Vespula vulgaris, the common wasp, is a supreme paper architect. This small abandoned nest was found in a chicken coop nest box – a papery egg.
The Queen wasp emerges from winter hibernation and commences building the start of the nest. Chewing on wood with her powerful mandibles, she mixes it with saliva to create a mushy pulp with which to sculpt. Nests will display different hues and colours depending on where the wood was sourced – treated fence panels, sheds, hardwoods, dead wood and soft woods all add to a muted palette of greens, greys, creamy yellows and white.
Wasps for many are vandals of late summer picnics, but they are also essential pollinators and a voracious predator of other insects so help keep those populations in balance.
Their layered papier-mâché lantern homes are a masterful construction.
This is a Giclée reproduction, printed on archival grade, professional Hahnemule Photorag 300gsm paper. It is supplied without mount or frame. Framed prints can be arranged at extra cost, please contact the studio to discuss any requirements
Vespula vulgaris, the common wasp, is a supreme paper architect. This small abandoned nest was found in a chicken coop nest box – a papery egg.
The Queen wasp emerges from winter hibernation and commences building the start of the nest. Chewing on wood with her powerful mandibles, she mixes it with saliva to create a mushy pulp with which to sculpt. Nests will display different hues and colours depending on where the wood was sourced – treated fence panels, sheds, hardwoods, dead wood and soft woods all add to a muted palette of greens, greys, creamy yellows and white.
Wasps for many are vandals of late summer picnics, but they are also essential pollinators and a voracious predator of other insects so help keep those populations in balance.
Their layered papier-mâché lantern homes are a masterful construction.
This is a Giclée reproduction, printed on archival grade, professional Hahnemule Photorag 300gsm paper. It is supplied without mount or frame. Framed prints can be arranged at extra cost, please contact the studio to discuss any requirements
