Sunday 17 June 2012

Nest dilemma

We're having a good nest year this year. The wrens produced a brood in the garage and there are now swallows in there too. Great tits have come and gone from the nest box on the old apple tree and, to my great surprise the sparrow 'terrace' box has finally been used.
I've had it for three years now and have tried it in different places around the garden, but it has never attracted much interest. But it's now on the back of the big shed and has sparrows in residence - if you stand close by you can hear the nestlings.
There is one nest that's not quite so welcome. With all this rain I haven't been in and out of the little shed as much as I would usually, which is probably why I didn't notice the wasp nest until today.
It's on the back of the door and is a little bigger than a golf ball. While I was taking these pictures I didn't see any sign of the queen coming and going, which seems strange.
Shouldn't she be feeding the growing grubs? Below the nest hole there are lots of black droppings, so I'm assuming the grubs are alive and growing.
So is this an abandoned starter nest? Perhaps the queen has died during all that rain. And should I destroy the nest before it becomes a problem?
I think it might be the sensible thing to do. If the colony did grow and thrive the shed would have to be off limits for the rest of the summer - at least for the children.
But I can't quite bring myself to do it. I'm interested to see what happens next.

2 comments:

  1. It's like a piece of sculpture or pottery. Is it possible to take it down but keep it?

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  2. It's certainly a thing of beauty. I was thinking of putting it straight into an air-tight box so that I could keep it. Perhaps cut it open and have a look inside.

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