Insect architecture can be very cool.
Sept 30, 2021 1:13:04 GMT -8
panacanthus, Paul K, and 2 more like this
Post by trehopr1 on Sept 30, 2021 1:13:04 GMT -8
Insect architecture in all its myriad forms
can be fascinating to look at and somewhat
perplexing to fathom.
Homes built by insects must not only provide
shelter from the elements; they must serve as
home to the colony. A place where young are
cared for, food is brought, and the colony
thrives.
Here, in the US our social wasps make paper
nests of all sorts and sizes. The largest and
most elaborate are made by the Bald-faced Hornet
(Dolichovespula maculata) and the German Yellow-
jacket (Vespula germanica).
Bald-faced hornets make aerial nests whilst the
German Yellowjacket makes its nests either in
the ground or in voids between walls in homes.
Here is a photo of a corner in my "hobby room".
Above two stacks of my insect drawers (on a table)
I have placed the largest extant example of a
Bald-faced Hornet nest I've ever encountered.
It is the height of approx. 2 basketballs stacked
one on top the other. Circumference is that of a
medium sized beachball.
I have had it since September of 1990.
A friend of mine who has had a pest control business
for some 35 years was called on it. He said upon seeing
it he knew it was the largest one of its kind which he had
ever encountered in 16 years of business (at the time).
It was in a white pine tree situated directly in front of
these owners big picture window (of their home). They spent
all summer watching it grow in size but, became concerned
at its non-stop size increments and the number of occupants
coming and going.
My friend carefully treated it to kill the colony and then cut
the branch off to give to me. I claimed it the next day and
it has always held a "corner of reverence" in my room.
Unusual and thought provoking...
can be fascinating to look at and somewhat
perplexing to fathom.
Homes built by insects must not only provide
shelter from the elements; they must serve as
home to the colony. A place where young are
cared for, food is brought, and the colony
thrives.
Here, in the US our social wasps make paper
nests of all sorts and sizes. The largest and
most elaborate are made by the Bald-faced Hornet
(Dolichovespula maculata) and the German Yellow-
jacket (Vespula germanica).
Bald-faced hornets make aerial nests whilst the
German Yellowjacket makes its nests either in
the ground or in voids between walls in homes.
Here is a photo of a corner in my "hobby room".
Above two stacks of my insect drawers (on a table)
I have placed the largest extant example of a
Bald-faced Hornet nest I've ever encountered.
It is the height of approx. 2 basketballs stacked
one on top the other. Circumference is that of a
medium sized beachball.
I have had it since September of 1990.
A friend of mine who has had a pest control business
for some 35 years was called on it. He said upon seeing
it he knew it was the largest one of its kind which he had
ever encountered in 16 years of business (at the time).
It was in a white pine tree situated directly in front of
these owners big picture window (of their home). They spent
all summer watching it grow in size but, became concerned
at its non-stop size increments and the number of occupants
coming and going.
My friend carefully treated it to kill the colony and then cut
the branch off to give to me. I claimed it the next day and
it has always held a "corner of reverence" in my room.
Unusual and thought provoking...
