Social Wasps Are Great Artists and Architects, But So Are....

A show of hands! Skylan Potter,11, Sacramento, displays her hands--blue-green from the color of her paper mache wasp nest. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

But so were the participants in the family arts-and-crafts activity at the Bohart Museum of Entomology open house on social wasps, held Saturday, Jan. 20 in Room 1124 of the Academic Surge Building, 455 Crocker Lane, UC Davis. 

The family activity? To create a paper mache wasp nest, using a balloon, newspapers, a pump, a marker, a chopstick, and a paste of flour, water and school glue.

Directions on "How to Make a Paper Mache Wasp Nest" read:

1. Blow up the balloon to the size of an orange using the pump
2. Tear strips from newspaper and dip in paste of flour, water and school glue
3. Apply strips to several layers onto balloon, making sure that balloon is covered
4. Optional: Decorate, using colorful tissue paper
5. Pierce the tail end of the balloon using a chopstick and initial the chopstick stick using a marker
6. Let dry on rack or at home.

Skylan Potter, 11, of Sacramento, a member of the Wild Oak Circle chapter of SpiralScouts International, arrived with her mother, Camille Potter, and baby brother, Kehlan Kaufeldt, age 1, to work on her entomology badge. 

SpiralScouts International aims "to provide opportunities for young people to fulfill their potential as caring responsible individuals through informal activities in a spiritual, open and loving atmosphere that celebrates their diversity," according its website.

Skylan's mother, vice president of the international organization, said SpiralScouts offers four levels: RainDrop ages 3-5; FireFly, ages 6-9; SpiralScout, ages 10-13 years; and PathFinder, ages 14-18. "From one level to the next, they can earn the same badge with increased skill/ability and learning requirements," she related.

Skylan worked on completing the entomology badge requirements at the SpiralScout level. She had previously earned her entomology badge at the FireFly level.

UC Davis distinguished professor Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum, answered questions about social wasps. Attendees looked at specimens, and also viewed species and wasp nest material through microscopes.

The Schmidt Sting Pain Index, a pain scale of different hymenopteran stings ranked by entomologist Justin Schmidt (1947-2023), drew widespread interest.  Schmidt, an entomologist at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, Tuczon, Ariz., deliberately subjected himself to stings and then ranked them as to the level of pain he experienced. Some of his findings:

1. The bald-faced hornet, ranked as a 2 in the pain scale and described as "Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand smashed in a revolving door."
2. The yellowjacket, a 2: “Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue.”
3. The paper wasp, a 3: "Caustic and burning. Distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut."

The next Bohart Museum open house will be Saturday, Feb. 10, during the 13th annual UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day, a "Super Science Day" spotlighting 10 UC Davis museums and collections. It is free and family friendly. The Bohart Museum, a founder of the event, will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (See list on Bug Squad blog)

Founded in 1946, the Bohart Museum houses a global collection of eight million insect specimens, plus a live petting zoo, including Madagascar hissing cockroaches, walking sticks,  tarantulas; and an insect-themed gift shop stocked with t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, books, posters, jewelry and more.