The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutJanuary 15, 2004 - Wonders of the wasp world The Suffolk Times • January 15, 2004 O� �� o e was wor _._._.-- ��, , ,.,, �r� �M ,, �� .,., �� U.. 1 M l �.. � H�� p/�Ir �� /�l�F, �Nl A . !�u�4 �h' � .. tii �� a"� �r. :'L �,m� A $ �."� � �. � '� I P�q�H��l i�h"��n�m,MAHNI"� µ � � ,�u. ..b��. . ��, .„,�, �, ��',:� rr �,,,�r..� . d � . . ��%-: '�� ' �4�n . yn�r,�r�r "�""�� ' _l �►,�i, � � <�e . N��.. y �. x r:, � .�i'�� v�' .�. . �.. �%6i .,�,�� ' � � � �►�""", � � " Wa�ps are � �� A ��a' � ��.'� believed to '` - �`" be the �irst ` " . �,�,w;u , .. , makers of �� °` �-�° paper. ��,�,�.� �M .. . ..�1 .. . {�`�'• T . �r � t �� l��N �� . r �. w�JfI�1 � M� ry��p� . , . . �1"� .J" '��' ,�� r� �/ µ ��, �,�. - �..rII. ' .� ,�F. ryllll�l�� l/��1��!lI 4 ! ii: it wz. �I. [ .. � V� I/�I � ��lN �� 'fu ��l lI I ll �y{�� .:. , j1�I��a��k� �l 'I�� y:;. � . �. �� . ...., . �., �;.. .. ,.. � l l�:i��'I;cviow photos by Paul Slou(enburgh Above: Since the bold-faced horneYs nest is never used for more than one season, it makes an ideal hands-on lesson for young people to become acquainted with the world around them.At right: A gold- enrod gall cut in half to expose the grub that is normally safe inside. Galls come in all shapes and sizes and are found on limbs stems leaves and even the roots of lants. WHEN THE �E.avEs coNtE off the about big,gray paper wasp nests that impregnate queen who finds a place trees we can see what has been hid- are too close to their house,giving rea to hide and get away from winter's den during the green months of sum- concern about someone's being stung. chill.She is the sole survivor,for once mer.One of the things that I notice Seeing that these wasps can really winter takes over,the nest is no longer when we go for a walk or drive along inflict a mean sting,I suggest leaving used and is abandoned.I've often cut the roadway is the occasion- the nest alone unless it's really close nests down and given them al basketball-size nest of the to where people walk,for it's a real to science teachers to bring bold-faced or whtte-faced job to remove and a somewhat dan- into their classrooms to hornet.And,of course,we gerous one as well.If the person show the students the mar- can always pick out the leaf insists on having it removed,I suggest vcls of the paper nest of the nests of the gray squirrel, they hire a professional pest control bold-faced hornet. which we talked about last person who knows how get rid of the I might have led you to week.During the summer- nest safely. believe there was only one time I get many calls from The nest itself is a fascinating struc- yueen that survived but,no people who are concerned ture.It all starts with an over-winterin there are more than one l J�+ v '; �d µw �" faced hornets all this for the sole pur- � � ��,�� > � �� ti ; ��.,.`,,,-,�� u,�; � pose of perpetuating the species.The � a , � �"«r� 3��i . � '"ti%��, � � � n� a � �r�� ,; army of workers will die off as winter ' u � � �'�� arrives.Only a few of the queens,as I ,��f , , ,, , ,� riu�� „ „� �,; mentioned earlier,will live through � '"`�r � '�� ✓�' ��`-„ � ,r„� ,,� �� ,' ,',� the winter.Their ob will be to start %< , � ��4� ��µ"'�,�- anew come spring. � Today the only reminder we have of G , °" , ^��M , , ' their dedication to life is the occasion- � �° , ; -r ,� al sight of one of their now-empty ry�!�� r�,� � nests,another one of the wonders that � �°""" '�°'''` �""'"""""� �OGUS are all about us. A � ��N Since we are on the subject of seein ,p� "^� �,� ,�' �N things with the leaves off the trees,I " ° NATU RE �'onder how many of you have ever � � seen or recognized a gall.They are �� ` � �, by PBuI usually odd-looking shapes found on �� Stoutenburgh plants and trees including the leaves �' and roots. ' Some are round,like ping-pong � balls.Others are little projections on ., � thc leaves;while others appear as '��.r� 9R�� gnarled black masses like we would �x��, �� find on a cherry tree.All are part of � �� ' the fascinating world of galls,of which ; � � there are over 2,000 different kinds.A �� gall is created when an insect,looking ""` "� h', , !'