These are some kind of wasp I think. They are HUGE! The wingspan is about 1.25" and the torso alone is about 1" long black with wide yellow bands on the top(not all the way around). They have big eyes too, creepy!
p.s. Yes, they are making woopie :)
This message was edited Saturday, Jul 19th 11:17 AM
Terminix has an informative site http://www.terminix.com/Pest/Library/Identify/index.cfm?fuseaction=category&pestCategory=Stinging&pestID=57 Maybe you can find which bug it is there.
Thank you thank you thank you! That was it, a paper wasp nest in the corner of my porch roof. *shudder*
By my user name you might guess I do taxes. It happens that paper wasps helped one of my clients out of an audit problem. They ran a produce stand and did a lot of their business in cash. They were being audited and were asked to produce receipts. They had gone out of business, but had stored most of their records at a friends produce stand. During the storage, the records got wet and had formed a paper mache ball (complete with a good coating of mildew.) The auditor was not inclined to believe that the records supported the $90,000 in cash paid out, so we had to go to IRS appeals.
While waiting for the appeals process to move along, I stored the records in a box in my shed. During storage, the paper wasps decided to go in through the handle openings in the box and establish their home. I fumigated and killed several nesting sites in the storage shed, but the dead wasps and the nest were left in the box.
I went to the appeals meeting and offered the box and it's contents to the IRS appeals officer. He declined anything but a brief look, with a shudder. We spent a few months dickering over how to prove my clients case and finally the appeals officer was about to support the auditor and ask my client to pay $30,000. I mentioned the box to him and asked how he thought the jury in tax court would like to see the box.
He reduced my clients tax bill to $400. The wasps saved the day!
That's even better than 'The Dog ate it'! Thanks for the story, George :) Made my morning!
I'm impressed and suitably entertained too. Great story!!
