![]() ![]() ![]() The new neighbours removed the old nest before I had the opportunity to see it. Unfortunately, I was unable to get myself into a position to be able to take a photograph of the wasp nest. Our neighbours had sold the house and had already moved out. They were using it to construct a nest in ivy growing up an old tree in our neighbour's garden. Last year, wasps here were collecting material from our garden fencing (above). Seeing these markings could indicate there is or has been a wasp nest nearby. Wasps have been gathering material with which to create pulp for constructing their nests. Wasp nest are actually amazing: intricate, precise, clever.Ībove: If you look very closely, there are pale white, vertical scratches on this old piece of wooden fencing. Indeed, this hexagonal structure is of course used by honey bees too! You can see more images on my page: structure of a social wasp nest. The hexagonal cell structure is a super efficient way to use space and fit compartments together, whilst using the minimum amount of materials (and hence resources). ![]() You can see the structure is composed of neat, hexagonal shaped cells in which the young are reared. These photographs below show a little of the inside of the social wasp Wasp nest construction: how are wasp nests made?Īs stated before, wasps are magnificent architects! Truly! In actual fact, some wasp deterrents use this principle to advantage, by creating a 'dummy' nest to dissuade queens from starting colonies nearby. The reason for this is that social wasps are territorial and typically avoid founding new colonies close to other nests. Indeed, it is for this reason that if you wish to deter wasps building a nest in the same place the following year, it is advisable to leave at least part of the nest structure in place once the nest has been abandoned. In warm weather, and maybe in different geographical regions, a colony may thrive longer. As with bumble bees, only the queens survive to establish future colonies and the rest of the colony dies. You can read more about this on my page about wasp galls. Of course, some wasp species don't create nests to rear their offspring, but cause galls to form on the leaves and twigs of trees and bushes. What Do Wasp Nests Look Like?īelow are pictures of wasp nests, some of them sent in to me by readers sharing their experiences.Ī social wasp nest, depending on the species and number of wasps, can be a fantastic and sophisticated structure - truly architectural masterpieces to rival the honeycombs made by honey bees!Ībove: Wasp nest found in a garden shrub - my thanks to Kelly Pinnick for permission to use this image ![]() No doubt, the type of wasp people are mostly concerned about, are the black and yellow social wasps, which may be attracted to sweet, sugary drinks, and can form large colonies.īut anyway, here's more information about wasp nests, and if you are worried about nests and wasps in your garden, then there are ways you can deter them from building a nest where they are not wanted, as I'll explain below. In the garden, wasps are largely helpful, although you may think otherwise if you have lots of them feeding from the ripe plums from your plum tree. In fact, as with bees, there are actually thousands of wasp species, and most are solitary and are pretty harmless, although if disturbed, some species can deliver a pretty painful sting. Even some farmers are harnessing the humble wasp for this very purpose - you can read about this on my page about farming and wasps. Understood), and as natural 'pest control', because they can help keep down populations of crop eating ‘pests’. Has to be said that on balance, wasps are very beneficial insects both as pollinators (whose role is probably not fully It's true that wasp nests are not usually welcomed by humans, but it Wasp Nests - Identification And What To Do About Them ![]()
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