I find myself here again... likely more than once. I am 75 now but from before I was 10, I had a burning interest in wasps and other social insects. Every year I managed to find several either Northern Paper wasp or Yellowjacket nests in an old barn as well as throughout most of my neighborhood. I was forbidden to be in the aging barn but if there was a nest in there it always ended up being knocked down and later retrieved by me. I loved seeing all the stages of development. Wasteful, but I learned so much, mostly from the Northern Paper Wasp but from you too! Thank you for this video!
Hi b. Always good to hear from you. Thanks for your comment and your interest in our videos. Your thoughts and memories are always interesting to hear about. Wish there were more people with your level of interest in wasps. Wasps need all the friends they can get these days!
A group of paper wasps were building a nest near my front door. I wanted to leave them alone, but at one point when a family member was walking past and looked at them, they flew at my family member. We interpreted it as an attack. Based on your commentary, now I wonder. Anyway, I found a non-lethal way to encourage them to build a nest elsewhere. I felt bad destroying their nest. I hope they found another safe site to continue their work and I wish them well. After having this experience, I discovered warmth and empathy and appreciation for these little guys. Thank you so much for making this video showcasing them and their interesting lives. ❤
@maxillariadendrobulum4079 - Hi m. Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the video. We always recommend removing/relocating any wasp nest when the wasps begin to show defensive behavior towards people. As beneficial as wasps are in the ecosystem, no wasp is beneficial enough to allow them to sting or threaten your family! Great that you have developed a better understanding of wasps - keep it up and enjoy them whenever you can, but remove them when you need to. It's all about finding that proper balance with nature.
Was out of town for a few weeks and came back to find a nest on the patio. Mid March (Florida) there are about 5/6 Wasps on the Nest. It got in the 50's last week and I noticed they were huddled together all day.
Hi artax. Thanks for your comment. Always great to have a paper wasp nest on your property to help control your pest insect population - which they'll feed to their young. As long as they are not in an unsafe place (sting risk) let them develop a nice strong nest. Take good care of them. They are your friends in the local ecosystem!
Hi C3023. Merci pour votre commentaire. Nous apprécions l'intérêt que vous portez à notre chaîne ! Thank you for your comment. We appreciate your interest in our channel!
Hello Davis S. Thanks for visiting our channel and for your comment. It is indeed interesting how some wasp species evolved to create exposed nests (Polistes, Paper Wasps) yet others cover their nests entirely in envelope (Yellowjackets, Hornets, etc), or bury nests in the ground (Solitary Wasps), etc. From an evolutionary standpoint, it would be fun to research exactly why this occurred. If anybody out there has any scientific insight or armchair/observational theories on that, please do share your thoughts!
I have a nest above my head as I sit on my front porch. While watching the nest, I would notice that sometimes all of the activities on the nest seem to stop. Like they are frozen. Then another wasp will come along and they all get back to work. Are the workers napping while the Queen is away?
@marykayeckert4961 - Thanks for sharing your comment. Great observation! If you are watching paper wasps (open comb with no outer paper envelope covering over it), they often sit on the nest and do nothing. They are resting in the heat and also standing by guarding and monitoring the nest. The queen foundress typically remains on the nest most of the time, and she will continually police/control the others to make sure they continue supporting the nest, foraging, caring for the larvae, etc. She also makes sure they do not try to lay eggs of their own, which they sometimes do. This way she controls the population and sex of the workers born on the nest (keeping the proper ratio of females to males to gynes (fertile queens born to mate then hibernate over winter until the nest season when they become queens of their own nests).
I find myself here again... likely more than once. I am 75 now but from before I was 10, I had a burning interest in wasps and other social insects. Every year I managed to find several either Northern Paper wasp or Yellowjacket nests in an old barn as well as throughout most of my neighborhood. I was forbidden to be in the aging barn but if there was a nest in there it always ended up being knocked down and later retrieved by me. I loved seeing all the stages of development. Wasteful, but I learned so much, mostly from the Northern Paper Wasp but from you too! Thank you for this video!
