After finding the black widow spider yesterday, I didn't expect to have another amazing bug discovery today! It must be mating season for bugs because I found this wasp protecting her nest.
I couldn't resist getting a view from the other side! Don't worry, I didn't actually get that close!
Again my incredibly BRAVE husband sprayed the nest, and he even detached it so that we could look inside after we were sure it was safe. We wanted to look inside because of the larvae that came out after we sprayed the nest. The three small objects are the larvae, and behind it is the nest. The inside of the nest was empty, but Adam said that it was attached very securely. I am just amazed by God's creativity as I examine his creation!
For those of you with children at home, below are some interesting facts about the life cycle of wasps.
For those of you with children at home, below are some interesting facts about the life cycle of wasps.
"Let's think a little about the life cycle of the kind of wasp shown above.
Let's say that it's early spring. A female wasp like the one above has just emerged from winter hibernation, built the paper nest she's sitting on, and laid eggs in the cells. When the eggs hatch she'll feed the larvae with prey she brings to them in their cells.
Eventually adult female wasps will emerge from the nest cells, and at that point the wasp in the picture will stop foraging, become a queen, and begin ruling her offspring, known as workers, by aggressively dominating them.
As a consequence of confrontations and aggressive interactions, each individual in the community will soon know who dominates them, and whom they can dominate. If the queen dies or is otherwise lost, the most aggressive worker takes over. This worker begins laying eggs and continues to dominate all below her.
As summer progresses, the nest is enlarged, more eggs are laid, more workers produced, and the queen dominates more and more workers. It's possible that an even more aggressive and powerful wasp from outside the colony will come, overthrow the queen and become queen herself.
The wasp in the top picture, then, is preparing to set up a ruthless society of slaves that will be kept in line by force...
Here's the point I'm making by telling you the general life cycle of the above kind of wasp::
If you know basic life-cycle information about the various groups of insects, every time you meet an insect you'll understand much more about it than just what you see before you."
Let's say that it's early spring. A female wasp like the one above has just emerged from winter hibernation, built the paper nest she's sitting on, and laid eggs in the cells. When the eggs hatch she'll feed the larvae with prey she brings to them in their cells.
Eventually adult female wasps will emerge from the nest cells, and at that point the wasp in the picture will stop foraging, become a queen, and begin ruling her offspring, known as workers, by aggressively dominating them.
As a consequence of confrontations and aggressive interactions, each individual in the community will soon know who dominates them, and whom they can dominate. If the queen dies or is otherwise lost, the most aggressive worker takes over. This worker begins laying eggs and continues to dominate all below her.
As summer progresses, the nest is enlarged, more eggs are laid, more workers produced, and the queen dominates more and more workers. It's possible that an even more aggressive and powerful wasp from outside the colony will come, overthrow the queen and become queen herself.
The wasp in the top picture, then, is preparing to set up a ruthless society of slaves that will be kept in line by force...
Here's the point I'm making by telling you the general life cycle of the above kind of wasp::
If you know basic life-cycle information about the various groups of insects, every time you meet an insect you'll understand much more about it than just what you see before you."
**Info taken from www.backyardnature.net
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