A couple of days ago, while with my students I came across a paper wasp nest affixed to a Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica). It wasn’t too big, and I couldn’t tell if there was anything really going on within the individual cells. I ended up pruning the top of the Buckthorn off and bringing the nest home.
This obviously led so a big series of questions and an even bigger investigation into who made this particular nest, how, and how the ongoing life cycles of these animals plays out.
As per usual, it was a lot of fun.
To learn more :
Tracks and Sign of Insects and Other Invertebrates by Charley Eiseman and Noah Charney. Stackpole Books, 2010.
Wasps by Heather Holm. Pollination Press, 2021.
Guide to Observing Insect Lives by Donald M. Stokes. Little, Brown, 1983.
Nutritional Value of the Larvae of the Alien Invasive Wasp Vespa velutina nigrithorax and Amino Acid Composition of the Larval Saliva by Hyeyoon Jeong, Ja Min Kim, Beomsu Kim, Ju-Ock Nam, Dongyup Hahn, Moon Bo Choi. Foods, 2020.
Ep. 127 : Monday May 11, 2020 Gard Otis from the University of Guelph talks about the Asian Giant Hornet
