Where are all the wasps this year?

Is it just me and/or my area . . . or is anyone else noticing a shortage of wasps? Normally there are loads of Yellow Jackets, Mud Dobbers and those big red wasps all over by this time of year.

I live out in the country a bit and there are always more than enough wasps to go around. Under the eves of the house, in the barns, under turned over buckets, etc. you can usually find a Yellow Jacket nest (wether you want to or not) and the mud dobbers have a habit of getting in every tiny hole in everything that you'd rather they didn't. Normally I have to tape or cover everything I don't want clogged with mud. The red wasps are usually almost as abundant as the smaller yellow ones and pack twice the punch.

Now don't get me wrong, I've seen a few around in the fields or hitting the flowers, but I don't think I've seen a single nest anywhere all year. I have about 5% of the usual mud dobber beads along the usual places and I know it's not ONLY the drought causing their absence. We've had many years with little rain and that's never stopped them from finding a water source before.

As a result of their low numbers, the house fly and mosquito (a favorite diet for wasp larva) populations seem to be worse than in recent memory. I'm just curious if it's just me and my area or if anyone else has noticed that where they are?

We have the wasp in the barn and around outside,however, there are not any in the trees like there were last year. We don't have any mosquitos but the flies are most abundant.

I try not to bother the wasp nests unless they are down close to where they will be distrubed and sting us as we work.

Kim

I've seen about average numbers of most kinds of wasps except for the mud daubers. I'm sure the drought here has a lot to do with it.

Despite other family members' thoughts (i.e. the ones that don't live in this house), I allow the wasps to nest above the front door or around the patio. Just like Kim, I don't bother 'em. I'm just glad they're there! :-)

GD they are all in Missouri City.

Yeah I'm the same way . . . I remember my granddad tell'n me when I was a kid that the wasp feed their young flies and mosquitos, so I leave them be as long as they're not in the way.

I just find it strange that there aren't near as many Yellow Jackets around the normal places here this year.

lol April . . . I was wonder'n . . . they must be hang'n out with you because you do a better rain dance than I do? ;)

Years ago I pretty much ignored wasps, etc. especially since I was stung twice in one day, only minutes apart just because I walked by a nest- didn't know it was there but boy once I got stung I knew it! Anyway I didn't like being stung, it actually hurt so I sort of gave them a wide berth- a few years ago I was pulling out my used up tomatoe plants and otherwise pruning and trimming and kept noticing that there were wasps flying around, bugging me. I thought there might be a nest so I was just observing- that's when I saw one of the most miraculous sites, the wasps were harvesting catepillars! Joy, rapshure! Gave me a whole new appreciation for Wasps. ;-D

wow . . . that's pretty cool . . . and a new one on me. As a kid I remember taking their nests apart to "inspect the contents" - as kids will do ya know ;) I don't think I ever found any catepillars, but there were usually a few houseflies and other small incects in the Yellow Jacket's nests. I'd usually find small spiders in the little dirt dobber's holes, but I don't remember ever inspecting any of the nests made by the big red wasps.

Ok what kind of crazy kid were you? Didn't your parents tell you to never play w/ these guys?

Whoops just caught my last spelling error- rapshure- lol, I am really not that dumb just sometimes my fingers work faster than my brain. I know the right way to spell it is rapture! Where was my brain!

And the other half of the wasps that you are missing from your house are all over here. April and I decided to split the herd.
Debbie

Yellow Jackets moved north this summer. We got them ALL!

I think part of them went to Kipper2's house, he said he has to kill a lot of them because they eat the butterfly larva on his passion flower.
I remember once I was taking my son to school and was in a rush, well, I sat on one of them that was restin on the car seat, Wow! I have never forgotten it!.
I normally leave them alone.
Josephine.

Well Josephine I can believe it...When I was in college I had one fly/crawl up my jean leg and bite me on my knee while I was studying one night in the dead of winter--January. Guess he had got in the house some how...

Ok - so are my missing monarch cats being eaten by wasps? I leave wasps alone, but I try to protect my cats! Any other ideas?

Bookworm, could be- last year I had butterfly weed planted so we could watch monarchs and even though I hate cats I was watching them like a hawk- I gently moved them off my other plants back on to where they were supposed to be, watched a few that never made it to the cocoon stage- no I don't know all the correct terms, but they didn't make it past that hanging J shape- don't know why and yes watched wasps carry off a few of the cats, smaller one especially. Have seen them go after Monarch and Cloudless Sulpher, but not Gulf Coast Frittary (sp)- those things are even too ugly for wasps to eat!

I do NOT have any less than any other year... In fact I might have more. I've had to take down 5 nests so far this year

I do NOT have any less than any other year... In fact I might have more. I've had to take down 5 nests so far this year. I ONLY take down nests that are near the doors or are coming into the garage.

lol April . . . well . . . I was one of dem dar 'bouy' kidz (evil grinz)
Didn't anyone ever tell ya that boys will do all sorts of things their parents tell them not to? lol

Ok so now I know where all my wasps have gone . . . guess ya'll feed'em better than I do or something?

