Ruud Kleinpaste: Small swarms of wasps

Autumn – everybody is looking for a mate these days; 

Ants often fly upwards on a nice autumn day to find a partner for a bit of R&R. 

Nuptial flights, we call that (in the Entomological Industry) and when you think about this concept carefully, you begin to wonder how and why this habit ever developed in evolution! 

Can’t be an easy thing to do, especially when the wind is blowing quite a few Beauforts 

Some termite species do exactly the same thing: the adults grow a few pairs of elegant wings with which they take to the skies. A mated female carefully lands again, sheds her wings and goes looking for a nice hole or cavity in which she can start a new colony. 

The male simply dies… His job is done 

The reason I am alerting you all about these reproductive techniques is because I have been getting a few phone calls on 0800 801080 with complaints of small swarms of paper wasps hanging out on fences, roof-lines, exposed branches in the garden… or on outdoor furniture, arm-rests etc in a nice sunny position. We’re not talking about high numbers (only a dozen of wasps or so) but still…: even half a dozen grumpy paper wasps are a threatening sight, because those critters are well-known for their lack of humour. The irony is that male Paper wasps do not sting! 

The story is very much one of opportunistic display. It involves the concept of hanging out on a 'lek site'.

This is a place where males gather to attract females; 

The guys often fly up in the sunshine and “fight” with each-other for the best position on the lek site; the place where they are quickly spotted by soliciting females. 

males with the neatest, smallest yellow spots on their second abdominal segment are usually seen as the preferred, prettiest boy on the block. 

These are the boys chosen to be the partner and sperm donor for the females that will hibernate and start a new colony in spring. 

Now… where is that spot on my second abdominal segment? 

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