Where Have the Wasps gone?

[skent]

For decades we have had the company of wasps living in our outbuildings, hog pen, barns, and in the eves of the house. Putting hay up or cleaning rain gutters always let to at least a sting or two. Usually the doors to the hay loft had several of the nests hanging from them. We usually co existed without much problem. But this year, I've not seen ANY of the funnel shaped paper wasp nests anywhere. Where did the wasps go? Does anyone else notice ? I also noticed more bumble bees (the big ones) around in late spring, but even their numbers have dropped.

 

[schweizer]

Plenty of wasps here on the West Coast all summer long. The traps were full and we found nests everywhere -- under eves, in the doghouse, under deck, barn, etc. Maybe it's regional. Maybe you're blessed.

 

[deerseeker001]

we have plenty of bees and just yesterday the Japanese beetles moved in they are all over.looking to find a place to crawl into for winter.

 

[/pine]

Most likely a typical natural cycle...

Want to read more about natural cycles and how little we know about them Google something like "ruffed grouse natural cycle"...

FWIW...last year my humming bird feeders were plagued with the big "asian" yellow-jackets...I probably killed 60 of them last year and this year I killed the only two I've seen...!

 

[wngsprd]

Skent, I think your wasps flew down here. We have plenty of them and their nests.

 

[dave1949]

They are all at my house. :laughing:

Paper wasps have been real busy around here in this late warm and dry weather. I think they are hunting spiders or something to stuff in the egg compartments.

 

[Rayster]

I've attempted to thin them out, we will try to send them back your way.

 

[TSO]

The only wasps that I've seen hanging around my house are the blue mud daubers, but I don't mind them so much since they hunt spiders and specifically black widows.

We've had lots of honey bees and bumble bees in our flower gardens, and in my Pumpkin field...

But the Hornets are really starting to get annoying. They always seem to get more aggressive, and more of them for that matter, this time of year. I guess it has something to do with they mate this time of year. Now that all of the apples are falling, the Hornets are all over the place. Very annoying.

We did see some cicada killer wasps this year. .. Very cool. They're huge! Look the up on wiki to, they're not aggressive, but man do they make a scary sounds & sight when they fly near you.

Found this one dead in the garage:

 

[user.69169]

I don't know about Maryland, but I went and murdered a bunch last week here in NY, both paper wasps and ground wasps.

Sure wish I'd known you were looking for some cause I could have shipped you the nest without much effort. I figure I could cool em down good with some Co2, bag the nest up and stick it in one of them Priority mail one price boxes and they'd be at your place in a day or two.

Only thing is some of the frozen ones might wake up on the trip, or some might hatch and they just might chew their way out the postoffice box. Not sure how thePost Office would take to that, but I figure you got time to get your story together. What the heck, the Post Office ships live honey bees.

I figure I'll use a fake name and address for the return address, and wear gloves when I box them up so there won't be any of my fingerprints. Might be best if you PM me your shipping address so some Internet wiseguy don't send you something strange or get some credit cards with your name, I hear there is a bunch of that going on.

 

[PhysAssist]

We had less than usual here too, though the hornets/ground bees have more than made up for their absence. We also saw some predatory single wasps hunting our main pests, the carpenter bees. They were all over for the first time we've ever seen them, crawling into the bees' holes (in my log house), presumably to lay eggs in the bees or whatever. They are medium sized for wasps, and are starkly black except for 2 bright pure white stripes across the abdomens.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the burrows next spring.

Thomas

 

[teejk]

we have plenty of bees and just yesterday the Japanese beetles moved in they are all over.looking to find a place to crawl into for winter.

You are talking about the chinese lady beetles I think. They appeared here earlier this week also. Annoying and next to impossible to keep outside.

 

[TSO]

You are talking about the chinese lady beetles I think. They appeared here earlier this week also. Annoying and next to impossible to keep outside.

You might be right, we always get hit with Japanese beetles at the beginning of summer.

 

[Loadstar]

They have Moved to the safety of rooftop equipment.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I think natural cycle is right. The first year I built my shop, it was invaded by large brown wasps. Nest everywhere, I must have used 5 gallons of diesel in my sprayer spraying them. Same thing for my brother in laws shop who lives just a couple hundred yards from me. Since then I haven't found any nest anywhere, at least not brown wasps. We did find 3 yellow jacket nests in the ground this year. CABS are nice on a tractor when you find wasp nest. BIL found one in the pasture when mowing and just parked the bush hog over the nest for about 15 minutes with it running. Checked it a week later and no wasps in the nest.

 

[EverythingAttachments]

There are a few hanging around here that we'd donate to a good home. If you're ever headed south, look us up!!

 

[farmgirl19]

I think I know where the ones are that some of you are missing.....They are at my place. :thumbdown: I've had to take care of several nests just this week.

 

[teejk]

You might be right, we always get hit with Japanese beetles at the beginning of summer.

These chinese critters look like lady bugs and apparently emerge when it starts getting colder (and I've read that their appearance coincides with harvesting soybeans and alfalfa). They love light colored siding and tend to congregate on the sunny south west sides of a building (by the thousands). Japanese beetles are bigger and not the same coloring...just as pesky though. Fortunately I haven't seen them around here although yesterday I did see some box elder bugs on the shop wall...just peachy.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

I have not seen but one wasp nest this year. Usually we have several under the second floor deck and on the eves of the house but none this year.

We do have an infestation of stink bugs this year. First time we have seen this many.

Also I have a lot of writing spiders this year. They are in the flower beds on the gutters and eves, on the electric fence, everywhere. We kind of like them since they eat the insects.

However I went out the man door in the garage and one had built a web overnignt. I had to knock it down because these are big spiders. This week I was taking the dog out early one morning and being careful when opening the door. As soon as I opened it a bug flew in and hit me in the chest...I thought it was the spider...to bad I had the retractable leash locked... dog is ok.

 

[econometrics]

However I went out the man door in the garage and one had built a web overnignt. I had to knock it down because these are big spiders. This week I was taking the dog out early one morning and being careful when opening the door. As soon as I opened it a bug flew in and hit me in the chest...I thought it was the spider...to bad I had the retractable leash locked... dog is ok.

What kind of spidey is that? Looks a lot like the hobo spiders I have in my shed. But I think I almost backed into one just like this with my ROPS one time when I was mowing this past summer. Yikes!

...and I have plenty of wasps down here in East TX, too. Come get you some, ha!

 

[rekees4300]

You are talking about the chinese lady beetles I think. They appeared here earlier this week also. Annoying and next to impossible to keep outside.

We call them Ladybugs. They come in October and leave in April. Shopvac is the only effective control weapon I've found. Yes, it IS impossible to keep them outside.

No shortage of wasps around here.