Yellowjacket raising paper wasps!

[OblongonotaFan321]

I just wanted to share my Vespula maculifrons queen that raised an abandoned nest of Polistes larvae. The first few days she tried to feed them by dropping food on the larvae and leaving it in the cells, and most of the food never got to them. After a while she fed them smaller pieces at a time and ended up raising most of the bigger larvae to adulthood without a problem!

 

[Arthroverts]

How do you keep wasps? This is always something that has intrigued me, but I'm always worried about them escaping and having to deal with familial wrath, ha ha.

Thanks for sharing,

Arthroverts

 

[OblongonotaFan321]

The best ones to start with would be any of the Polistes species, I keep mine in any kind of smaller upside down turned tank with cardboard glued/taped to the top as a place for them to start a nest. Most of mine will use cardboard to make a nest but some only use old wood, for food I give the adults sugar water and waxworms but they'll need live food every day if they have larvae. Wasps are really fun to keep, I hope you can get some!

 

[Arthroverts]

How exactly do you feed them and perform maintenance without them escaping though? It seems like trying to reach into an upside down tank to do whatever that needs to be done is not exactly easy with a bunch of flying, stinging wasps (I understand they are likely calm, but there is still the threat of one stinging).

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[OblongonotaFan321]

With the yellowjackets I have to slip the food in and leave it or do everything at night, they're always ready to fly away or sting without warning. My paper wasps are slow moving and it's easier to tell when they'll fly. My oldest female still comes down and lands on my hand sometimes but that's just because I used to hand feed her

 

[Arthroverts]

So, its just a matter of sneaking the food in then? Otherwise there are no problems with escapees?
Also, how do you even get the queens to start?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[Feral]

Interesting!
Thanks for sharing!

Curious... if they were in the wild, would they do much flying around and traveling? A little or a lot? Or are these more stay at home, 'homebody' type inverts?

 

[The Snark]

Impressive.

 

[OblongonotaFan321]

So, its just a matter of sneaking the food in then? Otherwise there are no problems with escapees?
Also, how do you even get the queens to start?

Thanks,

Arthroverts

I haven't had one try to escape in a long time, they normally stay around the top of the tank.
My queen started on the cardboard, she chewed at it for a few days and then finally started the nest! It helps to have a few extra queens, one will chase the others away when she's ready to nest

 

[OblongonotaFan321]

Interesting!
Thanks for sharing!

Curious... if they were in the wild, would they do much flying around and traveling? A little or a lot? Or are these more stay at home, 'homebody' type inverts?

Once a wild queen's first first adults are born she stops leaving the nest every day, mine will all leave to eat a few times a day though

 

[Arthroverts]

I haven't had one try to escape in a long time, they normally stay around the top of the tank.
My queen started on the cardboard, she chewed at it for a few days and then finally started the nest! It helps to have a few extra queens, one will chase the others away when she's ready to nest

What I meant was, how do you acquire the queens in the first place? Do you collect them or buy them? If the former, where do you find them?

Sorry for all the questions, but my interest in these is growing everyday (and it doesn't help when you post up awesome pictures ).

Thanks,

Arthroverts

 

[OblongonotaFan321]

What I meant was, how do you acquire the queens in the first place? Do you collect them or buy them? If the former, where do you find them?

Sorry for all the questions, but my interest in these is growing everyday (and it doesn't help when you post up awesome pictures ).

Thanks,

Arthroverts

I find all of mine either at the start of spring or the end of summer when the queens are out, some species I can only get in the winter. Most queens in the spring are attracted to the flowers on trees and bushes so that's a good place to look for them!

 

[schmiggle]

What I meant was, how do you acquire the queens in the first place? Do you collect them or buy them? If the former, where do you find them?

Sorry for all the questions, but my interest in these is growing everyday (and it doesn't help when you post up awesome pictures ).

Thanks,

Arthroverts

I've seen yellowjacket queens sauntering around the forest in early spring (April in New England). They've also tended to hang out around trees, maybe around head height (though that might just be the ones I notice). I have not found paper wasp queens.