I did have a group of honey bees that raided one of my hummer feeders everyday for about a week. It was kind of strange . . . they never seemed to notice or bother it before I moved it to a different branch - after I got a new one to put up close to the porch. But once I moved it, they were on it as thick as flies until it ran out of juice. It was nearly empty in less than 1/2 the time it normally takes. I refilled it just as I normally do and I have not seen them back since. Of course it was extra hot and dry that week, but I know they have other sources, including my newer feeder which they never drank from. Who knows what a bee thinks? lol

I live in Michigan, and I was just wondering the same thing the other day... normally, they are all over (the kind that make their paper nests in the corner of just about any piece of wood they can find). This year, except for a few earlier this spring, I have hardly seen any!

Oh well, I don't miss them that much :)

God bless,
Jeff

Thanks AprilW - I'll be watching the wasps and my cats. Over on the b-fly forum I learned that many of them take the cats and protect them in a cage with milkweed until they hatch out - then release. In Houston - I had no wasps and oodles of monarch cats and butterflies. Near Lake Conroe we have lots more wasps and many fewer monarchs - so that may explain it. I may have to start cat-sitting!

I haven't seen as many but here's what I was thinking: I used that "kills on contact, stream-type" of Bug Killer so much last year that I thought maybe there was a residual effect...and they just left my house alone. Of course, I didn't know they ate mosquitos...the one thing I hate more than wasps, hornets, etc. (I was bitten by hornets about 10 years ago and my leg ached for 3 days after horrible stinging for 10 hours!!) Do mud daubers sting?

Dobbers? ahhh Daubers . . . . so datz how ya spull dat one huh? lol

Well to the best of my knowledge, they can sting, but typically don't. Someone else may have a different idea about this, but as far as I know they won't sting you unless you sit on one or something like that. I've messed with them and even removed their "houses" from unwanted places with them right there and they just fly off. For some reason they aren't as protective of their little mud houses like a hornet or Yellow Jacket is of their paper nest.

For the most part, they're pretty docile and won't sting. At least that's been my experience with them. I'd like to hear if anyone else's differs?

Here's a good example of their absence . . . it may be a little hard to see from this photo, but the evidence is there. lol
This is taken of a usual favorite area for the daubers to build their mud tunnels - the underside of the eve on my front porch. Each year I have to clean anywhere from 20 - 30 of these off. I always wait until winter and they are vacant to do that and they always come back the following spring. Well this year there are none . . . and there aren't any in the other typical areas either . . . something strange about that to me.

And yeah I realize we haven't had the rain this year that we sometimes have. But that's never stopped them in the past. There's a big stock tank a few hundred yards from my house that holds water in even years like this one. Not to mention I keep plenty of soil moist around my plants and always have water out for the birds and my dogs. So I'm thinking that something else is the cause for the lack of them around here. No idea what . . . but something is odd about that to me.

lol @ ya'll's waspy stories......I honestly haven't noticed a big shortage of wasps this year...and I'm always snoopin' around the gardens. I had a real determined red wasp try to build over my front door...but THAT I couldn't allow. Red wasps are notorious for being real aggressive...and the last thing I wanted was for folks gettin' attacked while visiting..lol. So each time that little critter made a nest...I'd hose it down...and back he came,lol.... I hate using poison...and will find anything else to use 'cides that stuff. I guess he finally gave up after about 5 attempts...lol

What I find interesting is that yellow jackets seem to LOVE my various Crown of Thorns plants. It must be the sticky necter on the wee blooms...because I always see them on the flowers. I have a pretty big Crown of Thorns TREE in a huge pot on the back porch...and they love it! I read back there alot in the evenings..but they don't pester me. But again, I haven't noticed any shortage.

And yes, I've been painfully stung quite a few times as a kid growin' up as a Tomboy...lol. Actually put my hand on a yellow jacket nest under some boards on the side of our greenhouse....*shiver* THAT was an experience... :p

Have any of you noticed any new kinds of wasps? I've got two that I've never seen before. Whis I had pictures of them, but I'm afraid to get close enough to get one. I have one that is the size of a hummingbird. I'm not kidin' , this thing is huge. It's yelow/orange and black stripes. I saw a National Geographic thing the other night about giant hornets, I think Japanese hornets, and that's what this looks like. Does anyone know if we have those here in Texas? It definitely wasn't a cicada killer. The other looks like the biggest horsefly I've ever seen. He's really big, about 1 1/2" long, and black and fuzzy. I've seen him on my Black and Blue salvias a lot. He doesn't look as dangerous as the other one. We need an entomologist (sp?) on here!

Wow crowellli.....ya mean we have something lurking around out there that is AS LARGE as a Cicada Wasp? Yikes....I've never seen that one at all...

lol....I've seen those big ole horsefly lookin' critters...and your right...they're HUGE....they just sort of land on something and watch you with those bugged eyes...lol... I see them on my back fence on occasion..just sort of perusing the wee yard, I suppose.

Interesting . . . I don't know of any other wasps that get as large as the Cicada Killers . . . aside form those Japanese bee killing hornets..

