Large wasps in my kitchen in November!
Location: Leeds, UK
November 15, 2011 6:29 pm
Hi there, I’ve had 2 big wasps appear from nowhere in the past 2 days. They’re pretty dozy and can be caught easily. We also had about 4 in a row in 4 days in October. It wouldn’t be weird apart from the fact that it’s November and very cold now and they shouldn’t still be around. Could they be queens looking for a place to go? Our house has a lot of gaps in it so they could be crawling in from outside but it’s strange that there have been so many and the all seem to look bigger than the average wasp. Thanks.
Signature: Kate
Common Wasp
Hi Kate,
We believe we have correctly identified your wasp as Vespula vulgaris, known as the Common Wasp in the UK, though in America the members of this genus are commonly called Yellowjackets. We think your theory that they may be queens trying to find a place to hibernate is a strong possibility. We are trying to find a reliable source for determining how to distinguish a queen from a worker, but our web searching has drawn a blank. Perhaps one of our readers can supply that information. There are some very fine photos and some good information on the Social Wasps website.
Common Wasp
Daniel:
I suspect that the “queens seeking winter shelter” theory is probably correct. Workers do not persist past the first hard frost or two.
Eric
1
¶ Posted 17 November 2011 § ‡ ° Wasp Nest Preservation
Location: Ridgefield, CT
October 18, 2011 6:58 pm
Hi Again!
I live in CT and can now think of 3 beautiful wasp nests nearby and am wondering if it is ever safe to collect one as an object of beauty. I have read in other less reliable places that wasps abandon a nest in freezing weather and batten down elsewhere and don’t return to the old nest in Spring. This would lead me to find a way to retrieve one in say February if I could be sure it was empty and wouldn’t ever be needed again. I am attaching a photo of the nest and ask you to verify that it’s a wasp nest and settle once and for all the issue of collecting it. Thanks for all your wonderful work!
Signature: Hellywell
Bald Faced Hornets Nest
Dear Hellywell,
This appears to be the nest of a Bald Faced Hornet colony. With the onset of cold weather, the workers die. New queens will mate and hibernate. The nest is not reused and it is safe to collect once the nest is abandoned.
1
¶ Posted 19 October 2011 § ‡ ° Cool Green Spider
Location: Panhandle of Florida
September 17, 2011 4:20 pm
I noticed our hummingbirds weren’t using this particular feeder and then I saw why. This big yellowjacket killing spider took up residence underneath it. I took this picture and relocated the spider. Do you know what kind of spider it is?
Signature: Jeff Gibbs
Green Lynx eats Yellow Jacket
Hi Jeff,
Your spider is known as a Green Lynx, and it is a hunting spider that does not use a web to snare prey. Green Lynx Spiders are often found on blossoms where they wait for pollinating insects, and we are amused that it had taken up residence on this nectar substitute. We don’t believe the Green Lynx would prevent the hummingbirds from visiting the feeder. Yellow Jackets can be ornery, and it is our theory that if the Yellow Jackets frequent the feeder, they may be keeping the hummingbirds away.
1
Wasps!
Location: Abbotsford, British Columbia
September 13, 2011 7:49 pm
I was trimming the plants around that area and I happened to touch the lilac tree without seeing this basketball size nest very well camouflaged among the leaves. I got stung by two bees!It literally knocked me on my butt. I was lucky I discovered the nest the following day! It took the welt on my arm 3 weeks to heal. The nest is visible because my husband had a trimming pole and cut some branches away.
What sort of wasps are these? Very aggressive!
Signature: Frenchie
Bald Faced Hornet Nest
Hi again Frenchie,
This is the nest of Bald Faced Hornets, and while they are not considered aggressive, they do defend the nest. We posted another image of a Bald Faced Hornet Nest early early this morning after returning from work. They seem to like lilac bark for nest building material. They chew the bark to produce a papery substance.
1
¶ Posted 14 September 2011 § ‡ ° Bald faced hornet grubs
Location: New Hampshire
September 13, 2011 1:05 pm
I’ve been watching these grubs fall from the hornets nest all morning. The adults pick them up and fly away with them. Are they next year’s queens?
Signature: Laura
Hornet Nest
Hi Laura,
We hope our readers know that they can just click on all photos posted after 2009 and get enlargements in a new window. It is a nice feature of our site when it comes to making the information we have to convey even more accessible. We must confess that we don’t know why the larvae are fleeing the nest and the workers are flying away with them. Perhaps the hive is overpopulated and they are culling the grubs. They may instinctively know how to select the most perfect and fecund of the brood while it is still larviform. They may be choosing their heir because the entire nest is basically the mother.
We love your photo. We hope to have some free time in the next month to be able to research the phenomenon it communicates.
1
¶ Posted 14 September 2011 § ‡ ° Large Flying Wasp like
Location: Central NJ
September 12, 2011 11:24 am
These things are swarming all over my lilac tree and seem to be killing it. Are they a stinging insect or something else? They are over an inch long and 1/4 inch in diameter.
Signature: Kathy – NJ
European Hornets Gather Lilac Bark to make paper.
introduced european hornets
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/08/25/european-hornets-gather-bark/
Thank you so much. I know the picture wasn’t great but I was scared to death to get too close since I am allergic to bees and wasps. I see they do sting. Don’t suppose you could let me know how I can save my lilac and send them away?
Many Thanks for your speedy reply
Kathy
They are gathering bark to make their paper nest. The hive should die out with the onset of winter. We don’t really offer extermination advice.
August 27, 2011
Hi Daniel.
I am not normally a random bug killer but the aggressive behavior in this particular instance brought it out in me.
Just for your information, while up visiting in Canada last summer I ran across phoney wasp nests that claimed to stop other wasps from building nests nearby (within 200feet). I took a chance and bought a paper version and a cloth version. They work. I haven’t had a single issue with nest building wasps since I placed them. Just the occasional solitary variety like the mud-dobber (?). I brought back some for my neighbor this year and she has hung them up now. So we can see if they work or if I just had really good luck. Normally we have several varieties of nests to contend with.
I will let you know in the future how they back up their claim. Now if I could find a harmless way to rid our house of mosquitos and flies… That would be a trick
Regards, James
James Rankine
Thanks for the tip on Wasp’s Nests James. We will notify our readers of your success with the product. We found a link to a company called Canadian Tire that sells the decoy nests.
Daniel.
You are quite welcome. Growing up in Canada, I am very familiar with Canadian Tire. A very large reputable chain of stores.
Regards, James Rankine
1
mydas vs. hornet
Location: Northern Indiana
August 25, 2011 10:21 am
This is not an ID request, but thought that other WTB addicts might appreciate it. This picture is not great quality, but here’s a link to the full video of a hornet attacking and decapitating a golden-legged mydas fly:
http://www.facebook.com/rumvillage#!/video/video.php?v=207796845940579&oid=116718851680137&comments
Signature: Vince
Bald Faced Hornet decapitates Gold Legged Mydas Fly
Hi Vince,
We were unsuccessful in locating a Golden Legged Mydas Fly online, but we did find Mydas tibialis on BugGuide. It is a species with no common name listed and it has been reported from Indiana. Your Food Chain image is wonderful. We wonder if the best Hornet hunters decapitate large and dangerous prey like Dragonflies, and then they communicate to the hive where to find the kill.
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