What is this?
- Detail of an abstract contemporary sculpture.
- Detail of hair generated by artificial intelligence.
- Nest of the Asian hornet.
- Nest of social wasps.
Show answer
Correct answer: 4.
Nest of social wasps, probably of the common wasp (Vespula vulgaris). Photo: P.-A. Mariéthoz.
Why?
The visible structure corresponds to a nest of social wasps, built with wood fibres chewed and mixed with saliva. The material forms a paper-like envelope, with clearly delimited layers, often greyish or brownish depending on the materials used.
It is not a nest of the Asian hornet. In the Asian hornet, the secondary nests are often large, rather spherical or ovoid, frequently located high up, and their identification must be made with caution, especially in the areas where the species is monitored.
What to understand
In social wasps, only the young fertilised queens generally survive the winter. In spring, they found a new nest alone, lay the first eggs and feed the first larvae until the appearance of the workers.
The workers then take over: they enlarge the nest, feed the brood and ensure the defence of the colony. Depending on the species, the season, the location and the available resources, the size of the nest and the number of individuals can vary greatly.
Key points
A wasp nest is not automatically a nest of the Asian hornet. For the beekeeper, the challenge is to be able to recognise the main types of nest, to avoid unnecessary destruction and to report suspected cases of Asian hornet according to the regional instructions.
Wasps can be a nuisance near dwellings or apiaries, but they also play an ecological role as predators of other insects. An intervention is therefore not always justified; it depends on the real risk, the location of the nest and the safety of people.