🍂🐝 At the end of October on the Northern Hemisphere, common wasps (Vespula vulgaris) enter a phase of retreat and transformation. Most worker wasps and drones die off as the weather cools, while newly fertilized queens find sheltered spots to hibernate through winter, preparing to start a new colony in spring. During this period, the few remaining wasps seek out the last bits of nourishment before the temperatures drop too low for them to remain active.

🌷🌳🍂☃️ When I see a wasp nibbling on a dead spider at this time of year, it becomes a symbol of the last efforts in nature’s cycle. She herself is bound to the limits of her lifecycle, shaped by the greater rhythms of the seasons. She represents a moment when even the smallest beings, like ourselves, must align our actions with nature’s cycle, adapting to external conditions that shape and connect us all.

In this transitional season, the wasp reminds me that our interconnectedness with the world is constantly shifting, just as we must adapt and find our place within the phases of life, always dependent on the larger cycle that sustains us.

Common wasps
(Vespula vulgaris)

🏚️💩 What the wasp carries out is dirty old nest material.

⚠️ Be careful around wasp nests. They can get very large and the ground unstable. When I was a kid, I saw another kid from the neighborhood step into a big wasp nest and get so badly stung that the ambulance had to come get him.

⚠️ One should avoid disturbing the nest and generally never breathe in their direction or move frantically.

⚠️ If you discover a nest that is in a threatening location, consult experts and don't take action yourself.

🌍 Wasps also play an important role in the ecosystem, although they are annoying and can be dangerous in some situations.

🐝 Wasps do not produce honey. Their larvae are fed with proteins. These secrete a sweet liquid that the queen feeds on. The adult wasps feed primarily on sugary foods, but they hunt other insects for the brood. Because sick and weak animals are easier prey, wasps help reduce the spread of diseases.

🕊️ I don't usually feel disturbed by the presence of wasps, at least I want the wasps to think so, and I'm fine with it. Every now and then I'm asked to dance while I want to eat outside in the summer. However, I just dodge them and don't hit them. And I never kill an animal for no reason.

It's raining... My guest forgot her umbrella and looked for shelter. Now she's totally relaxed getting dry on my warm hand! 😆💛

Common yellowjacket
(Vespula vulgaris)

Common yellowjacket,
Vespula vulgaris
(08/2020 in Oberursel, Germany)

Until around mid-August they mainly feed on protein in form of insects or meat. This is how they supply the larvae. As soon as the adults no longer have to take care of the brood, they need sugar to survive. That's why they get annoying. But that's no reason to kill or torment them. They do valuable services: pollinate plants and keep the environment clean. In contrast to the wasp, humans have a large brain.

Common yellowjacket,
Vespula vulgaris
(09/2007 in Oberursel, Germany)