Wasps ** Was: Ladybugs & Gardening

[Guest guest]

Howdy Cindy,

 

Cindy Atkins asked:

 

> just curious, what are wasps good for?

>

 

Just read the first paragraph here ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp

 

In addition to being natural predators wasps are also pretty good

pollinators.

 

 

> I have lots of them and all they seem to be good for is stinging me

>

 

There are around 75,000 species of Wasps and all do not sting. I can't

identify many of them but we generally let our Wasps do as they please as

long as they don't crowd our space .. they can't build nests in our mailbox

or close to our entry doors or any other place where they might go on the

defense when we are nearby.

 

I say " generally " let them alone cause there are two kinds of Wasps that I

kill on sight .. Yellow Jackets and Hornets. Both are dangerous

critters. If you are walking through the woods and step near an underground

Yellow Jacket nest you are in for an experience you will never forget .. if

someone thinks they are not a fast runner they will learn otherwise .. but

you can't outrun them and they sting many, many times .. the pain is not

gonna go away in a day or two. When I think of Yellow Jackets those WW II

films showing torpedo planes diving against aircraft carriers comes to

mind. We have woods behind our house but so far I have not detected any

nesting there. A few years ago I was in NW Arkansas .. on Beaver Lake. My

buddy's home was above the lake and his boat dock was on the lake .. had a

winding road to the dock cause the hill was steep. Instead of taking the

road I made a beeline up the hill and first thing I know I was on fire ..

steep grade it was but I was flying .. just not flying fast enough.

 

Hornets .. I have a can of Hornet Spray that shoots 15 or so feet and if I

see one it is gonna get shot. Most of them are huge .. I've seen them

carry insects larger than they were .. like what we call 17 Year Locust

(Cicada). I have also seen them dive bomb Humming Birds at our feeders.

Some of them pack a heckuva load of venom and though I've never been stung

by a Hornet I know folks who have .. they say its a real bad experience.

 

We have lots of Wasps, Bumblebees and Honeybees around our mini farm and we

been here three years now and only once has anyone been stung. Alexander

stepped on a Honeybee once and the bee did his thing .. can't blame the

bee. We also have wood boring Bumblebees and Carpenter Bees and we let

them live in peace. They are all great pollinators.

 

The only bee native to our area (KY-TN) is the Bumblebee .. Honeybees were

originally imported.

 

None of us have problems with bee stings .. no reactions other than the norm

... so we don't try to control them unless its absolutely necessary. Some

folks do have problems with stings so obviously this post does not pertain

to them. Bees and wasps are aggressive in the defense so its important to

not place them on the defense if you can avoid it.

 

If the above sounds like I'm touchy-feely about ecosystems it gives the

wrong impression. I respect Mama Nature .. maybe more so than some of the

armchair Greenies .. but as for most of the flying bugs with stingers I

know that fighting them is a sure fire way to get stung and most of them are

beneficial to our organic garden and orchards. Most all critters are a

necessary part of the ecosystem and all critters have a need to survive and

procreate .. but I will kill some of them on sight if they come into our

space .. like the Copperhead, Rattlesnake and Cottonmouth. I admire snakes

and don't fear them if I can see them but I have a 4 year old son and 4 Lab

pups running around on our land and there is no need for them to coexist

with venomous snakes that want to come onto our property. I don't bother

these snakes when I am out and about hunting .. that's their space so I give

them their space.

 

Coyotes .. a different attitude I have toward this critter and I will lay

them low whenever and where ever I see them. They are all over West

Tennessee now .. even further East for that matter. They take a lot of

cats in our county .. one tried to get one of ours but the dogs chased

him away. The Greenies here write that there are more song birds now that

we have Coyotes .. and they are correct .. cause there are fewer cats. I

like songbirds a lot but not as much as I like my cats. There is a 12

month open season on Coyotes here and I have done a few in while I was deer

or turkey hunting .. without regret. If Coyotes become extinct

most natural scientists will shed a tear but I expect that average folks in

the future will think about them like I think about Dinosaurs .. I've never

seen one and never missed seeing one.

 

Evolution is in part about survival of the fittest and since I am into equal

opportunity that goes for human predators too. Our home is protected by

ADT, 5 dawgs, and a bunch of pistols, rifles and muzzle loaders. I have had

a concealed carry permit for many years .. even while in Turkey I had one ..

and I have NEVER had to unholster a weapon during peacetime .. but if some

two laig Coyote comes around with intent to violate the life, liberty or

property of me or mine that critter will get less consideration than the

venomous snakes because they are doing what is natural while this critter is

not contributing to a healthy ecosystem. ;-)

 

Here's a fairly good article on flying creatures.

http://www.entomon.net/wasps-hornets-yellow-jackets-bees.htm

 

Y'all have a good weekend .. and keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch ... http://www.AV-AT.com <http://www.av-at.com/>

 

 

 

> Butch wrote:

> > there are many other friendly insects that are nice to have in the garden

> .. like Green Lacewings and Pirate Bugs and Praying Mantis and Wasps .. as

> well as Toads .. and they can be attracted if you plant the correct

> " attractors "

>