How_To_Safely_Photograph_a_Southern_Yellowjacket_(6241629651).jpg
Summary
Description How To Safely Photograph a Southern Yellowjacket (6241629651).jpg |
The Southern yellowjacket (Vespula squamosa) is aggressive and quite dangerous when defending it's nest. Stumbling into the nest flyway or making ground vibrations too close to the entrance can get one swarmed! However, away from the nest while foraging for nectar, insects, rotting fruit and carrion, the yellowjacket is relatively amiable as long as you don't grab or insult her. Here is one method to safely photograph yellowjackets using an Osprey and a striped mojarra fish (Diapterus plumieri): 1. Befriend an Osprey ("fish hawk") 2. Ask it to go catch a striped mojarra fish (any fish will do). 3. When it is done eating, it will drop it on the ground. 4. Wait while the fish decomposes. 5. Yellowjackets (& flies) will come. 6. Take photographs! (Or you could just photograph them on rotting fruit but that wouldn't be a challenge :) This Southern yellowjacket has been drawn to a rotting mojarra fish dropped by an Osprey (there were several yellowjackets and blue bottle flies racing around). Note the two distinctive longitudinal stripes on the mesoscutum (just behind the head) which are characteristic of the species. The wasp is standing on the scales of the fish. The ground nest of these yellowjackets is not far away and has been cautiously and nervously passed by yours truly many times over the last couple of years. |
Date | |
Source |
How To Safely Photograph a Southern Yellowjacket
|
Author | Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth! |
Camera location | 26° 51′ 31.03″ N, 80° 04′ 33.13″ W | View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap | 26.858619; -80.075869 |
---|
Licensing
-
You are free:
- to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
- to remix – to adapt the work
-
Under the following conditions:
- attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original.
This image, originally posted to Flickr , was reviewed on 14 February 2013 by the administrator or reviewer File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske) , who confirmed that it was available on Flickr under the stated license on that date. |