How to Take Apart a Wasp Nest (and Laser Cut It)

Hi Instructables. Long time listener, first-time caller.

This is an odd and specific instructable, one that i really hadn't planned, but thought it would be worth sharing, just because its so odd and cool.

The process is actually rather straightforward, so this may be more of a tour or demo than instructions.

From the time i took apart the nest, to the time i got access to a laser cutter was...2 years!!

I am still figuring out exactly how I am going to use the panels i got.

The wasp nest itself is paper! rather than a finished project, i will share a way to source some interesting raw materials.

How do you get a full, big, empty wasp nest?

You get lucky.

I found mine in my house in central Mexico.

The hive just abandoned it.

What i saw was rare insect made paper waiting to be harvested!

You need 2 hands to do a lot of this, hence the bad photos.

To get the nest, i got a pruning saw and pressed it as close to the walls that the nest was stuck to and it cut no problem. Make sure it is empty and its not just cold out and they are all asleep inside!!

The nest is paper, really thin paper so its easy to cut, but be careful you don't want to ruin the internal structure!

Randomly searched photos are just to help illustrate.

I used a box cutter and an Xacto blade.

Just start working around the edges. Its supper brittle spongy weird paper, so use both hands and be patient.

You are a giant dissecting a skyscraper. You need to cut just the walls. If you go too high you cut into the 3rd floor too low and you cut into the 2nd floor.

All nest geometry will be different, adapt as needed.

You might find something crazy in the nest... like a rock... how?

My guess is some jerk kids threw a rock at the nest, it got logged in, and the wasps worked around it.

you can see my layout, each consecutive layer, and the "walls" that surrounded and divided them.

I started to find that the deeper you go the panels get this white waxy fluff.

Just get a medium soft painting brush, and delicately sweep it off.

You may damage the hexagonal cell walls but I didn't have too much trouble.

So, if you are like me, box up your wasp nest panels and store them for 2 years.

Think about throwing them out after 1 year, then ask yourself ... when will I ever get my hands on this kind of stuff ever again? Not to mention, it's AWESOME!

Wait another year, then, when you get access to a laser cutter bust them out.

First, etch your profile on a piece of cardboard. I went with a simple circle.

Lower the Z axis a lot.

Don't move the cardboard!

The point of this is to match the panel to the laser cutter.

align the panel with the profile you etched and use some tape to keep it in place.

The air from the laser head would be enough to blow it around.

so... you don't have a 3d scanner and a laser cutter with an adaptable z-axis to do some badass 3d motion to keep the laser focused.

What I did was to keep the standard paper etching power settings, and lower the speed significantly.

Start at the lowest point, raise the z-axis and estimate the focal distance.

Get your Z probe out of the way!

Remember not to move the cardboard base, since you matched it up to the wasp pannel and the laser cutting motion.

Start cutting.

As the laser head gets closer and closer (or farther and farther) to the panel surface pause the laser cutter, correct the Z axis and continue. Repeat as necessary.

Slow is nice, you don't want to test your reflexes.

And before you know it ...Bam!

Now you have organic geometry at your disposal for your next design project or work of art.

At minimum, it can make a sweet lampshade!