A Hornet's Nest

Photographed 12-31-2014

 

This is likely the nest of the bald-faced hornet, Dolichovespula maculata.  Contrary to the name, it is not a hornet at all but is, rather, a yellow jacket.  Furthermore, the bald-faced hornet is not yellow; it is black and white. However, all of the above are wasps.  The nest of the European wasp is similar but, without the insects, it is impossible for me to identify with certainty.  (I have chosen the bald faced hornet because it is native to the US and the European was is introduced).

 

By this time of the year, only the fertilized queens are alive and overwintering in protected areas such as rock piles, leaf litter, tree holes, or buildings.  In the spring, the queen will begin to chew rotting and weathered wood and other plant fibers, mixing them with her saliva to make a paper nest consisting of just a few cells in a hexagonal pattern where she will lay her first eggs.  This is referred to the founding stage.  The queen raises the foundlings herself but, once they pupate and emerge as adults, they will take over the duties of enlarging and protecting the nest, as well as feeding future generations of larvae.  The queen will then devote the rest of her life to laying eggs and the ergonomic stage begins.

Only female workers are produced during this stage. All females are born with reproductive capacities and caste systems (whether they will be queens or workers) are determined by larval feeding regime.  Workers are unable to mate but they lay unfertilized eggs that produce the males.  About halfway through the life cycle of the colony, males and future queens are produced, thus begins the reproductive stage.

Adults feed primarily on items rich in sugars and carbohydrates, such as fruits, flower nectar, and tree sap, while larvae are fed proteins, such as insects, meats, and fish. Adult workers chew and condition the meat fed to the larvae. Larvae, in return, secrete a sugar material relished by the adults; this exchange is a form of trophallaxis (similar to us raising cows for milk).

The colony’s life cycle ends as winter approaches with the death of the workers and original queen (males live only long enough to mate and die afterward).  The new queens leave the nest to find a protected place to overwinter before beginning colonies of their own