I have noticed a few 'different' types out and about . . . but nothing that large and no nests of any sort anywhere that I've run across.

And yeah not only are those red devils more aggressive . . . they pack one heck of a punch. Back in 'the day' when I was still wear'n those "big bells" and lived in Houston . . . I had some clothes on the line out in my back yard. I went out to get them off the line and as I was walking back on to the patio I felt a needle poke me just below the knee. I couldn't figure out why a needle would be in my jeans . . . then as my foot hit the concrete slab . . . a big red wasp fell out from under my bell bottoms and hit the slab. I smashed him upon realizing that was the needle I felt . . . lol

Evidently I had stepped over him in the grass and he flew up to escape and when he got trapped . . . he launched that stinger into my leg. Of course it stung pretty good, but that wasn't the worst of it. Within seconds the poison got into my system and it literally dropped me to my knees. And mind you, I'm NOT allergic to wasps . . . been stung more times than I can count and by all types - red ones included. But not by any like that one . . . must have been something about that Houston resident that didn't agree with my system? I felt sickly the rest of the day . . . a little nauseated and kind of droggy for a while. I kept a close eye out for those bad boys after that . . . lol

Yikes...GD....wasps up your bells? lol....THAT sounds awful!

I've been surprised more times then I care to remember and I can honestly say that one time, I actually deserved to get stung, lol... Now, as ya know, I had my hands on just about anything that had the misfortune (or fortune since I always rescued little critters) to cross our yards. Being a tomboy and all...I guess I had to prove that I was braver then the boys. I.E. green lizards hangin' off of my ears...lol :D So one day we were all swimming in our in-ground swimming pool and since it was a hot summer, the yellow jackets were allll over the surface of the water. And of course, I got it into my silly head that I could hold one on my finger and show it off....lol

Well, I let one land on my finger....and *poof*, that little guy landed a stinger in my thumb that pert nigh sent me into shock...lol...I ended up crying all day...and my mother took care of the hurt with soda and water. Now THAT was a hard lesson....lol....

Txt , Can you give me pointers on keeping a Crown of Thorns alive here? I got a little one the other day at the nursery but I have never had one before.

lol . . . I have a feel'n that TxT has lots of experience with all sorts of 'thorny' thangz :))

They're pretty easy to take care of, Nada......and they grow from cuttings quite easily. My tree is one that I've had for YEARS...so its pretty big. I was actually going to list some cuttings for the swaparoo...if anyone wanted any. I have 2 big yellow ones....a big pink one....a red.....and 2 large hybrids (pink and red blooms) They do like being watered...esp. if you want more blooms. Mine seem to love full sun....although my smaller red got a bit of a sunburn...so I had to move it a bit....And I always move them indoors in winter.. And like I said...yellow jackets love them!

lol GD....ayup... :D

Wow.. that looks so different than the one I bought... I will have to take a pic of the one I got. it is realy small with a head full of yellow flowers. You can hardly see any of the thorns.

There are certainly no shortage of red wasps here! Everything here sort of goes in cycles. This year I haven't seen a single ladybug ,usually hatch by the millions on my porch. No frogs or toads, but more green-lined skinks. And the cicadas!!! My kid's swing set look like something out of a horror show. Those thing are hatching, humping, buzzing, dive bombing and dieing all of the place!

Back to the wasps, a local told me if I painted my porch ceiling a sky blue the dirt daubers wouldn't build there. Any one have a blue porch that can confirm this?

No but I have heard that also.

I have atols, ladybugs, walking sticks, toads and one lone texas horny toad.

Then of course there is the deer, tree rats, birds, raccoons, possums, armidillos, rabbits, and what not everywhere... *giggle It is a wonder I have room for plants.

lol @ the creepin critters...We had a blue million lady bugs around our new house when we moved in November of '04...and nothing last year...So I'm not sure why....but they never showed up again. I guess the conditions were right that winter...

I've never heard of the blue painted porch ceiling....interesting idea.... I had always heard the blue represented the sky in Victorian times...maybe it confuses the dirt daubers...lol

Every now and then, I'll spot a leopard frog makin' his self all comfy in my crown of thorns pot on the front porch at night. Since there isn't a watering hole within a mile from here...I have no idea why he hangs around, but glad he does... :)

Nada, this is my yellow crown of thorns...also a bit of an oldster...but my tree in the back is about 15 years old....and one that refuses to sit up straight in its pot.....It has taken a bit of a beating over the years, having fallen off of tables and patio rails twice now. So I actually lost 2 large branches...and I reckon its still sulking about that....since its still crooked...lol Its just too big for me to try to upright it again....

cool. that is more a plant size I can handle. If you plant any of the red one I would like it.

Those are pretty cool TxT . . . I'd seen them before, just never knew what they were called . . . lol

Would ya like a cutting or two...GD? ;)

I've got a decent size red that you can sort of see by the yellow on the ground, Nada....I can take a cutting from it and get it started for ya... :)

Here's a photo that I took of a sweet honey bee on my blooming cactus this past winter.... :)

Yes PLEASE, that red one is very nice.