material filmed Sept 13,19,26, 2020 (update 12/13/2020)  Since I was in the neighborhood n 9/13/2020, I went to Scobee Field (It's inside George Bush Park) to look for some wasp nesting 
behavior. Fortunately, there weren't many people around, so I could stay for a while.  I found some wasp nests on the Bathroom/Concession building. They were in a great spot, low and easy to get
good closeups. In 2018, I'd watched some Polistes nests at Brazos Bend State park (documented on this page-see 09/30/2018). At that time I witnessed cannibalism of a wasp larva by a worker.
I learned back then that this is not uncommon, so I hoped to witness it again. (I got most of my information from two sources: the book The Evolution of Social Wasps, by James H. Hunt;and 
Effect of food availability on larval cannibalism by foundresses of the paper wasp Polistes chinensis antennalis by K. Kudoˆ • A. Shirai.)
Special Note: The Polistes wasps in this story have been positively identified as Polistes exclamans by these folks on Twitter:  Chris Alice Kratzer (@humanbyweight) and
Emilio Peruzzi S. (@darlingbeetle) THANK YOU!!  

I was not happy with the lighting, and I was reluctant to try to use a flash while I was standing so close to the nests. So I left, planning to return the next weekend. These photos are from 9/13/20:

    
               Concession Stand Windows                               One nest in each corner of Left Window                                        Nest in left corner                                                    Nest in Right Corner

    
     Nest in Center of Right Window Closeup                Nest in Right corner of Right Window                 Right corner of Right Window closer                Right corner of Right Window even closer
 The first image shows eggs in the cells.         The third image, shows two wasps kneading some prey, preparing it to feed to the larvae.

    
                  The entire nest is small                                                 Zoom in a bit closer                                    Zoomed even closer, still no flash.             Notice the eyes are clearer with angle change

    
             Light shows eggs and larvae.                  Workers kneading (malaxating) prey (green pods)   Closer view of workers malaxating. 

 During malaxation the solids are rendered to easily-digestible pulp, while liquids are taken from the mass and stored in the crop of the wasp. The liquid stored in the crop can be 
regurgitated and fed to young larvae.  As the larva get older and bigger, they are also fed sections of the pulped solids. Meanwhile, the adult workers feed on "leftovers" --skimming liquids
and solids from the pellets.  Adult workers also get additional nutrition from the older larvae. If a worker strokes the face and mouthparts of a larva with its antennae, the larve can produce 
"nurtritional saliva" which the workers eat.  As the season progresses,  weather gets colder, and eventually food sources dwindle. Less prey to malaxate means less food for the larvae, and
less "extra" for the workers.  Less food for the larvae means that they can't produce the "saliva", so...no bribes or rewards for the workers. Hungry workers will then eat the larvae. I've only 
seen this once, and I was hoping to observe this cannibalism again.  I've got pictures and link to a video that showed this on this page (see 09/30/2018).  (Reference: THE EVOLUTION OF 
SOCIAL WASPS by James H. Hunt pages 53 -55)

 I used a flashlight instead of camera flash for two reasons:
1) I'm concerned the brief, bright flash might trigger movement that a steady light might not. 
2) I also shot video and the flash doesn't work for that.    Here's the edited video! About 5 minutes long.
One more thing--I always carry a little Ultrapod with me, and have for years.. It fits easily in a pocket, is very light, has a handy velcro strap (which I used in this case to hold the flashlight) and 
has a 1/4 inch mounting bolt (which allowed me to attach it to the camera).  I intended to return the next week.  I did return the next week, and was very disappointed to see that the nests had
been removed. I don't go to Scobee field very often, so I don't know how often the concession windows are used. With following Covid control protocol, I wouldn't have been there at all if there
were people near those windows. But, maybe someone noticed me looking at the nests. For whatever reason, the wasps are gone.

09/30/2018   A few weeks after I shot the first video, I was able to shoot more video of the wasps.  As before, I filmed while watching through the camera, and hoped to catch more interesting behavior.  While 
I was using the high speed function (hoping to catch a worker returning with a food packet), I saw one of the wasps suddenly pull a larva out of one of the cells--and then then begin eating it!    Although I 
observed the act through the camera, I did not catch the precise moment in the video. But, I filmed what happened after.  The edited video shows a number of wasps (I cannot tell workers  from "gynes" or males)
as they chew the larva apart.  In the meantime, a worked does return with a food packet, and a few other wasps began malaxating that as well.  I was surprised by seeing  the larva consumed, so I tried to find 
out what was going on.  I read a number of items, including: The Evolution of Social Wasps, by James H. Hunt;and Effect of food availability on larval cannibalism by foundresses of the paper wasp Polistes 
chinensis antennalis by K. Kudoˆ • A. Shirai..  I think I now have some idea of what was happening.  The images below are from this short video clip that shows what happened to  the larva, and some other 
activities on the nest.

