next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects
Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-3-970306711 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"; delsp=yes; format=flowed We sometimes hand-feed flies 2 or 3% glucose or 3% sucrose, weight per volume, from a dropper. One level teaspoon of shop-bought granulated white sugar (= sucrose) weighs about 2.9 grams, so that much dissolved in around 100 milliliters (or 100 grams if you have a scale) of tap water would do it. It might be good if you put drops of it on a piece of plastic or Saran wrap type film so the drops stand up by surface tension -- on glass they'll rapidly spread out. Obviously the drops will evaporate, quite quickly -- wasp may not locate them. This may not be necessary for a wasp, not sure, and isn't for certain flies: we let adult blowflies or houseflies (kept in mesh cages) feed ad lib on standard sugar lumps and water. An entire colony will die, though, if either water or sugar has been accidentally let run out for more than ~2 days. A good way to provide water is to fill a clean jam jar with water, press a layer of cotton wool into a plastic Petri dish (or a large plastic jar lid), and invert it rapidly so the Petri dish/cotton wool is on the bottom (takes a bit of practice). The insects get water at the edges where the wet cotton wool protrudes a little; lasts ~1 week, can be refilled, but the cotton wool eventually will go mouldy and need to be replaced. Smaller 50 ml versions also work but run out in a day or two. Many adult insects live only for a few weeks at the most in the summer, so if this wasp 'expected' to be in diapause for several winter months and has suddenly found itself warmed up, it may not be able to go back successfully to its torpid state if returned outside, which may have involved secreting antifreeze chemicals in the Fall to prevent tissue damage to cells during freeze-up. Some insects do the antifreeze trick, but I doubt that they can do it 'to order' a second time round, in March, though guess that it probably has not been studied by anyone, and not for solitary wasps. So good luck, but your wasp may not last too long now warmed up. Ken Storey investigates this sort of thing professionally e.g. in frogs that freeze solid in winter, and in one fly that I know of. Steve (Hfx) On 16-Mar-16, at 5:25 PM, Hebda, Andrew J wrote: > She would appreciate some sweetened drink... a couple of drops of > carbonated pop or juice.. > > Andrew > > ________________________________________ > From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] > on behalf of Burkhard Plache [burkhardplache@gmail.com] > Sent: March-16-16 4:04 PM > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca > Subject: [NatureNS] Feeding a Wasp > > I know, an odd request. > However, I like solitary wasps, and one showed up indoors. > Most likely it got moved in with some firewood. > > Now it is in a glass jar with wood shavings, leaves, > and a piece of apple. Would that suffice? > > Also, what outdoor temperature conditions would > give it a decent chance of survival? > > Thanks for any suggestions, > Burkhard Stephen R. Shaw, PhD Dept of Psychology & Neuroscience Dalhousie University Life Sciences Centre 1459 Oxford Street Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada B3H 4R2 phone: 1-902-494-2886 fax: 1-902-494-6585 e-mail: srshaw@dal.ca --Apple-Mail-3-970306711 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> We sometimes hand-feed flies 2 or 3% glucose or 3% sucrose, weight per = volume, from a dropper. One level teaspoon of shop-bought = granulated white sugar (=3D sucrose) weighs about 2.9 grams, = so that much dissolved in around 100 milliliters (or 100 grams if you = have a scale) of tap water would do it. It might be good if you = put drops of it on a piece of plastic or Saran wrap type film so the = drops stand up by surface tension -- on glass they'll rapidly spread = out. Obviously the drops will evaporate, quite quickly -- wasp = may not locate them. <div><br></div><div>This may not be necessary = for a wasp, not sure, and isn't for certain flies: we let adult = blowflies or houseflies (kept in mesh cages) feed ad lib on standard = sugar lumps and water. An entire colony will die, though, if = either water or sugar has been accidentally let run out for more than ~2 = days. A good way to provide water is to fill a clean jam jar with = water, press a layer of cotton wool into a plastic Petri dish (or a = large plastic jar lid), and invert it rapidly so the Petri dish/cotton = wool is on the bottom (takes a bit of practice). The insects get = water at the edges where the wet cotton wool protrudes a little; lasts = ~1 week, can be refilled, but the cotton wool eventually will go mouldy = and need to be replaced. Smaller 50 ml versions also work but run = out in a day or two.</div><div><br></div><div>Many adult insects live = only for a few weeks at the most in the summer, so if this wasp = 'expected' to be in diapause for several winter months and has suddenly = found itself warmed up, it may not be able to go back successfully to = its torpid state if returned outside, which may have involved secreting = antifreeze chemicals in the Fall to prevent tissue damage to cells = during freeze-up. Some insects do the antifreeze trick, but I = doubt that they can do it 'to order' a second time round, in March, = though guess that it probably has not been studied by anyone, and not = for solitary wasps. So good luck, but your wasp may not last too = long now warmed up. Ken Storey investigates this sort of = thing professionally e.g. in frogs that freeze solid in winter, and in = one fly that I know of. </div><div>Steve = (Hfx)</div><div> = <br><div><div>On 16-Mar-16, at 5:25 PM, Hebda, Andrew J = wrote:</div><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">She would = appreciate some sweetened drink... a couple of drops of carbonated pop = or juice..</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Andrew</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; = ">________________________________________</div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">From: <a = href=3D"mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.c= a</a> [<a = href=3D"mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.c= a</a>] on behalf of Burkhard Plache [<a = href=3D"mailto:burkhardplache@gmail.com">burkhardplache@gmail.com</a>]</di= v><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Sent: March-16-16 4:04 PM</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">To: <a = href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</a></div><= div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Subject: [NatureNS] Feeding a Wasp</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: = 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I know, = an odd request.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">However, I like solitary wasps, = and one showed up indoors.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Most likely = it got moved in with some firewood.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Now it is in a glass jar with = wood shavings, leaves,</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: = 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">and a piece of apple. Would = that suffice?</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Also, what outdoor temperature conditions = would</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">give it a decent chance of = survival?</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Thanks for any suggestions,</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Burkhard</div> </blockquote></div><br><div> <span = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: = rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: = normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: = normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: = none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; = -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: = 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: = auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; = "><div><div>Stephen R. Shaw, PhD</div><div>Dept of Psychology & = Neuroscience</div><div>Dalhousie University</div><div>Life Sciences = Centre</div><div>1459 Oxford Street</div><div>Halifax, Nova = Scotia</div><div>Canada B3H 4R2</div><div>phone: = 1-902-494-2886</div><div>fax: 1-902-494-6585</div><div>e-mail: <a = href=3D"mailto:srshaw@dal.ca">srshaw@dal.ca</a></div></div><div><br></div>= <br class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></span> = </div><br></div></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-3-970306711--
next message in archive
no next message in thread
previous message in archive
previous message in thread
Index of Subjects