an uninvited guest

When I stepped out onto my balcony this morning, I couldn’t help but notice a wasp that was hovering around. I tried to waft it away, not because I was alarmed by it, but simply because I didn’t want it getting into the house before I’d closed the screen doors. I did notice that it appeared to be hovering around a particular spot on the balcony rail, but then I went back indoors and thought no more about it.

If I’m not either writing or out cycling, the next most common activity that you’re likely to find me doing is sitting on the balcony drinking beer. And, having been out cycling yesterday and planning to go out again tomorrow, that is what I was doing a few hours later. After a short while, I became aware that the same wasp—or another of its species—seemed to be occupied on the same part of the balcony rail that I mentioned earlier. It was about 1.5 metres away, so it was a while before it dawned on me.

“The cheeky bugger!” I thought. “It’s building a nest.”

It took me a while to decide what to do, but eventually I went back indoors to fetch my camera. The wasp was still there, so I took a couple of photographs:

I didn’t notice the small round ball to the right in the first photo until I examined the photos, but I concluded that it must be part of the wasp’s enterprise. However, it hasn’t been back. Perhaps it couldn’t find its way back, because in wasp terms, it would have had to fly a considerable distance to obtain the mud that it had used in its construction project. Anyway, I had wondered whether I would have to destroy the nest, but if that’s it—it isn’t going to get any bigger—then I shall leave it and await developments.