Wasp nests are common sights in many environments, often found suspended from eaves, branches, or hidden in cavities. These complex habitats are built with precision. Understanding their construction reveals the intricate processes and materials wasps utilize to support their colonies.
The Architects: Who Builds the Nest?
Nest construction begins in the spring with a solitary queen wasp. She seeks a secure, sheltered location to establish her new colony. The queen undertakes the initial work of building a small nest, creating the first hexagonal cells where she will lay her eggs.
Once the first generation of worker wasps emerges, they assume primary responsibility for nest expansion. The queen then focuses on laying more eggs, while worker wasps gather materials and enlarge the nest to accommodate the growing colony. This cooperative effort allows the nest to grow significantly throughout the warmer months.
Building Blocks: The Raw Materials
Most common wasp nests, particularly those of social wasps like yellowjackets, paper wasps, and hornets, are constructed from a paper-like substance. Wasps create this material by collecting wood fibers from sources such as fences, trees, logs, and cardboard. They use their strong jaws to scrape off tiny bits of wood fiber.
After gathering wood fibers, the wasp chews them, mixing with saliva to create a pliable pulp. This saliva acts as a binder, forming a lightweight yet durable paper-like material as it dries. Some species may also incorporate plant matter to strengthen their nests. Other wasp species, such as mud daubers and potter wasps, use mud as their primary building material. They collect damp soil, mix it with saliva, and mold it into distinctive nest structures.
The Construction Process: Step-by-Step
Construction begins with the queen selecting a suitable, sheltered site, often under eaves, in hollow trees, or within wall cavities. She builds a small stalk, known as a pedicel, which serves as the foundation and anchor for the nest. This pedicel helps suspend the nest and offers protection against predators like ants.
Around this central pedicel, the queen constructs the first hexagonal cells. The queen lays a single egg in each. As the colony grows, worker wasps take over construction, adding more layers of hexagonal cells.
The nest expands with new tiers of cells, often encased within an outer envelope of the same paper-like material. This protective outer layer shields the colony from environmental elements and predators, while regulating internal temperature and humidity.
Variations in Nest Design
Wasp nest construction exhibits considerable diversity across species. Social wasps, including yellowjackets and hornets, build enclosed, multi-comb paper nests. Yellowjackets often construct nests underground or in hidden cavities, which can grow quite large. Hornets create robust, fully enclosed paper nests, often reaching the size of a football or basketball when suspended from high branches or in sheltered spots.
Paper wasps, by contrast, build open, umbrella-shaped nests with hexagonal cells often visible at the bottom. These nests are supported by a single stalk and found under eaves, overhangs, or on tree branches. Solitary wasps, such as mud daubers and potter wasps, construct nests from mud. Mud daubers create tubular mud nests, sometimes resembling organ pipes or irregular clumps, often found on flat surfaces. Potter wasps build distinctive, pot-shaped mud nests, each containing one or more brood cells.