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39.

31st Oct. 1953.  

A fine sunny morning with falling glass after several cold days, but with rising SW. wind followed at 3 P.M. by a terrific rain storm which lasted an hour & then fine & cold in evening.

At about 11.30 in hot sun I went into back garden & stood beside the Sycamore & Beech bushes & caught more wasps as they came along - as I had also done on afternoon of 29th. On the two days some 20 ♂︎♂︎ taken & all are V. vulgaris. No worker seen in garden today!


1st to 5th October 1953.

Cold, with showers, but much warm sun especially on 4th & 5th. On 5th in afternoon passed the Arbutus at 3.15 P.M. but saw no Bumble Bees, on the other hand wasps (vulgaris ☿☿) numerous at ivy flowers & found a semi-torpid queen V. vulgaris crawling on the footpath & took it in for M. Leclerque. The Petasites fragrans at Mr Cosgraves now with two spikes in full flower.


6th to 12th Nov. 1953.

Cold, with rain, some sun, strong SW. wind, & a lot of cloud. Milder, but quite dull on 11th when about 3.30 in afternoon we say [[saw]] a ♀︎ Bombus (? lucorum) on the Arbutus in the "Greenroyd" plantation in Butterfield Avenue.


40.

Nov. 1953.

On the 12th, as on 11th, many wasps seen at ivy-blossom & a ♂︎ taken with fingers on Rathfarnham Bridge, though on the aft. it was very mild, with slight occasional drizzle: the wasp proved to be V. vulgaris, as expected.


13th to 20th November 1953.

After a somewhat cold period the weather turned very mild, as well as damp & dull; but drier sunny weather with rather lower temperatures set in on 16th & continued till 20th, with very high glass. On 17th we passed the Arbutus tree at Greenroyd in Butterfield Avenue, Rathfarnham, but saw no Bombus though wasps as common as ever at the ivy. On 18th after much sun in forenoon I rode on bike in afternoon to Templeogue bridge & home by Rathfarnham, but sun when [[went]] behind clouds before I reached the Arbutus & I saw no sign of a Bombus. The flowers on the Arbutus now nearly all knocked off by previous weeks' rain & wind. On same day I captured a ♀︎ Vespa vulgaris which flew into motor house from garden, saw what I believe was another ♀︎ a little later & several ♂︎♂︎.  

On 19th when grubbing daisies out of front grass plot I disturbed a baby earwig & a Proctotrupid =. On 20th the sun shone all day till about 3 P.M. but went behind a bank of clouds as I rode on bike towards Rathfarnham. Nevertheless & though the wind was keen I rode on to the Arbutus