Pine Buzz

No, not that kind of buzz! I walk by this tree at least a couple times a week, but never noticed this hive. I'm guessing it's from last year, but I just don't know very much about bees, wasps (again, not that kind), hornets, etc. Do bees make new hives every year? Can anyone tell me what species would make this type of hive? I see them every once in awhile, but they're usually about 8'-10' off the ground, while this one is only 2'-3' off the ground. It's also the first time I've seen one in a pine, but that's probably because they're more visible in a deciduous tree.

Another view of it.

And while on my lunch-time walk I also ran across this horticultural hero--of the dead variety.

A nest of one of the tree wasps (Dolichovespula). Ordinary wasps (Vespula) nest in holes in the ground. Species in both genera are very similar to look at.

Third pic, looks like Pileated Woodpecker activity.

Resin

Forgot to add, wasps make a new nest every year. They won't re-use this one.

Resin

Thanks, Resin. Several years ago I learned the hard way that wasps build nests in the ground while tilling up a derelict pasture. I tore up their nest and had a cloud of very angry wasps after me while stuck on a very slow moving tractor. I probably had a dozen stings by the time I could shut the tractor off and make a run for it. I'm sure it was humorous for anyone happening by.

There's a lot of dead Northern Pin Oaks (Did you know they're common around here? ;)) in the woods, which means the Pileated Woodpecker has become a very common customer.

Bob

Pin oaks went through a vogue in the mid-Sixties into the early Seventies as yard trees in the Midwest. In my hometown in Illinois (Decatur) and such places you could tell when a neighborhood was built from its position, the style of houses, and the trees and shrubs planted by the developers and the first owners. The pin oaks suffered occasionally from leaf galls and tended to have lower branches that drooped, causing suburbanites to lop them to allow easy mowing of what grass survived in the shade beneath... whereupon the higher branches drooped and sent down more growth, which had to be lopped...

Mark., digressing madly

Mmmm, so Pin Oak must of been the chosen tree to replace Honey Locust for urban plantings in the midwest. I'm not sure where I read it, but the author speculated Honey Locust will eventually regain its lost popularity. The Pin Oaks I've got are of the northern variety (Q. ellipsoidalis), and as far as I'm concerned are overplanted as well. Unfortunately, they're native and with mother nature doing the planting I really don't have much to complain about. I've got some naturally seeded White Oak in the woods, but they don't seem to develop into the beautiful trees I see on better ground. Just like the NPO, they look a bit stunted and haggard. Here's about as good of White Oak as we can grow.

This one will not make a good saw log candidate. ;)