Polistes Exclamans!

[aggienaut]

   Introducing... Polistes Exclamans!! What appears to be a new addition to our local wasp population of Polistes Aurifers and Polistes Dominulus's. Their most prominant difference is that they're about half the size of the latter two species (at 1.5cm of length on average) and have two thick brown bands (as opposed to Dominulus' black bands and Aurifer's brown triangles).


   In other news, I forget if I mentioned it before but bumblebees (the only local native bees) are getting extremely rare in this area. )=

Comments

[colt-4-5.livejournal.com]

When I was a kid I accadently stirred up a nest of black wasps. (not sure of the name) I was stung probably 20 or 30 times. Now that was something i'll never forget! I even have a scar on my leg from where I was repeatedly stung.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

Intense!

The above pictured wasps allegedly stung three people who walked by them, and started looking at me funny after I took a picture of them.

[colt-4-5.livejournal.com]

I've heard that in the fall they get a little more agressive cuz the friut they eat is starting to forment. Not sure if thats true or not. I've been stung many times growing up in the country and it seems it can happen at any time of year.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

Well that can't be true for wasps -- they're carnivorous! They hunt insects.

Bees do seem to be a bit more bad tempered this time of year. I think it may have more to do with them protecting their honey stores for the winter.

[colt-4-5.livejournal.com]

I wonder if bees know when they sting, its a kamukazi mission.

[ashael.livejournal.com]

Oooh nice looking wasps.
Also, the latin name of the species (binomial name) is not to be capitalized. e.g. Homo sapiens and not Homo Sapiens.

[emosnail.livejournal.com]

hm. what if its used by itself? (like above, where I've already introduced them by binomial but am continuing to talk about the differences between dominulus and aurifer?)

[ashael.livejournal.com]

lowercase.

[ashael.livejournal.com]

Actually, the right way to write it is P. dominulus. You have to state the first letter of the species name, and you can only do that if you've written the full name earlier.