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Post by Mari-in-IN on Nov 18, 2016 13:10:49 GMT
Spotted this just the other day - not far off of our deck...  What a work of art...  It blew my mind to have one so close to the house and SO close to the ground! It's about 3-1/2 feet off the ground. Pretty cool to see it up so close and to be able to touch it... ~Mari |
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Post by paquebot on Nov 18, 2016 15:05:51 GMT
They have a nasty sting but if you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone. They are beneficial to gardeners as they will eat caterpillars and other insect pests.
Martin
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Post by here to stay on Nov 18, 2016 15:17:13 GMT
I thought when reading the title it would be a birds nest. Quite a surpise to see that.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 18, 2016 16:01:37 GMT
Here, it was a bird nest. Much of the west side on my house is covered with ivy. For 3 years, robins used the same nest which was protected by the eaves and thus ready to use again. This year the robins were here but did not use it. When the ivy lost its leaves last week, I discovered why. There is now an identical nest about 10' away and at the exact same height as the first. Now it will be interesting to see which is used next year.
Martin
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Post by Woodpecker on Nov 18, 2016 17:40:25 GMT
Spotted this just the other day - not far off of our deck... What a work of art... It blew my mind to have one so close to the house and SO close to the ground! It's about 3-1/2 feet off the ground. Pretty cool to see it up so close and to be able to touch it... ~Mari I still have one of those that meg got down a couple of years ago, it's on top of the compost bin. It is so cool to look at for sure. I wonder if they use the same hive again? That took a lot of bee work! |
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Post by hobbitlady on Nov 19, 2016 0:16:28 GMT
Mari-in-IN , I wouldn't touch it unless it's abandoned! Those suckers are Nasty! Woodpecker , That's not "bee" work it's a nasty Wasp nest! Do not want one where humans or animals get close.;but they are not active in the cold. The last couple of places I've lived wonderful woodpeckers came and killed and ate them before I had to use spray(only time that it's safe to spray is at night with a red light ). I do think they are pretty works of nature though and have saved a paper-wasp nest myself for decor.  paquebot, I'd rather have my lizards and garden snakes eat pests and not Wasps. But I understand the balance of nature and if they are not in the paths of my dogs I do leave them alone.
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Post by paquebot on Nov 19, 2016 0:20:48 GMT
Woodpecker,all but queens die after the first hard frost. By then, only workers remain. Any queens will have left and found a place to sleep for the winter. In the sprung, a queen will make a small nest just big enough to hatch some workers. From then on, the workers only chore is to make the nest bigger and care for the young. Finding intact nests is often timely. There are dead workers and larvae in them and birds know it. As soon as the birds know that they won't be stung, they tear it apart. Once it is opened, it is no longer weatherproof and it soon vanishes. Martin
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2016 0:59:10 GMT
If its a current nest, a old timer, or one of those Old Wives who tell tales, would say it's that close to the ground because they were expecting a severe winter. Nice photo, I like the patterns of the paper the hornets fabricated.
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Post by Woodpecker on Nov 19, 2016 2:15:20 GMT
Woodpecker ,all but queens die after the first hard frost. By then, only workers remain. Any queens will have left and found a place to sleep for the winter. In the sprung, a queen will make a small nest just big enough to hatch some workers. From then on, the workers only chore is to make the nest bigger and care for the young. Finding intact nests is often timely. There are dead workers and larvae in them and birds know it. As soon as the birds know that they won't be stung, they tear it apart. Once it is opened, it is no longer weatherproof and it soon vanishes. Martin Thank you for the info Martin. You are so knowledgable about so many things! |
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Post by paquebot on Nov 19, 2016 4:30:34 GMT
If its a current nest, a old timer, or one of those Old Wives who tell tales, would say it's that close to the ground because they were expecting a severe winter. Nice photo, I like the patterns of the paper the hornets fabricated. There seems to be no reason for how high they are off the ground. Ive seen them 75' up in an elm or white pine and 5' in a hazel bush. I have a real nice specimen in my room and it was in an apple tree at about 8'. The high ones always seem smaller but perhaps just because they are so high. If there are old buildings around, the nests be colorful from paint from the boards. They also keep recycling everything as the nests get bigger. The closest I ever got to one without being stung was about 2'. There was a bird's nest near the top of a pine tree. I started climbing up to look at it. About half way up, paused to look up and was looking at the bottom of a very large nest with a lot of hornets preparing for war. Decided that I really didn't need to see that bird nest! Martin |
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