 
                         THE LARVA IS IN THE CENTER                                   WORKERS CHEWING ON THE LARVA                           ANOTHER WORKER ARRIVES WITH FOOD
 
                     REMOVING THE PERITROPHIC SAC?                                  TUG-OF-WAR WITH THE CARCASS                           A WORKDER TAKING AWAY THE WASTE

This is a summary of what I've learned:  A new queen, or "foundress" starts a nest with a few cells, then places an egg in each. Young larva are fed liquids, including nectar and juices squeezed from prey.   Also, some 
of her own newly-laid eggs are also fed to these larva. This is done to speed up the growth of these critical first-hatched. The sooner they mature into workers, the sooner the queen can stop risking her  life foraging,  
since foraging will become the job of the workers. Older larvae are also fed solid food--mostly caterpillars which have been kneaded (malaxated) into pulp by worker wasps.  Undigested solids or meconium are 
stored in a sac ("peritrophic sac") inside the larva throughout development. This waste is only expelled once, when the larva cocoons, and collects in the closed end of the cell. Over the season, the  nest expands with
more cells--but  will stop eventually, and more eggs are deposited. Worker females forage for nectar and also for caterpillars for provisioning the new larvae. Sometimes, females will touch their antennae and 
mouthparts to an older larva (late instar) and the larva will secrete a "nutritious saliva" which has nutrition value. Some sources postulate that this exchange is partially to prevent the workers from eating
 the larva if foraging becomes difficult.  As fall approaches, the nest becomes crowded with workers, and also provisions become scarce as the seasons change.  Also, since they are not being fed as much--and also
nearing  "maturity" larger, older larva can't produce as much of the "nutritious saliva" as before, and may be cannibalized by workers. 
...and that is what I witnessed.   Other workers began chewing on the larva.  As they progressed, I noticed a large, dark organ being removed from the carcass. I believe that was the peritrophic sac that contained the solid
 waste, or "meconium".  This was eventually pulled free, and a worker flew off with it. During this time, a worked flew in with a wad of provision, and another group of wasps worked on that.  When I saw the wasp pull out the
larva, I was surprised--but now I know that this can happen fairly often during the life of a wasp nest. The potential queen (or queens)-which are called "gynes"-will find a place to shelter through the winter.  They will begin 
the cycle again next Spring, but the workers, and any males, will die. I estimate that most of the wasps that I observed will be dead in about a month.  I thought this a bit sad, but also could appreciate how the workers were
a unique resource.  The foundress begins the nest, and immediately starts growing machines to support that nest. These machines have a limited life span, but she is constantly growing new ones. These machines do their
jobs through the season, until they are no longer of any use. Then they are left to find food for themselves (since there aren't any more larva to feed), and eventually  "run down" and die--and then become part of the 
environment as they biodegrade.

09/09/2018   There's a water-control structure at the end of one of the culverts in the Elm Lake levee. One of the park visitors told me about some wasps nesting there, so I went to examine it.
The nest is exposed, but hanging on a structure only about 3 feet high.  Since the nest was obviously quite mature, it had probably been there for many weeks (I missed the entire month of August
 since I couldn't go out to BBSP). Therefore, I assumed it had been exposed in that position for weeks (possibly months) and the wasps would be relatively docile. I approached until I was about
 10 feet away, and began documenting with photos and with video. The image below is one of the photos. I filmed most of the video at 1920 x 1080 60FPS, at 25X optical zoom. I then cropped the video
 to emphasize certain parts, so it seems I might have been much closer than I actually was.
       
The wasps are Paper Wasps, and in the family Polistes. The yellow stripes on a brownish background probably identifies these as Polistes exclamans. There was a lot of activity, so it was difficult to focus on a particular
behavior. But, I did notice when a wasp occasionally returned to the nest with a bundle (which was usually green). I assumed that the green bundles were the remains of caterpillars that the wasps had found and harvested
by removing the internal organs and other unsuitable parts for easy transport. Paper wasps are generally viewed as "beneficial" because they remove other insect pests such as caterpillars. The images below are frames
from the video which show a wasp returning with a parcel, and the other wasps beginning to assist chewing it apart.  Paper wasps process their insect provisions (usually caterpillars, but other insects are sometimes used)
 by kneading or "malaxating" the carcass and pulling out solids and liquids. Solids are given directly to the larvae, while liquids are stored in a "crop" and regurgitated later to feed larvae. But, some of the liquid is also
used by the adult wasps for nutrition. I found some of this information in a paper titled:
" ADULT NOURISHMENT DURING LARVAL PROVISIONING IN A PRIMITIVELY EUSOCIAL WASP, POLISTES METRICUS SAY",  by J. H. Hunt.  

       

In the middle frame grab, I show a blue-green blur in the background. I believe the insect that was flying there was a cuckoo wasp, like the one I mentioned loitering around the mud dauber nests. I don't think the the 
wasp's presence was an accident. I believe it intended to parasitize the nest by infesting one or more cells with its own young. The image below is a photo of that wasp. There are more images in the video clip...but
none that show the wasp clearly next to the nest clearly in a single frame.

       

Left alone, the nests of this species of wasp usually die in the fall--on their own. Although not stated in the texts I read, one big reason is probably they run out of food to feed to the larva.  However, the wasps that will
become queens for the next generation (these are called "gynes") will sometimes overwinter if they can find shelter.  I've filmed more material at a later time. I'll be working on that soon.  Hopefully, I'll show one of the
other signs that a nest is nearing end-of-life for the season.

08/24/2014  That date is correct. This is something I saw in the summer of 2014. I was walking along the West section 40 Acre Lake Trail.  A tree had fallen down next to the lake, and as I passed it I noticed movement in the 
leave. I slowly moved closer, since I hadn't recognized the movement, and didn't want to scare whatever it was.  It was a Paper Wasp nest!  As I watched, I saw the wasps gathered around the nest, and then I saw some of them 
start flapping their wings.  The wasps did not take off, but instead stood on the branches and the nest as they beat their wings. I believe that the nest was exposed to direct sunlight when the tree fell (the nest would have been 
shaded while the treee was standing normally); and the wasps were trying to fan the nest with their wings. I shot a picture and some video clips to show this interesting behavior. The clips have been edited together and can be 
seen at this link.  Paper wasps usually make nests with exposed combs like this--unlike hornets, which enclose their nests in a large envelope.  The bright yellow bands on these wasps help identify these wasps as Polistes exclamans.

     

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