�'I�I fc�r a place to lay its eggs,injects an `� '��II�I �,!�';""ii' irritant into the stem of a plant,caus- ing the area aro.und it to swell up ancl chan e sha e. � e ins ect th g en 1 P aces P that winter over,but they are the only the egg inside the stem,where it is ones that do.Even some of those hornets'mouths and mixed with saliva nourished by the gall,which surrounds meet disaster when mice and birds to make a sort of paste,which when �t and provides a safe haven for its seek out their hiding places and feast cured becomes watertight and surpris- development. on their sleeping bodies.And so the ingly strong.They plaster it onto the Let's take a typical gall,an easy one few that do remain are the ones that �utside of the hive,layer by layer,cre- to find.It's the one found on the stem start new colonies at new locations, ating the big basketball-size nest that of a goldenrod plant.It will be a the old nests never to be used again. they are so well known for.Wasps are swelling a little larger than The queen will deposit 20 or 30 eggs believed to be the first makers of the size of a marble,caused in the specially designed cells she has Paper.Millions of years ago,they were by an insect that injected a built on some limb or in your shrub- building their paper nests before man stimulant and inside it placed bery or even tucked under the eaves even came into the picture.All this one of its eggs.In some cases of your house.We've mentioned building Df the nest,with its intricate the egg remains over the before the nest that was attached to a ducts of air conditioning and water- winter and in other cases it bird feeder and we also saw a nest proofing,might make it seem like the hatches into a little larva that attached to a front porch light.All this �'asps have intelligence.But no,it is winters over and feasts on time the queen is living on liquid nec- strictly instinct that rules what they the rich protein inside the tar,for her throat will only allow liq- Will do. gall.Come spring,the newly devel- uids to pass. Unlike honeybees,which have sepa- oped adult insect will emerge into the This small nucleus of eggs will hatch rate jobs for different members of the world of danger. and be cared for by the queen for a colony,the worker wasps perform I say"world of danger"because now very limited time.Once the eggs are �'hatever job is necessary at the time. birds and mice and snakes are all look- hatched and pupation takes place They can switch from one job to �ng for a newly emerged free meal.It's (young grubs change into wasps),the another.They bring in solid had the protection of the gall all win- young take up the task of building the foods to the ravenously eat- ter but even there it was not safe from hive larger,feeding the queen,and ing grubs.This is why we predators,for woodpeckers and mice taking care of all the other duties nec- often see them snitching look for such swellings on plant stems, essary for enlarging the nest. food from our picnic table knowing all too well that inside there's The queen becomes a factory that to feed the young.A sweet an egg or grub that would make a nice only produces eggs,which she puts liquid is excreted from the meal.So some never mature because into the hexagon-shaped cells now grubs as a reward to the their lives were cut short by a hungry being built by the worker wasps.These �'orkers. predator.And so,your winter walks cells are marvels of engineering as And so from their very can be more than just physical exer- they are the ultimate in utilizing space. beginning,when the queen laid her cise.They can be interesting and chal- Once there are enough layers of cells eggs,the nest has grown to the large lenging events in the world of natural prepared,the workers collect soft pulp gray paper nest that houses hundreds history,which is always coming up with of dead trees that is worked in the and even thousands of busy bold- something new.