Subject: RE Wasps
Date: Sep 18 20:10:36 2003
From: Joanne Schmitt - jschmitt at olypen.com


Vicki wrote: My conclusion is Arial (?) Yellow Jackets. I have not seen
anything
resembling the Bald Faced Hornet, not that they would be good company
either.

I disagree with your assumption that the Bald Faced Hornet would not be good
company, especially if you dislike Yellowjackets. The favorite food of the
Bald Face IS Yellowjackets! We had a basketball sized nest in our Rhody for
the last half of the summer. (And a record "shortage" of Yellowjackets) The
nest got partially destroyed every time I turned on the sprinkler. I didn't
even discover it until it had been destroyed at least twice. After a lot of
research, I found these "hornets" are not aggressive if their nest is left
alone. Considering how often we messed theirs up, I thought our Bald Faced
Hornets would get really mad. However, they never attacked and allowed us to
frequently stand a foot away and watch them. It was kind of interesting to
watch them repair the nest over and over again. Also to see a few sit near
the hole and fan their wings to cool the nest on hot days. Eventually, they
remade the nest smaller and closer to the center of the plant, so it didn't
get as messed up by the water. Since the weather has turned colder at night
(lows near 40), I have seen very little activity, so I assume they are dying
off.
-Joanne Schmitt
Sequim, WA