Queston on preservaton

[Climber456]

I was in my yard cuting soem logs when I found this nest. Ive used photo off the net ot show that it is stlii intact and inhabited. I am going to hae to extermuinate them due to thier close proximity to house. I would like to preserve this some hwo and was wondering if anyone had a clue as to how to do ti.

 

[jade]

I would do a search on the net under entomology and find out if the bees die off in the winter or stay all year round....they may perhaps abandon the nest and not return, that way the bees could live out their natural life and you get the nest!...most bees mind their own business and won't bother you unless provoked. The nest is really quite beautiful, like a work of art...
good Luck.......Jade

 

[oswegatchie]

I'm pretty sure this is the nest of bald faced hornets. See:
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/bald-faced_hornet.htm

According to the website, the nest is abandoned in the fall, and therefore should pose no threat, though bringing it indoors would clearly be an act of faith. I think I would store it in a sturdy plastic bag until next summer, just to be sure nothing was going to hatch out of it

I think if it were kept dry, no further preservation would be required.

 

[post'r boy]

nice close-up of that bees face!! they prolly design spaceships and glacier googles based on that!!
and some people think "they" know it all!! ha!! whoever designed that be has it goin' on!!

 

[Davehiker]

Great pictures! We've always called them "White-faced hornets," but I stand corrected.

Yes, they die off over the winter, but the plastic bag idea seems like a good idea. Most of the time I've seen them kept in an unheated garage or shed, and I don't think I'd bring it into a heated area until I was positive the nest was vacant!

It's unusual to find a nest this time of year that hasn't been torn apart by the birds. This one looks like its in good condition.