Bees do have that swarm and heat defence, but they are usually on the losing end of meetings with wasps - especially hornets.
Wasps have their place in nature, however. Like some other posts a few pages back, they simply destroy many other insects that we regard to as pests and competition for food.
I generally leave the wasps alone, unless they land on me. They get a bit aggressive this time of year unfortunately. I had one land on my back while I was gardening and it bit me - I killed that one. Just swatted one to its' death as it touched my ear.
Strangely, bees never scare me. I just use my hand and gently push them away as they fly into me (lots of flowers and a fairly big vegetable garden, so it attracts a lot of both).
However, every spring I am wary of any wasps trying to build nests in places that I pass by a lot. I just make sure to swat and kill the first wasp trying to make a nest, and that is it. I had a wasp hive right outside the walkout basement door, into the deck. Close the door too loudly, or stay there for too long, and they would start swarming. Took a lot of effort to get rid of them, so early on in spring, I am vigilant to kill any right away that are trying to make a hive. Otherwise I leave them completely alone.
I have seen wasps pluck off caterpillars, chow-down on some aphids and even catch flies. I leave them alone until they touch me. That is the rule with me - touch me, I touch you back. I have only been stung once in the last 20 years and only because I was helping a friend remove a wasp nest (he is allergic) underneath his shed.
Wasps are our friends. Sometimes, they are our traitorous friends who we must squish, but they are usually our friends. However, if I saw them attacking a bee's nest, I would grab the nearest racquet and start practicing my backhand and forehand quite a bit.
Bees do have that swarm and heat defence, but they are usually on the losing end of meetings with wasps - especially hornets.
Wasps have their place in nature, however. Like some other posts a few pages back, they simply destroy many other insects that we regard to as pests and competition for food.
I generally leave the wasps alone, unless they land on me. They get a bit aggressive this time of year unfortunately. I had one land on my back while I was gardening and it bit me - I killed that one. Just swatted one to its' death as it touched my ear.
Strangely, bees never scare me. I just use my hand and gently push them away as they fly into me (lots of flowers and a fairly big vegetable garden, so it attracts a lot of both).
However, every spring I am wary of any wasps trying to build nests in places that I pass by a lot. I just make sure to swat and kill the first wasp trying to make a nest, and that is it. I had a wasp hive right outside the walkout basement door, into the deck. Close the door too loudly, or stay there for too long, and they would start swarming. Took a lot of effort to get rid of them, so early on in spring, I am vigilant to kill any right away that are trying to make a hive. Otherwise I leave them completely alone.
I have seen wasps pluck off caterpillars, chow-down on some aphids and even catch flies. I leave them alone until they touch me. That is the rule with me - touch me, I touch you back. I have only been stung once in the last 20 years and only because I was helping a friend remove a wasp nest (he is allergic) underneath his shed.
Wasps are our friends. Sometimes, they are our traitorous friends who we must squish, but they are usually our friends. However, if I saw them attacking a bee's nest, I would grab the nearest racquet and start practicing my backhand and forehand quite a bit.
Watch out wasp bitches. Don't touch Calgary4 life!!
Yellowjackets are not our friends. They are beyond evil. I have never seen a yellowjacket pray on anything other than garbage and people. Other bees you swat them away and they get the message, they bugger off because you are bigger and they have common sense. Not yellowjackets though, you swat at them and they come at you over and over again like a pcp junkie on a bad day! Kill all yellowjackets!
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Had an angry Wasp harassing me and my Son on the deck this afternoon, so I did what any other strong and smart Father would do... Took my two year-old back inside.
Yellowjackets are not our friends. They are beyond evil. I have never seen a yellowjacket pray on anything other than garbage and people. Other bees you swat them away and they get the message, they bugger off because you are bigger and they have common sense. Not yellowjackets though, you swat at them and they come at you over and over again like a pcp junkie on a bad day! Kill all yellowjackets!
are yellowjackets and wasps the same thing, or different?
are yellowjackets and wasps the same thing, or different?
