Hi, this is my first post on Arachnoboards. I need advice about how to take care of a wasp and this seemed like a good place to turn. I will post some backstory and some pictures, and hope for some advice from you experts! For reference, I live in Montreal, Canada.
In late November-early December, my husband and I were preparing to go to bed when a wasp fell out of the blinds as we were drawing them closed. The wasp was moving very, very slowly, and seemed sick or about to die. At the time, we didn't know anything about wasps, but we were shocked to see a wasp so late in the year. We both felt too sorry for it to kill it, and put it in a plastic box with some sugar water and a napkin. It seemed to drink the water and perk up a bit.
Over the next day or two, the wasp, who my husband named Prim, didn't move at all after an initial burst of activity, and we assumed she had died. Still, we didn't throw her away. My husband held on to a vain hope that she might wake up. Weeks passed, and we forgot about the box to some extent, and even went on vacation for Christmas. Some time at the end of December, after the box had been more or less abandoned for 2-3 weeks, my husband was looking at the wasp and noticed Prim's mouth was moving. She was alive! We were excited, and tried giving her some more water, and an apple slice, and even some dead moths we'd found.
Well, to make a long story short, here it is February, and Prim has been living with us for about two months now. We transferred her to a new box, and she is alive and well. As I write this, she's energetically climbing around on the sticks in her habitat. From his reading, my husband thinks Prim might be a queen who came out of hibernation too early (we have read that only wasp queens hibernate, and they are larger than workers - and Prim is rather big.) Does this seem likely? We are worried about how we will care for her until it is warm enough to let her go. We are also worried about the possibility of her instincts telling her that she must make a nest now, since she's awake and has access to food. We're not sure what to do.
Some behaviors I have noticed about Prim, along with some questions (please remember that I do not know much, if anything, about wasps).
1. She likes to cling to the side of her box, which is clear plastic. Is she interested in getting out?
2. She drinks sugar water from her water bowls (she has two, a contact lens lid and another plastic cap from somewhere) and seems to enjoy "spitting" the water on the walls of the box. I have seen her doing this many times - she even makes little water "trails" as she walks across the ceiling and walls. What does this mean?
3. I believe she has the capacity for flight, but is choosing not to or lacks the energy. We have seen her fly in her box once - but only once. Does she know it's pointless?
4. Prim is not nearly as energetic in behavior as wasps I have seen in the summer and early fall.
5. She is the most energetic in the middle of the day, and when night falls goes very still. We have read wasps are sensitive to light and sleep at night. Her behavior seems to reflect that.
6. She is approximately 24mm long.
Some more questions:
1. Does she want to make a nest now, in the middle of winter? Should we help her do that, or would that be a mistake?
2. Is there a way to put her back into hibernation, and should we consider this as a "better" option for her?
3. Is a diet of sugar water enough? Should she be given other food? We give her apple slices sometimes.
4. Is her habitat big enough? (See pictures) Should she have a bigger one?
Any advice or knowledge the community can dispense would be very much appreciated! Despite our lack of knowledge, we've grown very fond of Prim and would like to do everything we can to help her fulfill her destiny, whatever her instinct tells her that might be. Thanks in advance! Here are some pictures of Prim and her habitat.
And here is an album view of the same pictures that might be higher resolution/better quality: http://imgur.com/a/TxhhV#0
Thanks again!
In late November-early December, my husband and I were preparing to go to bed when a wasp fell out of the blinds as we were drawing them closed. The wasp was moving very, very slowly, and seemed sick or about to die. At the time, we didn't know anything about wasps, but we were shocked to see a wasp so late in the year. We both felt too sorry for it to kill it, and put it in a plastic box with some sugar water and a napkin. It seemed to drink the water and perk up a bit.
Over the next day or two, the wasp, who my husband named Prim, didn't move at all after an initial burst of activity, and we assumed she had died. Still, we didn't throw her away. My husband held on to a vain hope that she might wake up. Weeks passed, and we forgot about the box to some extent, and even went on vacation for Christmas. Some time at the end of December, after the box had been more or less abandoned for 2-3 weeks, my husband was looking at the wasp and noticed Prim's mouth was moving. She was alive! We were excited, and tried giving her some more water, and an apple slice, and even some dead moths we'd found.
Well, to make a long story short, here it is February, and Prim has been living with us for about two months now. We transferred her to a new box, and she is alive and well. As I write this, she's energetically climbing around on the sticks in her habitat. From his reading, my husband thinks Prim might be a queen who came out of hibernation too early (we have read that only wasp queens hibernate, and they are larger than workers - and Prim is rather big.) Does this seem likely? We are worried about how we will care for her until it is warm enough to let her go. We are also worried about the possibility of her instincts telling her that she must make a nest now, since she's awake and has access to food. We're not sure what to do.
Some behaviors I have noticed about Prim, along with some questions (please remember that I do not know much, if anything, about wasps).
1. She likes to cling to the side of her box, which is clear plastic. Is she interested in getting out?
2. She drinks sugar water from her water bowls (she has two, a contact lens lid and another plastic cap from somewhere) and seems to enjoy "spitting" the water on the walls of the box. I have seen her doing this many times - she even makes little water "trails" as she walks across the ceiling and walls. What does this mean?
3. I believe she has the capacity for flight, but is choosing not to or lacks the energy. We have seen her fly in her box once - but only once. Does she know it's pointless?
4. Prim is not nearly as energetic in behavior as wasps I have seen in the summer and early fall.
5. She is the most energetic in the middle of the day, and when night falls goes very still. We have read wasps are sensitive to light and sleep at night. Her behavior seems to reflect that.
6. She is approximately 24mm long.
Some more questions:
1. Does she want to make a nest now, in the middle of winter? Should we help her do that, or would that be a mistake?
2. Is there a way to put her back into hibernation, and should we consider this as a "better" option for her?
3. Is a diet of sugar water enough? Should she be given other food? We give her apple slices sometimes.
4. Is her habitat big enough? (See pictures) Should she have a bigger one?
Any advice or knowledge the community can dispense would be very much appreciated! Despite our lack of knowledge, we've grown very fond of Prim and would like to do everything we can to help her fulfill her destiny, whatever her instinct tells her that might be. Thanks in advance! Here are some pictures of Prim and her habitat.
And here is an album view of the same pictures that might be higher resolution/better quality: http://imgur.com/a/TxhhV#0
Thanks again!
.