Hi b. Always good to hear from you. Thanks for your comment and your interest in our videos. Your thoughts and memories are always interesting to hear about. Wish there were more people with your level of interest in wasps. Wasps need all the friends they can get these days!
A group of paper wasps were building a nest near my front door. I wanted to leave them alone, but at one point when a family member was walking past and looked at them, they flew at my family member. We interpreted it as an attack. Based on your commentary, now I wonder. Anyway, I found a non-lethal way to encourage them to build a nest elsewhere. I felt bad destroying their nest. I hope they found another safe site to continue their work and I wish them well. After having this experience, I discovered warmth and empathy and appreciation for these little guys. Thank you so much for making this video showcasing them and their interesting lives. ❤
@maxillariadendrobulum4079 - Hi m. Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the video. We always recommend removing/relocating any wasp nest when the wasps begin to show defensive behavior towards people. As beneficial as wasps are in the ecosystem, no wasp is beneficial enough to allow them to sting or threaten your family! Great that you have developed a better understanding of wasps - keep it up and enjoy them whenever you can, but remove them when you need to. It's all about finding that proper balance with nature.
Was out of town for a few weeks and came back to find a nest on the patio. Mid March (Florida) there are about 5/6 Wasps on the Nest. It got in the 50's last week and I noticed they were huddled together all day.
Hi artax. Thanks for your comment. Always great to have a paper wasp nest on your property to help control your pest insect population - which they'll feed to their young. As long as they are not in an unsafe place (sting risk) let them develop a nice strong nest. Take good care of them. They are your friends in the local ecosystem!
Belle video Intéressante merci bien❤😊
Hi C3023. Merci pour votre commentaire. Nous apprécions l'intérêt que vous portez à notre chaîne ! Thank you for your comment. We appreciate your interest in our channel!
Very interesting, fascinating and informative. Thank you.
@CarolynYanik - Thanks for joining us! Stay tuned for a busy 2024 wasp season!
so interesting to see them do their thing!
@SolarMoth - We agree! Wasps are fascinating subjects to observe. Enjoy!
Cool
Hi ss. Thanks for your comment. We appreciate your interest in our channel. Hope you find more content to enjoy.
Great video!
@jcraigshelton - Thanks for your comment! Glad you enjoyed the episode. Stay tuned for a busy 2024 wasp season!
Interesting how paper wasps don't use envelope around their nests like yellow jackets and hornets do. Their nests are also much smaller.
Hello Davis S. Thanks for visiting our channel and for your comment. It is indeed interesting how some wasp species evolved to create exposed nests (Polistes, Paper Wasps) yet others cover their nests entirely in envelope (Yellowjackets, Hornets, etc), or bury nests in the ground (Solitary Wasps), etc. From an evolutionary standpoint, it would be fun to research exactly why this occurred. If anybody out there has any scientific insight or armchair/observational theories on that, please do share your thoughts!
I have a nest above my head as I sit on my front porch. While watching the nest, I would notice that sometimes all of the activities on the nest seem to stop. Like they are frozen. Then another wasp will come along and they all get back to work. Are the workers napping while the Queen is away?
@marykayeckert4961 - Thanks for sharing your comment. Great observation! If you are watching paper wasps (open comb with no outer paper envelope covering over it), they often sit on the nest and do nothing. They are resting in the heat and also standing by guarding and monitoring the nest. The queen foundress typically remains on the nest most of the time, and she will continually police/control the others to make sure they continue supporting the nest, foraging, caring for the larvae, etc. She also makes sure they do not try to lay eggs of their own, which they sometimes do. This way she controls the population and sex of the workers born on the nest (keeping the proper ratio of females to males to gynes (fertile queens born to mate then hibernate over winter until the nest season when they become queens of their own nests).