Over on the Ireland’s Wildlife Facebook page people are constantly posting amazing photos of the wildlife they encounter every day. Many of the shots are truly outstanding, but every now and again one crops up that is particularly strange or unusual.
Earlier today Barry Ryan posted this picture of a bright blue wasps nest that his dad found in a garden shed in Goatstown, Co. Dublin.
Wasps construct intricate nests made of cellulose mixed with their saliva to form a papery paste. They typically source this cellulose from woody plant material, but will readily chew up discarded paper and cardboard for use in their construction work. Presumably these wasps found a handy local source of blue-dyed paper or cardboard nearby: the result is this improbable looking nest.
If you look carefully through the entrance hole you can make out the elaborate hexagonal structure inside (also bright blue) which would have housed the wasp larvae.
Thanks to Barry for sharing this extraordinary find with all of us. What do you think? Have you seen anything like this before? Let us know in the comments.
4 comments
Hannah D
We just found almost the exact same looking small wasp nest while cleaning our sons garage! Had never seen one like it so we searched the net..
T O'Loughlin
I have blue wasp next in my shed in tallaght now too. Must be a lot of blue paper about. Would they not be mixed colours if just going for any paper?
Andrew Horford
Just found something very similar whilst insulating my loft in Bury, Lancashire.
paul daly
my friend found an exact replica of this in his shed yesterday in ashbourne, co meath, very peculiar