Polistes canadensis

4/5/12

So far this blog has been entirely made up of info about Polistes dominulus, now I want to introduce you all to the main wasp I am studying for my PhD.

This is Polistes canadesis 

They are a pest here in Panama and people don't really like them as they tend to nest in old abandoned buildings and when they do so their are lots of them. As Panama is progressing economically many of these buildings are being knocked down now, some old sites my lab used here in Panama are now completely unusable. 

As you an tell they are a lot bigger than dominulus and definitely more vicious, bee hats and shirts needed at all times - not so good for working on the tan!

From my first impressions they are a little harder to work with than dominulus mainly cos they nest high up (here you can see Sol up a ladder, and Tibo in the jungle)

But on their plus sides they are also pretty good fun to work with and being so active its great to watch their behaviour - plus they look very cute with their little number tags! 

Its also great to be working in a tropical country (despite the heat and lots of clothes needing to be worn & bitting stinging insects) there are loads of other interesting critters around, here is a random selection of photos - again if you budding nature lovers out there know what the species is I would love to know!

Days without stings - 35! (so far I am the last man standing as everyone else has been stung at least or in some cases twice - Tibo!!!)