The speaker describes their experience of housing a wasp colony in a picture frame in their bedroom. They explain the colony's structure, including the nest, which is a daycare center, dormitory, hospital, and kitchen for the larvae, eggs, and pupae. The adult wasps feed the larvae crickets, which they chop up into manageable portions using their mandibles. The speaker also feeds the colony honey, which they use to nourish the larvae.
The speaker shares their observations of the wasps' behavior, including their reaction to a plastic hand being placed in the nest, which they initially view as a meal. The speaker also describes the wasps' cleaning habits, which are similar to those of cats and dogs, to prevent the spread of germs.
The speaker explains that the larvae eventually transform into adult wasps, and the queen wasp is the mother of every wasp in the nest. The speaker describes the queen's role in founding and expanding the colony, which led to the wasps invading their bedroom.
The speaker recounts the chaos of catching and releasing the wasps, which had grown significantly larger than expected. They express relief after releasing the wasps back into the wild.
1. The speaker made a mistake by housing a wasp colony in a picture frame, which led to the wasps flooding into their bedroom.
2. The wasp colony is housed on a wall in the bedroom, and the nest is glued to the back wall of the frame.
3. The nest is the heart of the colony, serving as their dormitory, hospital, kitchen, and daycare center.
4. The nest is full of eggs, larva, and pupa, and the parents work their entire lives to raise the next generation.
5. The larva are always hungry, and the adults feed them crickets, which they chop up into manageable portions using their powerful mandibles.
6. The adults also feed the colony honey, which is usually provided by the speaker out of a bottle cap.
7. The speaker also feeds the colony some honey out of a plastic hand, and the wasps were gentle and only interested in a meal.
8. The speaker cleans the frame and the glass every few days to avoid getting too dirty.
9. The wasps are very clean animals, similar to cats or dogs, and they groom themselves constantly to prevent the spread of germs.
10. The larva make an energy-rich liquid that nourishes the whole colony.
11. The wasps are like a butcher, eating crickets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
12. The larva grow in size and eventually prepare to transform into adult wasps.
13. The Queen is the mother to every single wasp in the nest.
14. The speaker made a mistake while charging the light, forgetting to close off the hole, which led to the wasps flooding into their bedroom.
15. The speaker had to carefully pick up each wasp one by one to avoid getting stung.
16. The nest had grown far larger than the speaker could have anticipated, and the wasps were beginning to generate new kings and queens.
17. The speaker decided to release the wasps back into the wild to give back to nature.