On Tue, 20 Aug 1996, Dennis Paulson wrote:

> Tom Foote wrote:
>
> > My understanding of this behavior [aggressive yellowjackets] is
> >that the wasps have lost
> > their power to digest their food because of their discontinuation
> > of the production of a necessary enzyme, and are, consequently,
> > ravenous and in very bad temper while they starve to death..
> >
> > Anyone know if that's an accurate assessment?
> >
> > Tom
>
> Are you pulling our tarsometatarsi, Tom? This sounds to me about as
> accurate as the story of snakes swallowing their tails and renting
> themselves out as hula hoops. "Discontinuation of the production of a
> necessary enzyme"--how could that happen in whole populations? And, if
> they're starving to death, shortly there wouldn't be any of them!

Dennis--

Now you've gone and done it..you've gotten me curious.. :)

I wonder if it really matter how they die when their little
number is up? It would seem that a yellowjacket that's capable
of cutting a piece of meat up smaller so it can pack it off
somewhere is surely capable of eating enough of it to stay
alive..assuming it had the capability to use the food it
ate..but, we don't know that they eat the meat, do we? I
thought they only packed that meat off to the nest to feed
the young-uns.. I read somewhere they eat nectar like
most wasps instead of the meat they're packing around.
If that's true, then there they are packing around food
they can't eat as the nectar season is over.. hmmmm-mmmm..
that might make them a bit testy.

If you were a female yellowjacket, well endowed with a poisonous ovipositor
> for subduing your prey, and someone grabbed you, wouldn't you sting? What
> does it have to do with bad temper?

other times of the year, I've had them buzz inquisitively around
but not persist the way they do this time of year. And, I
haven't been stung at all. According to the natives in the
San Juans and at the clinic on Lopez there is a high incidence
of stingees this time of year..and this particular year.

[snip..]
>
> However, if a nest gets established in your yard, you may have to take
> action.

I've had nests most years..both baldfaced hornets and yellow
jackets and nary a problem. I'm not sure I'd recommend destroying
the nest unless a family member had a severe reaction to stings.
Most folks agree that the wasps do more good than harm..
like you said earlier..just stay out of their way..

Tom