Wasp Question

mbaldw · #1 (**permalink**) 17-10-2008, 08:37 PM

Hi folks,

this evening I received the below e-mail asking a question about a wasp nest in the gentleman's toilet. I have no idea what's happening in the nest and I have yet to find anything using Google. Does anyone have any info I could pass on?

Cheers,
Marc.

Quote:

I have a wasp nest in an air-brick of my toilet - just behind the plasterboard. In the evening or wet days I hear a regular noise rather like a heartbeat or breathing sound, totally uniform, coming from it. In fact, it is uncannily like my cat's own breathing! What on earth is happening, are they aerating the nest, communicating...?

Hedge Witch · #2 (**permalink**) 17-10-2008, 08:46 PM

I believe some colonies produce "an ominous rushing sound, with synchronous rhythm" when they rub themselves against the paper of the nest. They do this when mildly disturbed. Don't know if this is the case here

naturegirl · #3 (**permalink**) 18-10-2008, 01:39 AM

I'd be very wary of any email that I didn't know the scource of and would delete it instantly!!!!

The bug---s will use any form of contact to use us these days!!

Naturegirl

Hedge Witch · #4 (**permalink**) 18-10-2008, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbaldw

this evening I received the below e-mail asking a question about a wasp nest in the gentleman's toilet.

Assuming you know the person who sent you this email, and you are not referring to a random email

, can you confirm that this is an occurrence that happened in the UK. So far I have only found reference to more exotic species of wasp such as the Armadillo wasp.

mbaldw · #5 (**permalink**) 18-10-2008, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Assuming you know the person who sent you this email, and you are not referring to a random email , can you confirm that this is an occurrence that happened in the UK.

This was a 'random' e-mail; I have no idea who the gentleman is. However, the e-mail came through my website and it's not at all uncommon for people to e-mail me wildlife-related questions via this route. Ordinarily, such questions relate to topics on the site, although the occasional ones -- this included -- come out of left field, so to speak. As far as his location, all I can see from the server code is that his ISP is a UK-based one.

Cheers,
Marc.

Geoff F · #6 (**permalink**) 18-10-2008, 07:00 PM

No problem. Just contact my Nigerian office and everything will be OK.

But, seriously, that e mail doesn't seem to be anything to worry about. Just someone looking for information who has found your site. One of the recognised authorities on bees and wasps is here BWARS Home Page but I don't know if they correspond with non members.

ps. Your site looks interesting. I note you are involved with rays and sharks. I'm a professional south coast fisherman and ray make up part of the catch. Mostly blonds, but a few thornbacks etc. Haven't seen an Angel Shark for over 20 years. Baskers have been getting rare here over the last 3 or 4 years and this is the first year which I haven't seen one.

But I digress from the question.

eucera · #7 (**permalink**) 18-10-2008, 09:14 PM

I can assure you that BWARS manages a Yahoo! bulletin board, and anyone can post there after they are registered (as one of the mods of the site I can easily do this).

I have heard of similar behaviour to that mentioned, but only in relation to hornets. the sound is of the larvae scraping on the sides of the brood cells, probably to solicit feeding. All social wasp nests are in terminal decline now, I saw males of both Vespula vulgaris and V. germanica today which means that the end is nigh!

mbaldw · #8 (**permalink**) 18-10-2008, 09:22 PM

Quote:

I can assure you that BWARS manages a Yahoo! bulletin board, and anyone can post there after they are registered (as one of the mods of the site I can easily do this).

Yeah, I spotted the Yahoo Group link from the URL Geoff posted and have requested to join.

Quote:

I have heard of similar behaviour to that mentioned, but only in relation to hornets. the sound is of the larvae scraping on the sides of the brood cells, probably to solicit feeding. All social wasp nests are in terminal decline now, I saw males of both Vespula vulgaris and V. germanica today which means that the end is nigh!

Very interesting - it hadn't occurred to me that it could be larvae. I was thinking more along the lines of some social 'harmonics'. Thanks for sharing!

Quote:

I note you are involved with rays and sharks. I'm a professional south coast fisherman and ray make up part of the catch. Mostly blonds, but a few thornbacks etc. Haven't seen an Angel Shark for over 20 years. Baskers have been getting rare here over the last 3 or 4 years and this is the first year which I haven't seen one.

Thanks for the info Geoff - very interesting observations.

Cheers,
Marc.