Hello all,
I have an art project in mind in The Netherlands, see the following pictures:
This setup includes a wasp queen (Vespula vulgaris) that I caught on my window in the Netherlands in early April. I believe it is a wasp queen because it is quite large and was flying around during that time.
My goal is to have the queen build a nest inside the large bottle so that I can have a glass bottle filled with a wasp nest as a final art product.
I have placed the following items in the aquarium for the queen:
- Various nesting materials such as reed, bark, wood, and rotten wood so she can choose what she wants.
- Water
- Honey
I have not included any protein yet since there are no larvae to feed (?).
The entire structure is in front of an East-facing window in my shed. I have tried adjusting the light by covering the bottle to make it a darker place for the queen to nest and covering the aquarium to make the bottle the only source of light for her to see.
The temperature might not be optimal as the shed is only a few degrees warmer than outside.
Currently, the setup is not working as the queen is not entering the bottle and doesn’t really seem to be interested in nesting. I have a few questions:
- Is the bottle a suitable nesting place for the queen? I can imagine that air circulation is the bottle might be somewhat of a problem.
- If not, how can I make it suitable?
- What is the best food for the queen and colony in the future? Something not too difficult to gather.
- What would be the best temperature and light conditions?
Thanks for all the help!
Kind regards and have a good weekend,
Lewis
