Wasp nest

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Will H

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A little bit of background:

Some of you may remember these shots:


Wasp in flight by William Harvey2010, on Flickr


Going Home by William Harvey2010, on Flickr


The nest they were coming out of was under the house.

A few months down the line, and all wasps seemingly well and truly gone, I decided to lift a couple of boards to see what I found. Here is a selection of the best:


Basic overview:


Overview of the nest by William Harvey2010, on Flickr


Bit more detail of the outside:


Detail view of the outside of the nest by William Harvey2010, on Flickr


Detail view of the outside of the nest by William Harvey2010, on Flickr


Can't remember how many images are allowed per post, so I'll break there...
 
Will H said:
If anyone can shed any light on what the blue stuff may be I'd appreciate it immensely :D
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A Kelloggs Frosties box?? :D

Amazing pics mate. (y)

Last winter we kept spotting a wasp in the shed and thought nothing of it, other than unusual to see one in December. Come the spring I found it starting to build it's nest on the ceiling. The small cone it had started was many different colours, which all seemed to mimic the various cardboard boxes lying around the shed such as the green box of bonemeal we had in there. They chew almost anything up and make it into a mulch for their nest from what I can gather.
 
A braver/stupider man than I!!

The blue stuff could be anything that the wasps have decided to use to make the nest, plastic, cardboard, you name it, they use it!!

Great great photos though!!
Well done
 
Gawd, we had the same thing this year and I'd forgotten all about them until now.

They die off in the winter.

I'll need to have a looksee!
 
Apparently they never return to the same nest.
 
Thanks for looking and commenting :D


Barry, they're definitely not going back to that one now - I cleared it out completely to make sure :LOL: We'll probably secure the vent a bit better just to make certain though


Alistair - I was lying flat out, certainly no more, and probably a bit less than, 30cms away from the opening. Luckily it didn't seem to bother them :D
I was well wrapped up though, just in case and I had stuck my bag at about the same position as I was going to be before I actually got down there, just to test things out.
 
I had wasps 2 years running and eventually found two nests one old one new quite close to it. I put a fine mesh grill over the inside of the vent (B&Q) and they went somewhere else the next year.

Shots one and two seem to suggest they separate entry and exit holes, how organised is that :)
 
iPhoto said:
Shots one and two seem to suggest they separate entry and exit holes, how organised is that :)
Click to expand...


They really did seem very organised - I spent a fair while watching them and there were literally only a couple of occasions where one tried to go in the same hole as another was leaving and yet there was a constant stream of them arriving and departing.
 
Fascinating, and the colours from different materials never knew that, thank you for sharing (y)
 
That's a great set of shots - obviously I like the first two the best but the documentary shots of the nest complete the story and turn it into a proper "set". Thanks for sharing (y)
 
Thanks again :)


The first one has made it into National Geographic's Daily Dozen. From my understanding the two highest rated shots over the course of the month get published in the magazine, and I'd obviously like it if mine was one of those two.

The voting link is:

Code: 
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/your-shot/voting-machine

You have to rate all 12, but if any of you have the time, if you could take a look and rate then that would be appreciated.

Obviously the level of appreciation would be higher if you decided you liked mine the best and rated accordingly ;)
 
some mental shots from a mad person. sod getting that close.sends a shiver down my spine.lol
But you have captured some amazing detail, the colours on the hive are amazing, some great work, keep it up
 
funkybus said:
some mental shots from a mad person. sod getting that close.sends a shiver down my spine.lol
But you have captured some amazing detail, the colours on the hive are amazing, some great work, keep it up
Click to expand...
:LOL::LOL::LOL:

Thanks


TBH, my logic eventually after having spent a few weeks deliberating was that the worst that would happen if I did it was that I'd possibly get a few stings, which would hurt but would heal and the best would be that I'd get some decent shots. On the other hand, if I didn't do it I'd spend ages ****ed off with myself at missing a really excellent opportunity which I may never get another chance at. Balancing those two against each other, I thought I'd take the risk and I have to say, I'm glad I did - particularly as I came through completely unscathed :D

Rev - as much as I'd love to, I'm not having any luck in that area at the moment :( Anyone got any suggestions? :LOL::LOL:
 
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Really love the latest ones Will. As others have said, it really ties the whole thing together, does it not? Awesome :)
 
Brilliant set of pics... but breaking open a nest... wow... bravery... I have to say I love the second one the most, but the detail on the nest itself is stunning.
 
I love the shot, lots of detail, very good looking patterns. Danger shooting at it's best ;)
 
WOW, now that's brave but what an awesome series of shots. The level of detail and clarity is breathtaking : )
 
I really like these photos! You're rather brave... Did you get stung at all? :p
 
Wonderful photos & I've been to vote on the NG link :)
 
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