidance learning.

For business strategy, the European wasp illustrates how credible, repeatable enforcement creates ecosystem-wide effects. Companies that vigorously protect trademarks, sue patent infringers, or punish contract breakers create deterrence that extends beyond specific incidents. The reputation for enforcement—like the wasp's reputation for stinging—becomes a broad-spectrum defense. Competitors and imitators learn to maintain distance from anything resembling the protected space.

The mimicry the wasp enables also demonstrates strategic spillovers. By being genuinely dangerous, wasps inadvertently protect numerous harmless species. Similarly, a company's fierce trademark defense might protect an entire industry's brand premium, or a union's strike capability might raise wages for non-union workers too. The wasp doesn't benefit from protecting hoverflies, but its enforced signal creates unavoidable positive externalities.