@ivoryjohnson4662 - Thanks for your comment. We learn something new every day we work with wasps, and we share what we learn as we go! Thanks for watching.
@jackdowns1156 - Hi and thanks for visiting our channel. We appreciate your interest. Stay tuned as we'll have lots more wasp content to share throughout the year.
Great work! V. germanica doe snot masticate prey in the field as much as species like V. maculifrons does so it is easier to observe what they bring back from foraging. I noticed an earwig, spider and maybe a beetle (even another wasp?). Wonder how much of an impact this species has on our local native insect population. Of course some of their prey could be other invasive insects. This species makes amazing nests. Hopefully I will be able to get a few complete nests of this species later this fall. Great job finding the founding queen!
@herc1120 - Thanks for your comment. Great point about the unknown impact Vespula germanica (German Yellowjacket) may have on our native wasps. They are such prolific hunters/foragers that they must reduce a lot of the insect/nectar resources that would otherwise go to our native wasp species and other native insects and animals that depend on the same insects/nectar. This season we've also found more V. germanica nesting in the ground, as well as in buildings. In the past we've only seen them in buildings/sheds around here. So we do wonder if they are increasing their populations at the expense of our natives.
@thomashawkinson7017 - Thanks for your comment. Glad you have enjoyed the imagery in our episodes. It's amazing how the world looks when viewed close up in slow motion, among other ways of seeing nature.
That's a regular tenement for wildlife! So many wasps! I've really enjoyed this one. The slomo makes it so interesting. Do they know the vacuum is dangerous? Or are they reacting because it's something different near their front door?
@cherylkoenig5509 - That type of wasp nest does look like some type of multi-level apartment building for wasps! It seems like the wasps realize that there may be danger when they see the vac in front of their door, but they are so instinctually driven to get to the nest, they eventually cross the path of the vac suction and get collected. They also will explore anything that looks like a dark hole near their nest - this seems to be instinctual behavior too, likely evolved to get them back to their nest entrance when orienting visually. This works to our advantage when we're collecting them as we can put the vac hose near wherever the nest entrance is, or used to be, and they will eventually explore the vac hose and get collected. Most wasp species that live in paper-covered nests will do this same behavior.
They made Greater Australia a big home for sure...the Germanica species...that would be the mainland as well as New Zealand and Tasmania...and their season runs through the early part of the year in the southern hemisphere, not counting the perpetual over-wintered nests which are year round with exploding muliplying populations including a steady stream of new queen founding nests throughout winter and spring onward, as well as the ever expanding main nest in which all new queens skip the hibernating stage and just move on to either expand the main nest as well as others starting new ones!
@tbear4pa - Thanks for your comment. Well stated! Vespula germanica (German Yellowjacket) can potentially wreak havoc in places where they are invasive. It remains to be seen how much damage they may or may not cause to the rest of the ecosystem in these areas where they are introduced. Many of us in the business of wasps/entomology wonder about the global impact on native species of wasps and many other native species of animal life that may depend on the same resources that V. germanica depletes in these places. The big question is will the ecosystem balance itself out somehow when invasive wasps expand into vast stretches of native range? We suppose only natural evolution will tell us in due course.
Well...here in the US, in locations such as the Northeast as well as the Midwest, they just do their normal routine like in Europe with the new queens just going through the normal hibernation in the winter, but in the far West, like in Washington and Oregon, going down the West Coast into California where some over-wintering nests may occur, there's a potential for an exploding population there.
@tbear4pa - Some of our native yellowjackets in the SE region of USA are already making some perennial (year round) super nests. Massive multi-year Vespula squamosa (Southern Yellowjacket) nests have been reported more frequently in the past 20 years of warming climate especially. Entomologist, Dr. Charles Ray, has done some interesting research documenting some of these huge nests over the years. At times, some southern states have received reports of dozens of these massive super nest colonies found all around the state in a single year. This will likely become the norm eventually as the planet heats up, and we do wonder if V. germanica will end up thriving like that in the Southern USA as they have in Aus/NZ.
Great video very educational
@ivoryjohnson4662 - Thanks for your comment. We learn something new every day we work with wasps, and we share what we learn as we go! Thanks for watching.
