Back in July we posted some photos of a remarkably large elongated paper wasp nest hanging from a tree limb in our neighbor’s yard.
The wasps were actively working to make this three foot long nest even longer, so we determined to leave it alone and perhaps get some pictures of its’ construction after it fell from the tree.
About two weeks ago while Eileen and Jeff were visiting we noticed that the nest had either fallen or was knocked down from the tree. I went down with my camera and looked for pieces of the nest on the ground. A small portion of the nest was still in place high up on the branch.
The rest of the nest had broken into sections which had been compartments in the long nest. I collected a handful of the sections and brought them home to look at them in more detail.
Each of the layers are concave circles with one side full of cell-like compartments and the other smooth paper-like substance. All of these sections probably weighed less than an ounce, so the entire three foot long nest was probably weighed less than a pound when empty of wasps.
The cell-like compartments presumably each held a wasp egg and was vacated when the wasps were born. The birthing cells were positioned upside down when the nest was hanging in the tree, so the newborn wasps would drop down to the smooth side and flow toward an exit hole which would lead the newborn to the birthing compartment directly below his or her compartment.
The newborn wasp would keep falling/crawling downward until it emerged at the exit hole where adult wasps were working away creating new layers of birthing compartments always carefully keeping the exit path open.
I tried to stack the pieces that I had collected in a way to show its’ original design. The nest is made of thin paper-like substance and is very fragile, so most of the nest was broken after falling the fifteen feet or so to the ground. Still these pictures show a bit how the nest looked when it was together.
The last picture is actually upside down from the original.
I am sure that some of you insect lovers are wondering what the poor wasps are doing now that their nest has fallen. I know I did. So for the last few days I have been searching the trees in our area to see if I could spot any new nests.
Sure enough, while I was walking Nakita (our friend’s dog we are watching this week) I spotted this nest in a tree about forty feet from the fence line high up in an acacia tree that is currently leafless.
A closer look shows that the ever vigilant worker wasps are busy building a new nesting site for future generations of San Clemente wasps.
This nest is far from occupied houses and is high up in an open field area, so perhaps the wasps will be left alone to make a new nest even longer and bigger than the one from Heinz’s yard. I will periodically monitor its’ progress here where…
Life is (buzzing-ly) good in Ecuador!
Nice John. Glad they found a new home. Great story with a happy ending. 🙂
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Pretty interesting the way those little wasps can work together to create a rather intricate structure. I will watch the new one develop.
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the pictures of the structure are amazing to me…nature at it’s smartest…and the new nest is growing fast..
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The truth is that there are probably dozens of similar nests within a few blocks, but this is the one I found. Life goes on and these wasps seem to be well suited to life here.
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What great pictures and information! So interesting!!!
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Thanks, we are glad you liked it. These insects all fascinate me, so I will keep trying to see what they do and how they live.
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This is so interesting. The only kind of wasps nests I’ve ever seen here in California have been in a corner of a porch. Never this large, or long, so I’m really enjoying your discovery!
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We keep finding things that are new to us too. It is really quite fun and it is good to have the time to just look and observe nature around us.
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Did you learn their diligence and persistence from them, or them from you? You are Master at dispensing interesting info. Good post. 🙂
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I was raised by a Master Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy – I was either born with or had diligence and persistence taught to me at an early age. Some day I will relate an incident I had in Boot Camp in San Diego many years ago that illustrates that point. Glad you like following our posts.
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it’s much easier to peer into an abandoned nest than one intact and abuzz with life! it’s so great that you did this for us, and we don’t have to doge angry wasps! it’s a beautiful nest, even in pieces!
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Thank you – I was pretty amazed at the details of the work those little wasps did. The closer I look the more amazing nature seems to be.
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Do you think these huge nests are used by multiple generations if it is not destroyed, or if they build a new one each year to lay eggs in? Do they sting? The nest parts in your pics are amazing! I love seeing intricate insect nests minus the insects and they are quite different here in NC that I grew up with farther south. We have 3 huge black wasp nests in our car port that Bob refuses to let me spray; but drew the line in the sand when we noticed a HUGE hornet nest being built on the edge of the patio! It was amazing how complicated it was constructed by the same papery substance in your wasp nest and it was very, very strong. Thanks for sharing the new things you find in nature so I can be on the look-out for them on our next trip down!
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Glenda – I doubt these nests would last through too many storms. They are plenty strong, but the length of them exposes them to wind and rain. If it had not fallen when it did, I suspect it would have been washed away during rainy season or blown down in a storm.
But, you are right the construction technique is pretty intricate and advanced for simple insects. One thing about these wasp is that they are very docile. I have picked them up out of our bird bath and have had them around my face and body, but have never been stung.
We are glad you liked the pictures!
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We can see a nest from our veranda that looks like it is growing!!
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Yes, they are busy little guys!
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So interesting!!
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