Fairy Facts™

Fairies are tiny, flying, insectile humanoids.
Fairies stand 50 cm (1'8") tall at maturity.
Fairies have black skin and yellow hair.
Fairies have purple eyes and eyeshine.
Fairies have large, bee-like abdomens.
Fairy abdomens extend 25 cm (10") behind the fairy.
Fairy abdomens have black and yellow stripes.
Fairies secrete wax from between the segments of their abdomens.
Fairies shed their abdominal exoskeletons yearly.
Fairies have stings on the tips of their abdomens.
Fairy stings are 5 cm (2") long and can be retracted.
Fairy stings deliver a pain-inducing, paralytic toxin.
Fairies can control how much toxin they deliver.
Fairies have cloacae below their stings.
Fairies have short, pointed ears.
Fairies can move their ears independently.
Fairies have sharp, uniform teeth.
Fairies shed their teeth yearly.
Fairies have short, bee-like wings.
Fairy wings beat rapidly, producing a buzz.

Fairies are unisexual and reproduce asexually.
Fairies are near clones of their mother.
Fairies lay eggs.
Fairy eggs are small, round, and white.
Fairy eggs are 3 cm (1.2") in diameter.
Fairies lay 1 clutch of 5 eggs a year.
Fairies lay 1 egg a day until all eggs are laid.
Fairies hatch as 5 cm (2") long larvae after 2 weeks.
Fairy larvae moult weekly.
Fairy larvae grow 2 cm (0.8") each moult.
Fairy larvae emerge from their 6th moult as pupae.
Fairies pupate for 2 months before emerging as 25 cm (10") children.
Fairies reach maturity after 5 years.
Fairies live for 40 years.

Fairies are primitively eusocial.
Fairies have 2 castes: queen and worker.
Fairy queens are thicker and heavier than workers.
Fairy queens have larger abdomens than workers.
Fairy queen abdomens extend 35 cm (1'2") behind the queen.
Fairy queens cannot fly as well as workers.

Fairies can change castes.
Fairies take a month to change castes.
Fairy workers gain weight rapidly when becoming queens.
Fairy queens lose weight rapidly when becoming workers.
Fairies shed their abdominal exoskeletons weekly when changing castes.

Fairies only accept 1 queen at a time.
Fairy workers can challenge their queens for queendom.
Fairy challenges are often resolved nonviolently.
Fairy challenges are often resolved in the queen's favor.
Fairy queens are challenged more often as they age.

Fairies produce pheromones.
Alarm pheromone induces aggression in other fairies.
Fairies produce alarm pheromone when stinging.
Trail pheromone leads other fairies to marked places.
Fairies leave trail pheromone on landmarks instead of in continuous lines.
Brood pheromone induces maternal behaviors in mature fairies.
Fairy larvae and pupae produce brood pheromone.
Queen pheromone inhibits egg-laying in worker fairies.
Fairy queens produce queen pheromone.
Egg pheromone identifies queen-laid eggs.
Fairies destroy eggs without egg pheromone.

Fairies are carnivorous predators and scavengers.
Fairies hunt insects and small animals.
Fairies paralyze their prey before killing them.