German yellowjacket nest - Vespula germanica

was this nest really brittle?

all of the underground nests that i have dug up for my collection were really brittle and have fallen apart. i have never found a german yellowjacket nest though.

… v. vulgaris, 18 July, 2007 - 5:38pm

No, the nest wasn't that brit

No, the nest wasn't that brittle. Vespula nests generally are more brittle than Dolichovespula nests, but this one wasn't too bad. I think V. germanica makes them stronger than either V. maculifrons or v. vulgaris.

… Andy Wehrle, 20 July, 2007 - 4:41pm

Thanks!

thanks for the info, ill have to try to find a german nest for my collection.(i hardly ever see german yellowjackets around where i live, and when i do, the nest is never on my property)

… v. vulgaris, 20 July, 2007 - 6:44pm

did you

collect this nest in december, or earlier than that?
I am just wondering when to collect the yellowjacket nests in my yard.

… Scott Nacko, 14 October, 2007 - 2:23pm

December

I did collect the nest in December.

… Andy Wehrle, 14 October, 2007 - 7:38pm

Thanks for posting this!

Is there a story behind your decision to excavate this nest, other than the enrichment of BugGuide? Regardless, it's very interesting to see what the structure looks like - I never imagined an underground nest would be so geometric and regular in shape.

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 6 December, 2005 - 7:04am

Well yes there is a story...I

Well yes there is a story...I am a collector of wasp nests so I get one whenever I have the chance. I mostly collect Dolichovespula (aerial yellowjacket and bald-faced hornet) nests, so this was the first ground nest I've had a chance to excavate while it was intact. I have one other in my collection, but it had already been dug up and partially ripped to shreds by some rodent predator.

Some of the nests in my collection can be seen in various photos on my wasp website.

… Andy Wehrle, 6 December, 2005 - 8:59am

Nice!

I think you should add your wasp website to your contributor bio page.

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 6 December, 2005 - 11:56am