User talk:Snoyes/refdesk

Waspnest

Hello. I found the following nest/cocoon type thing outside my house. It feels kind of 'paper-like' and is slightly smaller than a football (soccer ball to you yanks). This is in Toronto, btw.

Any ideas? Cheers, snoyes 06:14, 10 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Seen any wasps about? -- Someone else 05:54, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Probably a nest made by either hornets or yellowjackets, from the Vespid family. This time of year you might not see anything living about; usually the colonies die in the fall, except for a queen who overwinters elsewhere Loren Rosen 06:38, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)

It looks like paper wasp's hive. --Menchi 06:58, 11 Nov 2003 (UTC)

I think the paper wasps (which are also vespids) usually have umbrella-shaped nests which are partly open on the bottom, whereas the other two vespidae genera cover up the bottom and have openings on the side or top. But there are doubtless exceptions.

Thanks for all the info! I'll add the best pic (resized of course) to the Vespid page, as I also got opinions on #wikipedia saying that it was most likely a nest of the former. So, here comes the ethical dilemna: Should I go and destroy the nest to make photos of the inside/structure and the Queen to post to wikipedia? I'm tending toward "no". Somehow that makes me feel a little too much like Faust. Of course without the benefit of knowing anything and everything there is to know. ;-) snoyes 06:37, 12 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Since the vespid is most probably not on the endangered list in Canada, you can discard the guilty feeling into toilet and know you're doing the community a service by eliminating the passers-by's fear of the sight of the nest. Good luck finding a queen! I couldn't find it looking through a thin glass box in a museum! But if you do find it, let me know, I'll definitely add it to the Wikipedia:Brilliant pictures. Any diligent effort for WP this like this needs recognition. And I'm curious anyway.

You do have at least mittens and jacket to prevent merciless stings, I hope... Or at least have a nice little iron room where people wouldn't hear you scream -- It may be handy, for the vespids. --Menchi 07:04, 12 Nov 2003 (UTC)

It certainly won't be as brilliant as Anthere's Image:Cheche.JPG, that's for sure! Otherwise, A few stings are not a problem in my grand scheme of engineering a wasp-born virus which will subtly animate the infected to visit this obscure website called wikipedia.org. Ever heard of it? Muhaha --snoyes 08:17, 12 Nov 2003 (UTC)

You're well past your first freeze of the fall in Toronto, right? There's probably nothing alive in the nest. The queen is off dormant somewhere, in a nook in some tree bark or something, somewhere less exposed than hanging in a nest in the middle of the air for the winter. (But wearing mittens and a jacket wouldn't hurt, I suppose.) Loren Rosen 16:01, 12 Nov 2003 (UTC)

GRRR! Those paranoid Canadians. Now the nest is gone. So much for my plan then. Thanks again for the help everyone. --snoyes 18:43, 12 Nov 2003 (UTC)

Wait... Isn't the nest in front of your house? Somebody just walked into your yard and snatched it off at night?! :-D --Menchi 23:41, 14 Nov 2003 (UTC)