# Enjoy



## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

I hope these pics illustrate polistine wasp temperment, she flew on my hand to say hi and then flew about the room, after she was tired she flew back to me so she could go back in the cage LOL
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh195/P...es/000_3659.jpg

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh195/P...es/000_3660.jpg


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

WTF.. ?









Seriously? Or am I just gullible tonight?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Mettle said:


> WTF.. ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


haha, i was wondering the same thing... did it really happen like that or are they just some pictures of you about to get stung by a wasp?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Nope I am serious, here is my Polistes fuscatus colony...









They only sting if you restrain them.

Video proofs, I touched this wasp with no incident, if you know when and when not to apporach them you can avoid getting stung,











Here is my friends hornet, she was a pet as well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuMS3KDNysM...feature=related


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

are they in a giant cage or do they just fly around your house?

oops, i just read your first post again, how big is the cage?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

15Lx12Hx9W (close approximation.)

You can tell how a wasp is feeling by its body language, in the first pic she is completely relaxed, in the second pic she is getting ready to take off., When they are angry or upset they hold their wings at a high angle and actualy flare them at an annoynce before stinging. They dont carry much venom so they need to conserve it at all costs, so if they can avoid stinging they will.

The cage the Polistes dominula is in is a 12x12x12. The dominula was the one in the first two pics.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

how many do you have? do they just keep on laying eggs so that the colony grows, or what?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

An average colony gets to 20 or 30, generally 15 is the most I have had at one time, the pic of the nest with those wasps is a year old and they have all passed on. Polistes wasps are semi social and dont like have huge colonies, though they happen from time to time. The pic of the wasp on my hand is this year and she is a first generation removed from the wild CB queen.


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

interesting stuff man, so you're actually saying that they are somewhat tame?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Wasp in the genus Polistes, even wild ones are indeed somewhat tame.(With the exeption of olivaceus) And they can learn basic things, my often beg for food, and once they figure out you are no threat to the nest you can actually touch the nest with little more than a casual glance from the resident wasps.


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## MiGsTeR (Jan 19, 2008)

Thats awesome. Great post!


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

craziness...


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## TimmyTeam (Jun 20, 2003)

That is possibly one of the coolest thing's i think i have ever seen/read.


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## bigredjeep (Jul 12, 2007)

TimmyTeam said:


> That is possibly one of the coolest thing's i think i have ever seen/read.


thats weird...but purty saweet


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## piranawick (Dec 1, 2004)

Great thread


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## CichlidAddict (Jul 1, 2005)

I learned something new today. Very cool stuff indeed!


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

Your a brave man!
I am F'in deathly affraid of Bee/wasps. been stung by hornets b4 and it sucks! I have the worst luck..I ALWAYS get stung at random moments and random places!


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Your friend's hornet is absolutely amazing. What an incredible thing to see!

How did you get into keeping wasps? I find it very cool/interesting to see something like this and so out of the ordinary. I mean... it's not every day you see someone keeping wasps as pets!


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Quite by accident, to be honest I dont really know. Though their lifestyle really does lend itsself to the captive enviroment.

I have a 14 page article that will be published in Invert Magazine this June, obviously it will be broken down into chunks.


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## maknwar (Jul 16, 2007)

That rocks. Never would have thought you could keep them as pets, let alone let them be on your hand.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Let us know when your article comes out!


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## pyrokingbrand (Nov 30, 2004)

WOW! What a great thread. I never knew it was possible to keep these creatures as pets. Do you keep any other pets?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

I certainly do! I have one cornsnake, on JCP, one 10 Y/O cockatiel three turtles, and a yellow lab here is a cool pic to hold ya guys over.

The only bad thing about wasp keeping IMO is they are labor intensive and needy, they eat ALOT.

















Also I just learned something off wiki and since its about wasps I doubt it will be the target of those people that like to ruin articles, but basically it says that wasps reconize colony member by _LEARNED_ cues, I E through smell and sight and chemosensory reconition, it is possible if you work with them enough and in the right way that they may actually accept you as a nest mate, especially since I hand feed mine and thus my smells get on the food they eat LOL.


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## blackmaskelong (Aug 18, 2007)

we got a import once at a old store I worked at they had a giant wasp in it... it was 3-4'' long freaken huge we were making it bite threw sticks and stuff it was a monster but this summer im gona see if i can do what you just did here would be cool have a tunnel to the out side and watching htem grow and be able to see them in your room to.... and winter just keep them in hte house... well that is what im gona do lol Thanks for making me think....


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Uh... If you allow them access to the great outdoors they might not come back. Just an FYI. But good luck.


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## pyrokingbrand (Nov 30, 2004)

So basically your a part of the nest. A nest mate? Very cool.


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Mettle said:


> Uh... If you allow them access to the great outdoors they might not come back. Just an FYI. But good luck.


Actually if you do the relocation right they will! Just attatch the nest to the area you want it then add the wasps, after that have been cooled down in the fridge for five to ten minutes, then place them on the nest and cover them and the nest in a semi transparent container for 48 hours and uncover them on the third night, they should stay then!

