Not only am I the University of Guelph Arboretum's Interpretive Biologist and Education Coordinator, I am also a part-time grad student. I am doing a project that studies the effects of the introduced and invasive European Paper Wasp on birds that use bird boxes. During your visits to The Arboretum, you have likely noticed all of the bird boxes that we have in the fields here. These boxes are used primarily by Tree Swallows, Eastern Bluebirds, House Wrens and Black-capped Chickadees. European Paper Wasps have become very common in the Guelph area in the last few years and they like to nest in bird boxes, too. My study is to determine if these and the less common and native Northern Paper Wasps are able to stop birds from using the boxes. If they are, this could lower the breeding output of these bird species because many cavity-nesting birds' populations are limited by the number of cavities that are available.

An assistant checking one of the boxes.

European Paper Wasps and their nest in a bird box.

My research advisor is Dr. Gard Otis of the School of Environmental Sciences.