Yellow jackets--start trapping soon!

[Wudman]

I'm sure that everyone has heard the old saying "Mad as a wet hornet".  Our preacher told a story of his childhood, that I think folks here would enjoy.  He grew up down on the coast of North Carolina.  His Grandfather made his livlihood as a fisherman.  At one point in time, he had trouble with somebody raiding his nets.  He'd go out to fish his nets and someone had pulled them previously.  He had an idea of who it was, but had been unable to catch them, but his Grandfather was prepared for the day that he did.  He had found an active hornets nest.  He went out one night and slid an old 5 gallon pickle jar over the nest and clipped the branch, thus trapping the entire hive in his jar.  To this he had added just a touch of water for extra ammo. This hive of hornets travelled with him in his boat.

One morning, he spotted the perpertrators pulling his net.  He made a run at them and got close enough to heave that jar of hornets into their boat.  Of course, the jar broke on impact with the deck and mad wet hornets took their revenge.  The preacher said three men went overboard....... :D :D :D  The Grandfather had no more problems with net raiders.

Wudman

[johncinquo]

When using a water type trap, dont forget to add a little soap to the water.   The soap breaks the water tension, and they fall right in rather than being able to float on top, and fly away again!   

We live in the middle of over 1000 acres of apple and cherry orchards.  We have every bug imaginable at one time or another.  Fruit flys are 2nd worst.  I put a cup of juice or vinegar out and a lil soap in it.  By morning the bottom of a coffee can will be full.  #1 worst, those darn "ladybugs" which are really some kind of beetle.  Make a mess and stink, and I SWEAR they bite!  The "stinger" bugs dont seem to bee a problem for some reason, I think they stay out in the orchards. 

[Engineer]

OK, I got um cornfuzed.   Thanks for the link Kevjay.   What I have is a nest of what would be called bald-faced hornets (we call 'em white face hornets around here).   We also have a lot of yellowjackets AND paper wasps.  Not been stung too many times, worst was stepping on something in the lawn and getting stung between my toes.   I keep a can of Raid handy all the time in late summer, they like to build nests under the eaves of the house and under deck boards.  I think it's the paper wasps that are attracted to something in propane, it seems like every propane tank and dome over a buried tank has a nest in the dome.  The local propane delivery guys carry a case of some industrial grade wasp spray, they spray first and ask questions later.  It was weird walking into the supply room at the local propane place a few weeks ago and seeing a couple dozen cases of the stuff sitting on shelves.

[RynSmith]

OK folks, help me identify this one. About 20 year ago in central Texas I had what looked like a red wasp, only about 2 1/2 - 3" long land on my leg.

I'm guessing some type of tarantula wasp (spider wasp).  The one I've seen acutally seen has a black body with orange/red wings, but I saw a picture of a reddish one online.  Here are pictures of some:  http://www.whatsthatbug.com/wasps_3.html

[ohsoloco]

Engineer, mine looks just like that bald face hornet nest in one of kevjays links. 

Treebucker, I was thinking it just had to do with eating all of that sugar.  I saw on a show about honey bees one time that when beekeepers use smoke on the bees, it causes them to go inside the nest and gorge on honey, making them docile.

[semologger]

well the wasp and yellowjackets are out in full force right now here. i bet between the being in the woods and my house i saw around 100 or so the are bad.

i tryed to go fishing yesterday off the edge of pond. killed 2 snakes and got 10 ticks off me it was time to go home. i will use boat next time

[scgargoyle]

We get a lot of mud daubers here in FL. They build smallish nests out of... mud, I guess. I've watched paper wasps harvest wood off a picnic table- they just grab a chunk and fly off w/ it.

[asy]

We've got lots of creepy crawlies here. Thankfully none of those Yellow Jackets, though, as I said before.

You're right, we do have Jumping Jack Ants, they're funny, but only at a LARGE distance. We've got some ants at the farm that are about an inch long, they feel you coming (they feel vibrations through the ground) and will swarm out of their nest toward you. It's a little disconcerting to see inch long masses of red bullants coming toward you with tenacity...

I have photos somewhere, if I find them I'll post a few.

asy :D