Don't know - i'm never sure what the difference is between a wasp and a hornet. All i know is that the black ones are easier to step on for some reason
Had an angry Wasp harassing me and my Son on the deck this afternoon, so I did what any other strong and smart Father would do... Took my two year-old back inside.
A cheap badminton racket is great for taking out wasps / hornets that come your way...
Had an angry Wasp harassing me and my Son on the deck this afternoon, so I did what any other strong and smart Father would do... Took my two year-old back inside.
You could do what my dad did, and thought was hilarious when I was about 10. One of my chores was cleaning up the outside area of our fence, you know rake up the dead grass, use the law trimmer all of that crap. Of course he knew that there was a hornets nest in the retaining wall and didn't tell me, he just chose to supervise with a beer in his hand from a distance.
Well I was using the trimmer which means that you don't hear the sound of the angry wasps moving into attack formation, nor are you paying attention because the work is boring and your thinking about the legs of the hot mamma next store who likes to sit outside and tan in a pretty skimpy bikini.
Next thing I know the sky turned dark. I instantly knew what it was based on the pain of a half dozen well timed stings. So I go tear up the street yelling my stupid head off while the Hornets have now gone from attack formation to full fledged Japanese kamikaze tactics. My dads laughter chasing me down the street.
I ended up with about 20 nasty sting welts, a scraped knee when I tore up and over a chain link fence into the trailer park across the street.
I think the Hornets eventually felt sorry for me and turned back to the nest with a lazy maneuver called showing their a$$es on the way back, except for the one that hovered in front of me staring me down before spitting in my face and flying home in that slow and cocky thing that all insect bullies do.
My dad to this day still brings it up while stating that I was never the fastest runner until that day, and acknowledging that he knew that the nest was there and that's why he made me do trimming in that spot.
I remember him telling my cousins about it at a reunion, and one of them asked him if he knew if I was allergic to hornet stings at the time. My old man took a sip of his beer and flatly said that he was a big fan of natural selection and left it at that.
20 Hornet stings you #######, I'm biding my time until you get old enough so I can find the seniors home with the worst reputation in the country.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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Had an angry Wasp harassing me and my Son on the deck this afternoon, so I did what any other strong and smart Father would do... Took my two year-old back inside.
Wimp! No, you go inside the house, you grab your tennis racquet and then you go all federer on it's ass slicing it to pieces!
Bees are awesome. Watching a bee peacefully tending to flowers is one of the nicest things to witness in your back yard. I have had bees land on me, and I will gently brush them away towards a nice juicy flower. Bees are our bros.
Wasps on the other hand.... I am truly convinced they are just giant jerkwads, that pester you, for no other reason that to get off on the fear and panic they cause. They are the direct evolution of the jerk gene. One you concentrate all the DNA strands that cause jerk like behaviour, and refine it down to, pure, undiluted jerkness, you end up with a wasp.
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The smooth stinger vs the barbed stinger is a great example of evolutionary difference leading to behavior.
It would suck to be a bee defending your nest or losing your temper where you know that your first sting is your last sting and that your last sight will be your guts being torn out.
Wasps on the other hand just have the whole joy of stinging down. I'm out of venom, now I'm just punching holes.
Its not that they're jerks, its that they are knife welding psycho's.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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The smooth stinger vs the barbed stinger is a great example of evolutionary difference leading to behavior.
It would suck to be a bee defending your nest or losing your temper where you know that your first sting is your last sting and that your last sight will be your guts being torn out.
Wasps on the other hand just have the whole joy of stinging down. I'm out of venom, now I'm just punching holes.
Its not that they're jerks, its that they are knife welding psycho's.
I think that's taking it too far, and an unfair Oilers fans.
Wasps are like Canuck fans.
Oiler fans are more like cockroaches. Dirty, stinky, and they like to roll around in garbage in dingy subsidized housing projects. But ultimately harmless.
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I think that's taking it too far, and an unfair Oilers fans.
Wasps are like Canuck fans.
Oiler fans are more like cockroaches. Dirty, stinky, and they like to roll around in garbage in dingy subsidized housing projects. But ultimately harmless.
You must have missed the Welcome to Stabmonton sign when you were driving in on the QE2.
