Sunday 19 May 2013

Parked up too long?

When we opened the car tailgate the other day we noticed we had some potentially new residents.


The structure has been made by wasps and in the past we have come across the same type of nest on our front door casing and on the window casings. We blogged about them here.

Our friend and insect expert Tim commented on these saying: "These are not your normal wasps and do not need to be removed... this is as large as this nest gets! They are a semi-social hunting wasp Polistes gallicus or similar... they are called "paper wasps". They build a 'communal' nest. Each cell is filled with caterpillar [paralyzed] upon which the egg is laid. Each wasp is a female and adds as many cells to the nest as she has eggs. I've handled these without getting stung..." 

Perhaps these are 'Traveler Wasps' and wanted something more mobile!!

6 comments:

Tim said...

This is smaller than your other one... but...
'tis a good job it wasn't mason beez!!

Our '56 2CV is missing a cap on the door hinges...
a couple of years ago, we got a full 8" of bee cells, pollen and mud down the tube!!
They had perished in the cold over winter I think... not insulated like the wood blox.

I am thinking that a little colony of them would end up in the UK and be done for no passports!!

Jean said...

Well I never !,
It reminds me of the time Nick found a wasp nest in the hood of his anorak. The one that had been hanging outside the back door for years. He found the nest, complete with wasps, when he put the jacket on one morning.....

Colin and Elizabeth said...

Dear me, Jean... That sounds a potentially very nasty situation! It beats the mouse in my wellies by a long way!

Jean said...

Oh I dunno, a mouse in the wellies sounds pretty scary to me !!!

The Broad said...

So, are you going to remove it or let it hang around? I would not like to have a mouse in my wellies or a 'bee in my bonnet' -- so to speak!

Colin and Elizabeth said...

It is still there and will be there till it falls off