nest????

[gaynorjones]

we have a wasp nest i think in my dad's motorbike faring, which is outdoors. its not problem but are they active all the time? what happens when he wants to restore it? do they add onto it? is it a permanent home??
have looked on line and the pics for wasp nest look like what we have.

[The Woodman]

A fitting emblem for a BSA Wasp or Hornet model!

You've a couple of options but if your Dad is not in a hurry, I would leave the nest and it'll vacate when the the young wasplets fly away.

There are some knowledgeable wasp people on here and they'll be able to tell you a bit more about their life cycle - wasps, not the wasp people!

[triops]

Well done, gaynorjones, for asking questions and not panicking! The nest will continue to grow until about August/September, when queens and males are produced. Fertilised queens will hibernate over winter and start a new nest next year, but not near the old one. The wasps will not bother you unless disturbed and if you can watch them carefully you will find them fascinating. When the nest is finally abandoned make sure you take it carefully apart to see what a miraculous construction it is, and all made from paper made from fibres scraped from fences, sheds, grass, reeds, etc. Look carefully and you will see it is made from many hundreds of small pieces, each a different colour and each representing a separate journey. I hope you enjoy it!

[gaynorjones]

thanks for the advice guys - have looked at it again and it may well already be empty (from last year?) i saw one on spring watch last year and they are indeed amazing - may have it framed if i can! - but will wait until later this year just in case. don't want to upset the little darlings.