6 replies to this topic

[Gregory2455]

Anybody here good with wasps?

So I have basically learned basic wasp keeping. However, I am in Southern California.  

I have not seen a wasp in about a year now I think, but I do know where to find some.

What time of the year is best to look for wasp queens?

[Here for the honeypots]

Found one snoozing in my wood stack last week.

[dermy]

Your best bet is to not waste time with getting a queen to start a nest but rather get a small nest with at least a queen and a few workers. I'd go for Polistes if you can find them [Paper Wasps] since they are much easier to take care of and don't get as big as Vespula Species do.

 

Next you need to put the nest [with the wasps] into the fridge for a bit so they can be safely removed from the nest [leave them in the fridge whilst you do this next part ;)

 

Put down about 3 squares of cardboard in one corner of a Kritter Keeper [I can get them cheap here in Canada don't know about you] and then hot glue the nest to the square that is ontop of the "bottom" of the kritter keeper.

 

After the nest has been secured [use lots of hot glue to get it down well enough!] then you can add a food dish/water dish and some cardboard stripes/wood [make sure no pesticides] then introduce the wasps.

 

For larvae feeding you'll need to provide a protein source, such as mealworms or crickets.

 

After about 5 days or so [The shorter period the better] it's best to let them free range, which is just basically putting the Kritter Keeper somewhere it is not in direct sunlight and away from people. It's a lot more fun to free-range wasp colonies then it is to worry about feeding them everyday [everytime you need to feed them you have to stick your hand in the enclosure, they hate that, that's how I always ended up getting stung by Vespula species.]

 

here's a youtube video detailing it all:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=JpgfFDxxbp0

 

Hope this helps, Next year I plan to relocate a nice little Vespula species nest
 

[Gregory2455]

That is awesome dermy! Thanks.

[Subverted]

I've found hibernating queens a lot under rocks or logs...but I have unfortunately had absolutely horrible luck with founding colonies.

 

I have heard that wasps can be come "hand tame" where they will recognize the person feeding them and not become aggressive.

[dermy]

I've found hibernating queens a lot under rocks or logs...but I have unfortunately had absolutely horrible luck with founding colonies.

 

I have heard that wasps can be come "hand tame" where they will recognize the person feeding them and not become aggressive.

Yeah, with Polistes, I don't think I know many people who hand tame Vespula species.....

[Zeiss]

I was given a nest of polistes with about 8 to 12 wasps on it.  Still in the jar it was given to me in since I don't have the money to buy a large enough container for them.