Recording from a wasp nest
The recording above is a very unique sound recording sent in by Bob Dennison of a wasp nest in his roof space in Radnorshire. This was recorded recently in late autumn and the purring sound was heard sparodically by Bob. It is possible that this is the noise created by the wasps as they attempt to control the temperature or humidity in the nest. This is the hypothesis that we have at present, based upon research papers accessed online.
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2nd December 2020
I received an update yesterday from Bob about the wasps nest. It continues to be active, with male wasps (probably) noted to be coming and going from the nest site. Bob cannot access the nest as it it in a roof space, so he doesn't know how active the nest really is.
Bob wrote:
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In the last couple of weeks we've also encountered a few individual large wasps which I take to be next year's queens? Some are turning up in parts of the house (presumably getting into the house from the roof space via some gaps in the fabric of the house) and others we are finding in the wood shed as we bring in logs! I think we've created a wasp paradise here!
The 'crackly' sound from the nest behind the bathroom ceiling boards is gradually getting quieter, though it is still audible
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December 13 2020
Bob reports that the male wasps are still hanging around the nest site. We can only conclude that this is due to such a mild winter so far. He has sent the photos below of two male wasps, one cleaning its legs and another photo of one cleaning its antennae.
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Removal of the Nest
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January 2021
The wasp nest has finally been removed. Here is a photo of the nest that lay within the cavity.
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The photos above show, left to right, an oblique view of a small section, the nest insitu in the roof space and a larger section that has been removed. The pen gives an idea of scale. There appear to be some filled cells which will be unhatched larvae presumably.