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How/When do I catch a Wasp Queen?


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#1 Offline Ants_Texas - Posted February 27 2018 - 3:46 PM

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I've been seeing wasps around lately, as it is warming up a bit in Texas. I'd like to know how to catch a Wasp queen. Not sure when, where, or how to do so. Maybe someone could fill me in? Connectimyrmex?  :thinking:



#2 Offline Ants4fun - Posted March 31 2018 - 1:27 PM

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You can catch a wasp queen when they first come out of their hibernation dens to look for nesting sights. They will be larger than normal wasps and fly 'clumsier'. That time will depend on where you are located, but for Texas, this time is about right. I much easier method is to wait until the queen has chosen a nesting spot and has started to construct her nest. That way, you won't have the difficulty of having a queen that won't build in your specific housing unit.

 

A very good read would be this article on keeping wasps. It outlines how to capture a queen and nest, as well as how to keep and maintain them.

 

Wish you the best! Keeping wasps is fun and I find that they are more intelligent than the average ant.


Edited by Ants4fun, March 31 2018 - 1:27 PM.


#3 Offline Ants_Texas - Posted March 31 2018 - 4:56 PM

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You can catch a wasp queen when they first come out of their hibernation dens to look for nesting sights. They will be larger than normal wasps and fly 'clumsier'. That time will depend on where you are located, but for Texas, this time is about right. I much easier method is to wait until the queen has chosen a nesting spot and has started to construct her nest. That way, you won't have the difficulty of having a queen that won't build in your specific housing unit.

 

A very good read would be this article on keeping wasps. It outlines how to capture a queen and nest, as well as how to keep and maintain them.

 

Wish you the best! Keeping wasps is fun and I find that they are more intelligent than the average ant.

That article looks pretty useful. Thank you!



#4 Offline AntsMaryland - Posted March 31 2018 - 5:01 PM

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However... 

 

Don't most wasp nests only last for a year...?

 

Just something to note.


Aphaenogaster cf. rudis 

Tetramorium immigrans 

Tapinoma sessile

Formica subsericea

Pheidole sp.

Camponotus nearcticus


#5 Offline Ants_Texas - Posted March 31 2018 - 5:05 PM

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However... 

 

Don't most wasp nests only last for a year...?

 

Just something to note.

I don't have a problem with that, wasp queens are more plentiful than ant queens here...



#6 Offline dermy - Posted March 31 2018 - 5:16 PM

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First things first, I wouldn't recommend Yellowjackets, unless you are relocating a small nest from somewhere since they are really hard to get queens to initiate nests in Captivity. I know of only one hobbyist who's done it I'll link that video as well as his general Polistes wasp keeping guide:

 

Yellow Jacket Nest:

 

Polistes keeping video [kind of outdated but it probably still works, doesn't help I never get to see Polistes here and am stuck relocating Yellowjacket nests with a 90% fail rate haha]

 

 

Also I'd recommend free-ranging since it saves you a lot of food in the long run [it's necessity with Yellowjackets, you can't keep them in captivity like you can with ants they need to free-range to get nesting material and food, it just takes way too much to feed a colony, not to mention it's downright dangerous.]

 

 

[Kind of OT But that's the dude that got me into Wasp keeping about 10 years ago]


Edited by dermy, March 31 2018 - 5:19 PM.





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