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Wasp princess and drone

micearguersmicearguers CambridgePosts: 605
in Wildlife gardening

I took these one week ago, a future queen wasp and a drone mating. They were engaged for at least five minutes. The size of the female was quite impressive. Female wasps like this seem to preferably hibernate in my woodstore.

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Posts

  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,531

    Reported - pornography not allowed. image

  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 21,134

    Does she stay pregnant all winter or lay the eggs somewhere now?

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • micearguersmicearguers CambridgePosts: 605

    Lyn, I just found this site: https://www.wasp-removal.com/wasp-lifecycle.php Written by removal people but very informative and succinct. The queen starts the initial stage of a nest (from woodpulp), with cells in which she lays the first eggs. This is in spring. There are intriguing pictures of how queens protect their wings and antennae during winter hibernation.

    josusa47 - just as I found my inner Attenborough!

  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 21,134

    Thank you for finding that link, very informative.

    I used to be scared of wasps, well, I did disturb a nest once and had hundreds of stings? but after watching one in my conservatory hoover up greenfly in a second, I would never kill another one. Very useful garden pest. 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • ElliandraElliandra Posts: 7

    Hi Lyn, you are very brave, I could never get near enough to one to actually kill it.  Gut give me bees any day.

  • ElliandraElliandra Posts: 7

    Sorry Lyn  But not Gut.   image

  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 48,921

    Fantastic photos - you must be thrilled you got those  image

    Great predators - they get such a rough deal. I love watching them harvest wood from fences etc. Fantastic.

    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • micearguersmicearguers CambridgePosts: 605

    Thanks Fairygirl! Yes it was fantastic being able to snap them. I love these moments in the garden - birds are so much harder to photograph. It's never birds, usually insects for me with just the phone camera.

    Agree, I love wasps as much as the next critter. The woodstore situation worries me, I try to turn every log over now and set it apart if I find a queen -- this year none yet. The insects that are not on my Christmas list are mosquitos and horseflies and where I live the latter aren't around.

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