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wake again after rest

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i love having this exact conversation all day every day for the rest of my natural life

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An old video from 2011. Yours truly picking up a queen Vespula alascensis that was overwintering somewhere in the basement and woke up prematurely. This was filmed during the winter months. I think I tried to keep her alive until spring, but she passed, unfortunately. She was so sweet. I did my best to keep her alive at the time. 😢 Please excuse the framed beetles in the background, I had just finished making that display and then hung it up on my wall afterward. I don't recommend that people go around trying to pick up any wasp that they see (especially allergic folks), but the point of this video is to show that these animals are not completely mindlessly hostile and can be very passive if shown respect.

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this sweet angel kept me company this morning after i found him sleeping on the side of the house. i put my finger in front of him and he quickly woke up, then climbed onto my finger almost immediately, which was surprising, and very endearing.

i spent some time in the yard, all the while he was walking between my hands, sipping leftover sugar on my skin from the donut i had for breakfast, or simply resting on my fingertips as i walked around. he flew off after a good half an hour/forty minutes. i was shocked he didn’t leave earlier. definitely one of the longer encounters i’ve had with a wasp, especially a bald faced.

Dolichovespula maculata, Bald Faced Hornet

8/27/24

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when people say "ok but x bug has no benefit to nature" I bet they can't even name 5 facts about the bug they're shitting on. so how could they Possibly know what its function is in the environment and if it's "useless" or not

wasps being the perfect example, I still get people saying "oh bees are cute and pollinate :) yay. but WASPS ARE EVIL and they don't contribute ANYTHING!!!" and it's like buddy. wasps pollinate too. they also control spider populations. they do a lot of great valuable things. but even if they didn't, they're still worthy of being here. I see SO much hatred toward wasps and I wish people would try to learn a little more about them.

I'm mainly talking about paper wasps here because these are common ones we run into in daily life and most commonly deemed "aggressive". but wasps have body language. and if you learn to read this language and learn how to properly act around them, things will go a lot better for you! wasps can be curious creatures and they may come up to observe you, especially if you're wearing something brightly colored. this can be startling for sure, but my best advice is to just be still, DO NOT SWAT or wave your arms. try to just back away or sidestep so it loses interest and leaves. swatting is just gonna make them feel as if they are being attacked and increase your chances of being stung.

many stings happen due to unfortunate but accidental circumstances. unknowingly getting too close to a nest, stepping on a wasp on accident, one getting stuck in clothing, etc. I got stung once while gardening, went to pull a weed and the wasp was on it, so I grabbed her without knowing and she stung me because she was scared. this doesn't mean "oh wasps are AGGRESSIVE and EVIL" it means you stumbled into an unfortunate situation where the wasps felt threatened and defensive. instead of being like "FUCK all wasps" go forward trying to learn about common nesting areas, be wary of holes in the ground, wear gloves while gardening, and if you do have to be around a nest, try not to make a lot of noise. if the nest absolutely needs removed, call a professional.

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went up to the attic earlier which is apparently inhabited by vast amounts of women

Polistes fuscatus, overwintering queens

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went up to the attic earlier which is apparently inhabited by vast amounts of women

Polistes fuscatus, overwintering queens

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good morning ma’am you’re up early

Polistes fuscatus, Queen

2/29/24

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i let him go as soon as this i was finished taking the photo. none of my encounters last very long, the females stay as long as they choose. with the males, i hold them as shortly as i can, as being held like this does stress them out - between the initial grab, photo, and release, the entire ordeal typically lasts under thirty seconds.

i also make sure they’re never in any physical danger. my grip is very gentle, he has more leeway than you’d think. i only hold males like this, as they can’t sting.

he Hates it

Polistes fuscatus ♂

8/31/23

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i have a question about bugs. bugses. most of what i know about wild animals is about mammals. and i know if you see a wild mammal in the wild you should not approach it or try to pet or feed it, you should just leave it alone. and i applied this idea to basically every animal. but i see you (and other blogs i follow) occasionally handle insects you see in the wild, like have them on your hand. how is that okay? i want to do it too now... (only if i know the species is not dangerous ofc) but does it not stress out the bug, being handled?

of course it stresses the bug out & I have some long post where I talk about this & related issues, but when you see me handling and messing with wild bugs (or even my pet ones, it’s not like captive insects are domesticated or tame) I weigh how badly I want/need to do that versus the outcomes on the animal:

I consider these questions:

does the animal need help immediately?

will handling hurt the animal even if I don’t intend it?

can anyone learn from handling this? (myself, others I’m with, followers online)

handling wild cockroach briefly for a photo? not necessary, but a good educational experience & helps others enjoy a creature they might not otherwise. she fluttered away a second later unharmed. I didn’t pick up any others of the same species that night since I already got my selfish wish to Hold Beast: the rest can be left alone.

picking up Alfonso because I need to clean his bark slab? yep, that should be fine, I’ll set him down in a moment & grab a photo first

picking up a Tenodera mantis? it’ll not be super thrilled with it but they often chill out in a matter of minutes and treat my hand like a branch. if not and it’s trying to attack or flee constantly, I’ll let it leave.

picking up a frog/slug/snail? probably not ok unless you’re moving it across a path or just holding it very briefly. their slime coat reacts poorly to human hand secretions.

in many cases your instincts are right: leave the animal alone. but I think it is worth it to handle a creature if doing so can help it or if doing so can help people appreciate it more without incurring a cost to the animal’s health.

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here’s a small thing from when it was a little warmer

Ichneumonidae sp.

11/17/23

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want to apologize for being inactive, obviously the lack of wasps in winter is a factor, but i've received a handful of lovely asks that have remained unanswered and i am very sorry for that. got a hard time typing out responses, takes a while.

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i need spring to come back i miss wasps

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this guy was missing half of his left wing, which i assumed had rendered him flightless. i carried him around the yard a while and as i was about to put him down in some foliage, he surprised me by flying (very lopsided but surprisingly powerfully) over the tree line, disappearing from view.

Vespa crabro ♂

10/24/23

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Random bee behavior fact for those who wish to read, just because I feel like it and because it’s late and I’m stalling on sleeping:

Bumblebees may seem like passive, cuddly, and docile creatures, but they won’t hesitate to defend themselves if they feel as if their warnings aren’t being read or taken seriously.

I.e. the photos and diagram below, when a bee feels threatened they will raise one or more of their legs into the air, signaling to whatever or whomever may be bothering them as a message essentiality saying: “hey, back off, too close!”

species pictured: bombus pascuorum, bombus impatiens

If their defensive posture goes unnoticed or ignored, they may be pushed into defending themselves by stinging (which is also a stressful experience for not only one such as yourself, but also for the bee.) If you ever find yourself getting close to a bumblebee while taking pictures, walking close to them, or just admiring them, remember this posture! If a bee does this, it is simply asking you to take a step back as it feels it is being threatened.

Now you can understand and use this knowledge to your advantage if you ever come across one in the future. (Of course, because it’s very hard not to anthropomorphize animals, I do have to admit that they do look pretty cute when doing it. Just remember to respect them though!)

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guy who posed nicely for the camera

Polistes fuscatus ♂

10/21/23

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Made a new friend tonight! Vespa crabro! Cutie. 💕

I think this one was a worker. Not quite as big as some of the queens I've seen before.