A Closer Look at a Tiny Wasp Nest Tucked under the eave of a shed or hidden in the corner of a quiet porch, a tiny wasp nest is an early sign of spring’s quiet industry. This particular nest, no bigger than a golf ball, contains just 15 hexagonal cells—a miniature marvel of precision and purpose. Each cell holds a developing grub, white and curled, quietly undergoing the transformation from larva to adult wasp. Constructed from chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva, the paper-like material of the nest is surprisingly strong yet lightweight. The queen, who singlehandedly built this starter nest, chose the location carefully—sheltered, safe, and close to resources. Each cell was meticulously crafted, shaped with instinctive skill passed down through countless generations. Inside the cells, the grubs are fed by the queen with masticated insects she hunts nearby. These early brood are vital: they will grow into the first generation of workers who will take over nest duties—expanding its siz

This is the size of a wasp nest (slightly larger than a golf ball, photo taken on 2nd May) so far this nest only has the queen inside looking after her brood of 12 grubs. She goes out frequently alone and finds insects and other larvae to feed to them. Once these 12 hatch out into worker wasps they will take over the building of more cells and will tend to the next brood of grubs and the feeding of the Queen who will concentrate her energy into egg laying. The nest will grow very quickly after this (like a snowball gathering snow as it rolls downhill) as more and more grubs hatch into worker wasps. It's not easy to spot a working nest until the number of wasps reach an amount that you can see being very busy flying in and out of a certain spot (from June onwards) ... this is when you may need to decide to have the nest treated. If you are seeing what you think may be wasps at this time of year (May) They are probably bees. And we don't do bees. So don't panic just yet.. it's too early