Small brown paper wasp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Small brown paper wasp |
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| Ropalidia revolutionalis | |
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The Ropalidia revolutionalis, also known as the small brown paper wasp, is a social wasp that is active during the day. These wasps are famous for the special nests they build, which look like combs. You can mostly find them in Queensland, Australia, especially around Brisbane and Townsville.
These wasps start new nests by themselves each spring. They can be helpful in gardens because they eat insect pests. But be careful! If you bother them, they will sting, and it can be very painful.
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About the Wasp
Ropalidia revolutionalis was first named by Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure in 1853. They belong to a group of paper wasps found in places like the Lesser Sunda Islands and northern Australia. They are part of the Ropalidia family, which includes wasps that start colonies in different ways.
What They Look Like
R. revolutionalis wasps are small, dark, reddish-brown. They are usually about 8 to 10 millimeters long. If you look closely, you can see cool patterns on their bodies. They also have eyes made of many tiny lenses. They are a bit smaller than other paper wasps. Their bodies are slimmer right after their "waist" area. Even though these wasps are not usually aggressive, they will sting if their nests are disturbed.
Where They Live and Their Nests
These wasps are also called Stick-Nest Paper Wasps. Their nests are made of several combs, each about 100 millimeters long. These combs have two rows of cells and look like sticks hanging from a branch.
You can often find their nests on bushes, hanging baskets, under the roofs of houses (called eaves), or in other sheltered spots. They mostly live in south-eastern to northern Queensland, Australia.
Colony Life Cycle
Ropalidia revolutionalis wasps start new nests every spring. A few female wasps begin by building one comb. At first, only one female lays eggs in this new nest.
After the first baby wasps grow into adults, more females join the colony. They build smaller combs next to the main one. These new adults also help take care of the nest.
Towards the end of summer, the queen wasp lays eggs that will become both male wasps and new female wasps that can lay eggs. These new wasps then mate with wasps from other colonies. The young females then find safe places to spend the winter. At this point, the old colonies start to break down. The young females will then start their own new colonies the next spring.
How They Work Together
Building Nests
Each colony starts with one comb built by a few females or even just one. As the year goes on, the colony adds smaller combs. Worker wasps build these combs using chewed-up wood and their own saliva.
Each comb has two rows of cells. These cells are attached by a small stalk at the top. Sometimes, wasps will even fix up old nests that got damaged over winter. This means some colonies can last for more than one year.
Caring for Babies
Each baby wasp, called a larva, lives in its own cell in the nest. The bottom of these cells is clear, so workers can clean out any waste. Worker wasps fly out to find caterpillars and other soft insects. They bring this food back to the nest for the larvae. Before giving food, they tap their heads inside the cell. Females keep raising the young until August, even as the nest gets older. The larvae then turn into adult wasps.
Worker Jobs
During the day, worker wasps search for flowers and small prey. They bring soft insects back for the larvae and sweet nectar for the adult wasps.
When it's hot, workers will often lift their bodies, pull in their legs, and fan their wings very fast. They do this to help cool down the nest. They also keep building and taking care of the cells in the comb.
How They Communicate
Sharing Food
Female wasps share food by facing each other and touching mouths to pass liquid food. Sometimes, one female will even climb on another's back to share food. The females who lay eggs ask for food most often.
Warning Others
When other insects come near the nest, the main female wasps might shake their wings or get into an alarm pose. This warns the other females that there is danger.
Females also show they are alarmed by moving around quickly. They might squeeze and expand their bodies or hold their antennae straight out.
Who's the Boss?
Each nest usually has a few larger, "bossy" females. These females might quickly dart around or climb on the backs of other wasps and bite them.
They also tend to stay on the largest comb. The other wasps, who don't lay as many eggs, are often found on smaller combs or on the ceiling near the nest. The bossy behavior seems to increase as the colony grows. This might be the older wasps showing their power to the newly grown adults.
Reproduction
Mating
Ropalidia revolutionalis females almost always mate with only one male. This helps keep the wasps in the colony closely related. There is also very little mating between family members in the same colony. This is because males leave their nests to mate with females from other colonies. New females that can lay eggs also mate with males from other colonies before they hide for the winter.
Egg Laying
Sometimes, eggs laid by less dominant females are eaten by the main female. However, more than one female can still lay eggs after the colony has grown. Usually, there is one main female who lays most of the eggs. This main female stays in the nest and sits on the cells that contain baby wasps that are changing into adults.
Queen Changes
The main female who lays eggs stays in charge until she dies. After she dies, the colony might have a short time with a few "queens," often her daughters. Eventually, one queen becomes the main one again, but the nest might still have a few other less dominant queens.
Where Wasps Stay in the Nest
The wasps in a colony usually stay in three main places: on the nest, next to the nest, or away from the nest. The main egg-laying female, other queens, and those caring for the babies or the nest usually stay on the nest. If there is more than one egg-laying female, the less dominant one might stay on a smaller comb or next to the nest, out of the way. Wasps that don't lay eggs can be in all three groups. But they often stay next to the nest or away from it, looking for food. If they are on the nest, the dominant wasps often push them onto smaller combs.
How They Defend Themselves
If a R. revolutionalis wasp feels threatened, it will get into a defensive position on the nest. It will warn an intruder to leave by lifting and spreading its wings. It might also wave its front legs and shake its body. If the threat doesn't go away, the wasp will then fly at the intruder and often sting them.
Wasps and Humans
Ropalidia revolutionalis wasps are helpful because they control pests in gardens. They catch caterpillars and other insects to feed their babies. It's usually best to leave their nests alone if you can. However, if their nest is disturbed, they will sting. Their venom contains a substance that can cause a lot of pain.