Hi I just got to this channel I like it a lot it's very cool❤
@jackdowns1156 - Hi and thanks for visiting our channel. We appreciate your interest. Stay tuned as we'll have lots more wasp content to share throughout the year.
Great work! V. germanica doe snot masticate prey in the field as much as species like V. maculifrons does so it is easier to observe what they bring back from foraging. I noticed an earwig, spider and maybe a beetle (even another wasp?). Wonder how much of an impact this species has on our local native insect population. Of course some of their prey could be other invasive insects. This species makes amazing nests. Hopefully I will be able to get a few complete nests of this species later this fall. Great job finding the founding queen!
@herc1120 - Thanks for your comment. Great point about the unknown impact Vespula germanica (German Yellowjacket) may have on our native wasps. They are such prolific hunters/foragers that they must reduce a lot of the insect/nectar resources that would otherwise go to our native wasp species and other native insects and animals that depend on the same insects/nectar. This season we've also found more V. germanica nesting in the ground, as well as in buildings. In the past we've only seen them in buildings/sheds around here. So we do wonder if they are increasing their populations at the expense of our natives.
Professional quality video. Thanks.
@thomashawkinson7017 - Thanks for your comment. Glad you have enjoyed the imagery in our episodes. It's amazing how the world looks when viewed close up in slow motion, among other ways of seeing nature.
This is a sweet video❤
@jackdowns1156 - Thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the episode!
That's a regular tenement for wildlife!
So many wasps!
I've really
enjoyed this one.
The slomo makes it so interesting.
Do they know the vacuum is dangerous?
Or are they reacting because it's something different near their front door?
@cherylkoenig5509 - That type of wasp nest does look like some type of multi-level apartment building for wasps! It seems like the wasps realize that there may be danger when they see the vac in front of their door, but they are so instinctually driven to get to the nest, they eventually cross the path of the vac suction and get collected. They also will explore anything that looks like a dark hole near their nest - this seems to be instinctual behavior too, likely evolved to get them back to their nest entrance when orienting visually. This works to our advantage when we're collecting them as we can put the vac hose near wherever the nest entrance is, or used to be, and they will eventually explore the vac hose and get collected. Most wasp species that live in paper-covered nests will do this same behavior.
They made Greater Australia a big home for sure...the Germanica species...that would be the mainland as well as New Zealand and Tasmania...and their season runs through the early part of the year in the southern hemisphere, not counting the perpetual over-wintered nests which are year round with exploding muliplying populations including a steady stream of new queen founding nests throughout winter and spring onward, as well as the ever expanding main nest in which all new queens skip the hibernating stage and just move on to either expand the main nest as well as others starting new ones!
@tbear4pa - Thanks for your comment. Well stated! Vespula germanica (German Yellowjacket) can potentially wreak havoc in places where they are invasive. It remains to be seen how much damage they may or may not cause to the rest of the ecosystem in these areas where they are introduced. Many of us in the business of wasps/entomology wonder about the global impact on native species of wasps and many other native species of animal life that may depend on the same resources that V. germanica depletes in these places. The big question is will the ecosystem balance itself out somehow when invasive wasps expand into vast stretches of native range? We suppose only natural evolution will tell us in due course.
Well...here in the US, in locations such as the Northeast as well as the Midwest, they just do their normal routine like in Europe with the new queens just going through the normal hibernation in the winter, but in the far West, like in Washington and Oregon, going down the West Coast into California where some over-wintering nests may occur, there's a potential for an exploding population there.
@tbear4pa - Some of our native yellowjackets in the SE region of USA are already making some perennial (year round) super nests. Massive multi-year Vespula squamosa (Southern Yellowjacket) nests have been reported more frequently in the past 20 years of warming climate especially. Entomologist, Dr. Charles Ray, has done some interesting research documenting some of these huge nests over the years. At times, some southern states have received reports of dozens of these massive super nest colonies found all around the state in a single year. This will likely become the norm eventually as the planet heats up, and we do wonder if V. germanica will end up thriving like that in the Southern USA as they have in Aus/NZ.
I wanna be a wasp
@marinapotenza9958 - Wasps do have fascinating lives! It would be interesting to live the life of a wasp for a day.