2017 Mid Atlantic AK FALL Gathering October 15th - 12 noon till 5-6 pm !!!

They looked like bees, not wasps. Bees are disappearing, it's a real problem. They are vitally important for pollination. They were a distraction at the audio meet but not really a problem, at least for me. This time of year they seem to get all excited when we have a warm day. I had several land on me and than just fly off. They won't sting unless you piss them off.
If you find the hive, don't destroy it, find a bee keeper, they will gladly come and take it off of your hands. Happened to a friend of mine just a few weeks ago. Guy came by and "smoked" it and than just sweeped them with his bare hand into a big box, the hive was enormous. Seem's there is a queen inside of the hive and the bees surround her to protect her. This wasn't a nest, just a huge ball of bees under his eve. Happy ending for all involved.

BillWojo
 
yeah the scarcity of honeybees is a real problem. One of the various kooky things we sterilize at work are beehives for a group of keepers in PA. They had problems with some sort of fungus in the hives contributing to die-offs.
 
not honeybees, but the plight of the honeybee is a problem. I remember as a kid you couldn't walk outside barefoot without being very careful. I think off the top of my head I can recall seeing exactly 1 honeybee this year out in the yard.

yellowjackets are just annoying, but usually not nasty SOB's like the typical wasp or hornet. I had a paper wasp nest forming over my garage door. That went away rapidly. No fun getting buzzed just trying to walk in or out of the garage.
 
not honeybees, but the plight of the honeybee is a problem. I remember as a kid you couldn't walk outside barefoot without being very careful. I think off the top of my head I can recall seeing exactly 1 honeybee this year out in the yard.

yellowjackets are just annoying, but usually not nasty SOB's like the typical wasp or hornet. I had a paper wasp nest forming over my garage door. That went away rapidly. No fun getting buzzed just trying to walk in or out of the garage.

Yeah I don't think anyone is debating the honeybee disappearance problem. It's been a few weeks since I've seen the last of them, but I do see honeybees here on the property. Not sure how their population compares to past years but I do see groups of them.

My experience with yellow jackets differs from yours. I have been stung more often and multiples of times over the years living here, and every time it's those stupid yellow jackets. Usually when I inadvertently stumble over one of their nests in the ground. Those suckers are MEAN and they will pursue you for quite a distance, and swarm and sting, sting , sting. I don't know if it's the seasonal change or what but they're quite docile now. They're a bit of a pain but they don't seem prone to chasing or stinging right now.
 
My bad, didn't know they were yellow jackets. Do they serve any other purpose except to annoy? Seems everything has it's place in this world.

BillWojo
 
Clearly a wasp or a hornet
Honeybee
Apis_mellifera_Western_honey_bee.jpg

I thought this went in yesterday afternoon:dunno:
 
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Funny,
As a kid I was afraid of bees.
Now honeybees look downright cute.
I'm still somewhat afraid of wasps and hornets.
They always seem to be hiding in things I open when I'm on top of roofs or extension ladders.
Kind of like evil jack in the boxes without music.:yikes:
 
I contemplated getting an exterminator but first I hit a cluster of them with wasp spray - my but that stuff works fast. The rest flew around for a bit but they seem to have gone. Now the kitties can have their deck back.
 
This is the time of year when wasps look for places to hide for the winter. And with bees and hornets, they are all becoming desperate for food, since the flowers are gone.

As a kid in Southern Ohio we used to catch these critters in our bare hands (if in the dark, they don't knw what to bite or sting), shake them up to get them angry, and then throw them at each other. A little bit of hillbilly fun in the days before electronic distractions.
 
Great pics of everyone and even a couple of great pics of the uninvited guests flying around. I wish I had grabbed a couple of more of the older Stereophile magazines. It's been fun reading them and seeing that many of the same issues/debates going on today have been going on for some time.
 
Also I should mention, that story about the haunted console was good stuff. If you haven't already, that warrants a post. Seasonally appropriate too.

Which reminds me. Have you seen the cat yet?

I think I posted pics of the cabinet though I am not sure I gave a full accounting of how it came to be in my possession.

Perhaps Halloween night be the appropriate occasion for a full telling of the "Tale of the Haunted Stereo Console"

Perhaps on a night of ghouls and goblins the Black Cat will make an appearance....
 
They are wasps. General all purpose hunters of smaller insects. In the fall, just like with bees, the queen un-invites most of the hive so those that remain have enough food and are around in spring to get the new generation up. The evicted have nowhere to go, and like bumble bees they will cling to the bottom of something overnight until its warm enough for them to fly. Cold bees and wasps cannot fly! The evicted start going a little crazy when they haven't got any chemical instructions from the queen in a while. Wasps can't see at night so I usually get rid of them when its pretty dark.

Hornets are really dangerous So I wait until dark, squirt something flammable on the hive and then use a LOOONG piece of PVC tube with a flaming rag shoved into the top. I hold it under the hive, and the hornets will try and defend the hive but their wings get burned off and they fall to the ground to be sprayed or stomped later. You can also wait until January, 10 or so below freezing and cut the hive out of the tree.
 
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