u/Illustrious_Tear3381

Hey everyone,

Grad student at UMSL here studying paper wasps, and we just made up a community science site to map nests across the St. Louis area.

If you've seen a paper wasp nest on campus, around your apartment, off-campus housing, wherever in the city, please log in those sightings: https://stlwaspwatch.github.io/

Takes about a minute. Photo's optional but help a lot. There's an ID guide on the site so you can tell what a paper wasp is vs. a yellowjacket.

Different parts of the city have different microclimates and nesting environments, and right now our coverage is patchy. Even one sighting is really helpful .

Thanks!

HELP HELP HELP !!!!!

With summer here, you might have started seeing those “annoying” wasps flying around. If you have, that’s actually a win for other nerds like us 🙂

I’m a graduate student working with social insects in Missouri with a particular emphasis on paper wasps.

I know, I know, paper wasps sting, and most people don’t like them. But it turns out they are an important part of our urban ecosystem, helping to control garden pests and also acting as pollinators.

We are interested in understanding where they build their nests and why they choose specific locations.

To help with this, we’ve built a simple community science app to map wasps around the city. It would be a huge help if you could support our research.

so if you guys see any wasp nest could you please:

• record wasp sightings (especially paper wasps like Polistes species)
• upload optional photos of nests or individuals

Our goal is to understand how wasps are adapting to urban environments and how heat, buildings, and green space affect them.

If you’re interested, even just occasionally when you see a nest or a wasp flying by

https://stlwaspwatch.github.io/

We are still actively developing this project, and every casual observation helps.