The age of a wasp nest can be reliably estimated by measuring its physical size
the verdict
INSUFFICIENT LEANING
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
2 sources for · 0 against
AS REPORTEDno primary record reached; this is what the reporting says
Available pest control advice notes general seasonal growth patterns relating nest size to the time of year, but does not establish a precise or reliable method for estimating exact nest age solely from physical dimensions.
# Is it possible to estimate the age of a wasp nest by its size?
Tags: entomology, wasps
- Score: 5
- Views: 1573
- Answers: 0
- Asked by: Chuck (51 rep)
- Asked: 2016-09-19
- Edited: 2016-09-19
- Site: biology
## Question
Long story, but briefly I am debating knocking down a paper wasp nest. I don't want to kill the wasps, because (1) they're beneficial wasps, and (2) I would not have even known they were there, except I came face-to-face with the nest (~1 foot) and they didn't act remotely aggressive at all (karma).
My concern is that I've been out of town for a couple weeks, and I don't know if the nest has been under my deck all year and they were actually relatively sedate, or if the nest has developed recently. I mow regularly, and my big concern is that the noise of the mower and weed eater is going to agitate the wasps into stinging.
The wasp nest is under my deck, and my dog crosses the deck to get to the back yard frequently. I also have a toddler, but we generally play with him in the front yard, which is separated from the back yard by a fence.
So, tl;dr - A wasp nest is a little smaller than a baseball and covered in about 15 wasps. Has this nest been under my
Pest control advice - Wasps | Oxford City Council
Wasps build colonies inside nests made from wood pulp, commonly found in buildings' roof spaces, airbricks, wall cavities, garden sheds, tree holes, and soil banks. They emerge from hibernation in spring, with queens starting new colonies around Easter, depending on the weather.
## Wasp lifecycle
After the queen establishes a nest, she lays 10 to 20 eggs, with most nests not becoming active. Worker wasps later take over nest enlargement and larva feeding from late May to June. By early autumn, nests can contain thousands of wasps. Fertilized queens leave to hibernate, while the rest of the colony dies off with the onset of cold weather.
Useful information:
- April / May - the queen emerges from hibernation as the temperatures begin to increase and she starts to build a nest. This initial nest is usually only the size of a golf ball, and soon after she begins to lay the first eggs
- June - the nest grows slowly, and the first adults emerge from the nest 4 to 6 weeks after the first eggs are laid
- July - the nest starts to grow more rapidly as the numbers in the nest increase. This tends to be when you will start to notice nests
Everything we examined (2)
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