The noun ἀκαλήφη (stinging nettle) is used here as a metaphor for the aggressive, stinging nature of the litigious citizenry (the 'wasps') or, more specifically, the malicious lawsuits brought against the elderly. The choice of this specific plant, rather than a generic term for harm, relies on its characteristic stinging hairs and the sudden pain it inflicts, mirroring the experience of being dragged into court by a pro-demos rhetorician. While the plant is common, its metaphorical application to legal harassment in Old Comedy is a specific rhetorical device of Aristophanes, contrasting the organic, natural sting with the artificial, man-made sting of the law.