Top Photo: Yellowjacket picking over annual cicada. The yellowjacket in the images above and below is scavenging protein from a dead cicada on the path. Yellowjacket larvae back in the hive are fed protein in the form of whole insects or chunks of meat harvested from caterpillars and other larger animals, even from a picnicker’s ham sandwich. The yellowjackets take the meat back to the hive and feed it directly to larvae in cells within the hive after it’s beenRead more
Posts tagged: #wasp hive
Bald-faced Hornet
Smack in the middle of the photo above is a hornet’s nest, a bald-faced hornet hive. It’s in a small red maple just off the end of the boardwalk in Explore the Wild. The hive’s dimensions are approximately 12″ x 8″ (H x W). Bald faced hornets are part of a sub-family of wasps known as yellowjackets. Their markings are white instead of yellow as in the local eastern yellowjacket. They’re also larger than the more familiar yellowjackets. While easternRead more
Harvester Chrysalis and other Insect and Flora News From the Wild
I’ve been keeping an eye out for a chrysalis on the hazel alder in Explore the Wild. Last week there were at least four harvester caterpillars on the plant. This past Saturday (8/30) I noticed one of the larva crawl off and away from the aphids it had been munching on. I suspected it was going off to pupate. Apparently though, it hadn’t enough to eat and turned back around towards the place from which it had come, it couldRead more