As for being a nest mate its honorary of course as some days they DO NOT want you near them for some reason, I have not figured out why, but I guess like bees and other animals, they can have bad days as well. Its up to the keeper to develop a one way rapport with their wasps.


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## ICEE (Feb 3, 2007)

seek help would be my advice


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## bigmike31 (Dec 19, 2007)

NICE BRO. I WAS ACTULLY AFFRAID OF BEE'S HAD THE CHANCE TO INTERACT WITH HONEY BEE'S THEY SPRAYED SMOKE INTO THE HIVE AND HAD HUNDRES CLIMBING ALL OVER MY HANDS WAS CRAZY SMOKE RELAXS THEM.


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

this thread is pretty crazy. Thanx alot for sharing. I'm sure we're all suprized to see someone keeping them as pets. Its really enteresting stuff though. Are those silkies your feeding them?

At the kids museum here in Grand Rapids, they have a bee hive in plexi glass, with an opening to outside. You can watch them going about their buisness, and if you look out the window you can see hordes of them going to and from the hole. I want to do that, but then I'll have them all over the yard(which I dont want).


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## blackmaskelong (Aug 18, 2007)

Mettle said:


> Uh... If you allow them access to the great outdoors they might not come back. Just an FYI. But good luck.


Well they normally come back to the nest so just find a queen and then have her make the nest and then make babies and hen introduce them to the out doors


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Yeah, my post was a little stupid. I forgot about the intrinsic importance of the hive/nest for bees and wasps and so forth.

Where does one go to producre wasps as pets? Does it start with obtaining a queen?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Mettle said:


> Yeah, my post was a little stupid. I forgot about the intrinsic importance of the hive/nest for bees and wasps and so forth.
> 
> Where does one go to producre wasps as pets? Does it start with obtaining a queen?


Yopu start by obtaining a foundress or a small nest with all the wasps included, Now is the time to keep your eyes peeled for foundresses as they will emerge on warm days.


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## Bawb2u (May 27, 2004)

I've had all kinds of exotic pets before, reptilian, mammalian and invertebrate and have never heard of anybody keeping wasps as pets before. Kudos on an awesome and different aspect of animal keeping.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Omnius said:


> Yeah, my post was a little stupid. I forgot about the intrinsic importance of the hive/nest for bees and wasps and so forth.
> 
> Where does one go to producre wasps as pets? Does it start with obtaining a queen?


Yopu start by obtaining a foundress or a small nest with all the wasps included, Now is the time to keep your eyes peeled for foundresses as they will emerge on warm days.
[/quote]

How many times have you been stung? LOL.


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## blackmaskelong (Aug 18, 2007)

what do you give them for building a nest? and will they live threw winter inside if they are not exposed to the cold? im in Canada so just wondering if they will survive the winter inside with food and all the stuff they need?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

None actually. Its easy to figure out when not to work with them without the trial and error of getting stung.

@CH It is possible that they can live through the winter indoors but it seems they do best if allowed to overwinter, though this would be a cool thing to try out.

For nesting material cardbord that has been torn works well, they may also take splintery wood as they do in the wild but all captive keeping attempts have shown cardboard seems to be the best nesting material.


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## SERRAPYGO (Feb 4, 2003)

Wow! Pretty cool!

At work, mostly late summer and fall, we...they, hang "bee and wasp traps". The kind that are filled with orange soda or juice. Personally, I don't like it. Every chance I get I free the little buggars from their sticky sweet potential demise.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

But how would one harvest them from the wild without getting stung? I just don't see how it's possible to get an actual nest and bring it in.

What do you provide for food?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Well the temerperment of polistes wasps especially fuscatus really lends itself to that LOL, most times they dont even react until as few seconds AFTER the nest is swiped LOL and then they settle down again in a few minutes. Also only take a small nest of up to six wasps, any larger and its hard to keep track of them all. (You need to catch them all at once or your efforts may be invain if the foundress escapes, unlike all the old data says polistes wasp workers cannot just take up the role of the queen if the old one is missing, it all depends on how they were fed during their larval stage that determines what ones have the ability to become queens.

For food, the adults need water, honey, and gatorade, while the larva need crickets, waxworms, CB hornworms and other soft bodied insects, the adults may also feed on the juices of their prey.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Gatorade? That' wild... Do they prefer any specific flavour? Haha.

I am honestly pretty tempted to try this. I just have no idea where I'd find a small nest.


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## blackmaskelong (Aug 18, 2007)

Mettle said:


> Gatorade? That' wild... Do they prefer any specific flavour? Haha.
> 
> I am honestly pretty tempted to try this. I just have no idea where I'd find a small nest.


im doing it lol just wait untill summer there is lots just capture them in a cup or somthing with nest in all then put them in fridge and then set the nest up then let them on it....


