WASPS AND THE FISH POND

 

WASPS AND THE FISH POND

 

LT COL NOEL ELLIS

 

14/IX/2022

 

            Everyone fears wasps. Having had encounters all my life with them knows for sure that their sting hurts and hurts bad. This has become a cause of worry for us recently. Though their nests are hidden somewhere, they are all over the place, especially on the leaves of our Hibiscus collection.

 

            Wasps do pollinate as one has seen pollen sticking to their legs, but that is when they visit flower to flower. Why were they sticking to the leaves? That is what was intriguing to me.

 

            As a habit, after I have watered the plants, I squeeze the end of the water pipe to make an artificial fountain. Just to keep the plants amused to think that it is raining. It might sound silly, but that is how it is. Leaves get washed, dirt which is kicked up from passing vehicles gets cleaned and the leaves look bright and shiny all day.

 

            Earlier, a little spill over of water used to collect in the rain water drain. Small puddles were a great source to quench the thirst of the birds in the summers. Wasps also used to slowly land at the edge of the water collected, drink and fly away. They never bothered me, so I never bothered them.

 

            Then we got that drain repaired and the water never stagnated. These wasps now moved to the potted plants. Sometimes, while clipping or sorting plants, out of the blue a yellow wasp would emerge scaring the daylights out of you. No more stings for me. As taught, one just stood still to let it fly away.

 

            One thing I noticed is that they were never aggressive or attacked me. Probably, their nest wasn’t close by. Had it been there, I would have been ‘chinky eyed’ many times by now. Then I noticed that they were drinking water from the droplets collected on leaves. The puzzle was getting solved. They must be thirsty like hell.

 

            With the weather cooling down a bit with the rains, visits by wasps did not reduce. They couldn’t be that thirsty, I thought. Even the water consumption of a human being reduces to some extent in cool weather. Being careful was the only alternative, as the number of wasps kept increasing by the day. They came, they drank and flew away.

 

            We created a lotus pond on the roof in the last couple of months. The water lily nodes have sprung new leaves. These fresh leaves are slowly spreading on the surface of the water. We should see flower buds soon.

 

            With stagnant water comes the challenge of mosquitoes. They can lay their eggs very fast and within days those larvae hatch and can lead to all diseases this insect can cause. To ward away mosquito growth, we introduced guppy and molly fish into the tank. Our tank is now larva free.

 

            However, another issue has cropped up. Five to six yellow-coloured wasps have started to visit the pond. They fly in, hover like a helicopter, and slowly land on the water surface. Then they then drift like a hovercraft to some floating algae spot with all their legs fully spread. Reminded me of one of the ‘Bond’ films where a huge octopus used to rise out of water. Boats used to enter between its legs and get consumed by the giant. All evil things happened thereafter.

 

            We were worried about the fish. Hope wasps do not sting them. These one-inch fingerlings would die instantly. We sat observing the wasps, fish were not part of their agenda. They came for water and off they went but returned repeatedly to the same spot or a lotus leaf closeby. A quick drink and they went on their way.

 

            It was the fish who used to bother them. Slowly from down below they would emerge stealthily and nibble on the legs of the wasp. Irritatingly, it would take off but return immediately to collect the balance of water or the maximum capacity of water it could carry.

 

            This wasp activity would start at dawn and finish only at dusk. They float and drink to their heart's content. Probably to keep their young ones hydrated, or to keep their hive cool or to mix it with material they use to build their nest so that it can be moulded into the shape, ideal to lay eggs.

 

            Because they have found water close to their nest on our roof, they have reduced their visits to the garden down below. How convenient is it for them to collect water from a pond? I wonder!!!!!!!!!!

 

JAI HIND

© NOEL ELLIS