13 replies to this topic

[awesomezhnathan]

Hello, 

 

There has been a baldfaced hornet nest near where I live as well as numerous paper wasp nests, I have always wanted to keep wasps as I feel that they are simply ants with wings and a more potent stinger. Has anyone had experience with aerial nesting wasps of Dolchivespula or Polistes?

[T.C.]

I had attempted raising wasps, but all attempts were fails right out of the gates. Dermy has messed with wasps as well, so he may be able to give you some pointers.

[awesomezhnathan]

in that case how is raising wasps different from raising ants

[T.C.]

Wasps start out with a queen like ants. However they build a nest (unlike ants) to startthem off. They need access to the outside to get materials to do so. They as well need access to the outside for hunting when the larva come. They are just very different. They can't be trapped in a container like ants.

Edited by T.C., May 21 2017 - 2:50 PM.

[Cameron C. Thomas]

I don't have anything meaningful to contribute here; just wanted to say seeing the title "keeping Wasps" appear in the feed was one of those moments in my life when I see something and instantly recognize it as a horrible idea.

 

I spent the first 25-ish years of my life in southern Georgia and Florida, a region with incredible wasp diversity, and I've never had an encounter with a wasp that didn't want to take all happiness and meaning from my life seemingly out of spite. I couldn't fathom keeping them intentionally, murderous little hellions. 

[T.C.]

I don't have anything meaningful to contribute here; just wanted to say seeing the title "keeping Wasps" appear in the feed was one of those moments in my life when I see something and instantly recognize it as a horrible idea.
 
I spent the first 25-ish years of my life in southern Georgia and Florida, a region with incredible wasp diversity, and I've never had an encounter with a wasp that didn't want to take all happiness and meaning from my life seemingly out of spite. I couldn't fathom keeping them intentionally, murderous little hellions.

I have a background of keeping the strangest insects, from wasps to earwigs.

[Cameron C. Thomas]

 

I don't have anything meaningful to contribute here; just wanted to say seeing the title "keeping Wasps" appear in the feed was one of those moments in my life when I see something and instantly recognize it as a horrible idea.
 
I spent the first 25-ish years of my life in southern Georgia and Florida, a region with incredible wasp diversity, and I've never had an encounter with a wasp that didn't want to take all happiness and meaning from my life seemingly out of spite. I couldn't fathom keeping them intentionally, murderous little hellions.

I have a background of keeping the strangest insects, from wasps to earwigs.

 

 

Assuming you haven't spent much time down that way, you don't know these wasps, man. The extreme summer heat, and probably recreational bath salts from Florida, have warped their little insect minds. All they know is hatred and murder and rage.

[T.C.]

Haha, Yeah I've been down there, but never really observed them. The ones around here have pretty small numbers so they don't pose a great threat.

[brian]

I have never even thought about keeping them. But the only idea I can possible contribute is I once helped a friend who was into bees come up with this idea where one Side of the window of his house was covered with a tarp then he built a bee hive onto the other side of the glass outside. That way we could watch the bees on the inside in his offic but the bees could go about there day to day job outside. It worked fine for years until his home was hit by lighting and it burnt down. Sad end to a cool idea and interesting conversation piece

[Antking117]

This would be very cool, I would keep them here in Nebraska as well, but unfortunately they are, in my eyes, better to be observed through glass rather than let them fly around you while you check out their work.

[dermy]

You can't really "captive" keep them like ants. You need to free-range the colonies. Using a nest box you take the nest down [always the fun part] usually when there is a few workers [but not too many or it's too dangerous]. You need to then hotglue the nest [I'd recomend chilling it in the freezer for awhile, fridge will not faze Bald Face Hornets] keep checking on them in the freezer until they are completely "sleeping". They wake up in a heart-beat.

 

You have to quickly hot glue the nest to a nestbox [something like a bird-box works well] and make sure they are as far away from the old nest site [they will smell the old site and sometimes ditch and go there and try rebuilding again it's really annoying and dangerous because then you have go and catch them again, and they are edgy when they have already been disturbed]

 

I'll write up a better thing when I'm not running on no sleep. It's certainly not easy..... also, you will eventually get stung when keeping wasps, either when capturing them [I've had some close calls....... that have made me rethink even doing anything with wasps, the nightmares.....] so don't do it if you don't know or you do know you are allergic [although that should be a given]

[Martialis]

You can't really "captive" keep them like ants. You need to free-range the colonies. Using a nest box you take the nest down [always the fun part] usually when there is a few workers [but not too many or it's too dangerous]. You need to then hotglue the nest [I'd recomend chilling it in the freezer for awhile, fridge will not faze Bald Face Hornets] keep checking on them in the freezer until they are completely "sleeping". They wake up in a heart-beat.

 

You have to quickly hot glue the nest to a nestbox [something like a bird-box works well] and make sure they are as far away from the old nest site [they will smell the old site and sometimes ditch and go there and try rebuilding again it's really annoying and dangerous because then you have go and catch them again, and they are edgy when they have already been disturbed]

 

I'll write up a better thing when I'm not running on no sleep. It's certainly not easy..... also, you will eventually get stung when keeping wasps, either when capturing them [I've had some close calls....... that have made me rethink even doing anything with wasps, the nightmares.....] so don't do it if you don't know or you do know you are allergic [although that should be a given]

 

 

I thought you ran on coffee, not sleep?
 

Edited by Martialis, May 22 2017 - 4:11 AM.

[VenomousBeast]

So, technically, they don't NEED much space. Many people are successful with Large Cricket Keepers from Pet stores. You just need to obtain a queen/mated female depending on the species and provide honey and water. Also add Cardboard to build their paper nests if you are keeping paper wasps (Polistes) and mud, wood for other species. They will build their nests and lay eggs, after they hatch start adding proteins, for example caterpillars (commonly fed to hornets and wasps for protein) or crickets crushed up because for some reason they only eat soft proteins in their early stages. Over time you'll have workers and a larger colony. Just increase or keep consistent the amount you feed them and they will increase in population or meet an equilibrium where they population seems constant. Hope this helps and enjoy keeping wasps! 

[Trogolodytes]

I have a paper wasp queen, they’re relatively easy. Just any decently sized escape proof enclosure (preferably with an opening from the bottom to make feeding easy without escapes) will do, they need somewhere to start their nest like a slab of wood or a log stuck to the top of the enclosure. I wouldn’t recommend bald faced hornets unless you catch a queen and later release them as their colonies get huge. As for solitary wasps velvet ants are very easy to keep, but very difficult to breed as you need another species of ground dwelling wasp or bee already established for them to parasitise and it needs to be the species they use as a host. In theory most other species of solitary wasps are also relatively easy