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Any specific places that are best to look?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Alright I will post some pics for you all to help with questions:

The best places to look for small nests are in sheltered places that are off the ground.

Here is an example of where to look:








Here is an eclosure I have, minus the wood, which they dont seem to use.


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

I end up knocking a bunch down every spring. If I left them, we'd have them everywhere. We have a pool, which may be why. They are always hanging from everything around the pool area.

I'm not sure what species they are, but spring seems to be the time to grab one because the nests are still small, and usually only have 1 wasp working on a 6-8cone hive. Would one of the first babies in those tiny hives likely be a queen?


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Jayson745 said:


> I end up knocking a bunch down every spring. If I left them, we'd have them everywhere. We have a pool, which may be why. They are always hanging from everything around the pool area.
> 
> I'm not sure what species they are, but spring seems to be the time to grab one because the nests are still small, and usually only have 1 wasp working on a 6-8cone hive. Would one of the first babies in those tiny hives likely be a queen?


You can actually leave the polistes nests they dont really cause problems unless in high traffic areas, but once they get used to it they generally settle and are not noticed.

As for the babies the first batch are ALWAYS workers, reproductives are not laid until late summer/early fall. Though the first wasp (that built the nest) is the queen. It is imperitive you catch her at your first attempt otherwise they bolt.

A story I reached up to grab what I thought was an abanded nest and it turned out it was not, instead of being stung the queen just crawled on my figer LOL That was startling to say the least as touching the nest in the manner I did was surely violating wasp ettiquet.

Obviously hand collecting is not an ideal way to do it, also workers tend to be a bit more jumpy than queens but not overly so. So if I had grabbed that nest with workers on it I would have been stung for sure. But once again once they settle you can take many liberties with them.(Hand feeding is my favorite)


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## Doktordet (Sep 22, 2006)

After reading this thread, i actually feel guilty. I cant count how many poli wasps (sorry i cant spell it!) Ive killed. I have small kids, so any kind of threat, i try to neutralize immediately. The dead wasps end up as food for my exodons.


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

yeah people often confuse polistes wasps with hornets in the genuses vespula, vespa, and Dolichovespula. These are generally high strung and can be aggressive,And in a high traffic area can actually be a threat) exceptions are the bald faced hornet,(Which is very shy unless the nest is attacked physically) and the European hornet(Giant hornet) V. crabo.(Which when they see people they will crawl backwards slowly and then fly away. TThese can atually be free handled near their nest, they are that docile, as long as the nest is not attacked/touched.)

http://www.vespa-crabro.de/grbilder/nase1.htm<The nest is inside that box.
*And NO THAT IS NOT ME* LOL 
Taken from here:
http://www.vespa-crabro.de/hornets.htm


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## ...Jay... (Nov 2, 2006)

the ones around here dont usually bother anyone, but its all around the pool that gets used by kids every day. So I just knock them down. Mabey I shouldn't, the way you make them sound. No one has been stung. If they are a distance away from the pool, I'll leave them be from now on. Kids splashing nests and screaming might come off as... how did you put that? violating wasp ettiquet. hehehe

as a kid, I always hated wasps because one dumb wasp ruined it for me. I'm walking by my grammas pool, and this big fat black wasp comes zipping by. right past me, and into the size of the pool. It even made a thumping sound, it hit so hard(probably drunk off fermented sap or some sh*t), then it turns around and stung me right in the F-in armpit! Right in the front where your skin folds when you put your arm down. That was the worst sting I've had, and I got one on the bottom of my big toe before, and one inbetween my fingers once(both bee stings).


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Perhaps, you really should use your best judgement, especially where younger children are concered, though the risk is small its best not to take chances as they ARE wild and like any animal can be unpredicatable. And yeah splashing the nest is not a good idea LOL Every situation and in fact every colony is different, some are more laid back than others, even from the same species temperments can vary. High traffic areas can be an issue as well, what I do for one trouble spot at my house (There is an area they like to nest in that is right above the main door way is to spray Raid BEFORE they start to set up nests, this way when the queens are looking for a nest site they smell the chemicles and leave the area alone.)

Basically the ONLY time I have been stung was when I was observing a "wild" colony on a day where the temp was in the 90s and the humidity was in the 70-80s obviously the wasps were already uncormfortable,(Again they get cranky due to the metabolic boost of high temps and are running a "fever") and having me near them was enough to push them over the edge.

Sounds like you were stung by a spider hunter wasp and I bet that hurt since they rely on their sting more than polistes wasps do when taking down food.


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## dorianc204 (Mar 12, 2007)

wow i read this whole thread so far and i am amazed!! like thats crazy man!!! thx for all the info


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## Quint (Mar 25, 2004)

One of them could be spray painted green , then it'd be a green hornet (pun intended)

Cool that they're friendly and don't sting unless they have to.


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## Omnius (Mar 20, 2006)

Well I will be marking my queens this year along with the males so I can sure that I know with 100% who is mating with who. Using marker made for honey bee queens should work. I will order some soon.


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