North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[paul simon <paul.simon@tcs.wap.org>]

Here in central Maryland we have a giant yellow jacket (giantus 
Vespus, or something) that tears up my apples up every fall. I only 
have six bearing trees so far. They take a almost ripe fruit amd 
hollow it out,working on 4 or 5 fruit at a time, leaving nothing but 
the shell, aided by the common yellow jacket. Come a rain, all these 
fruit start rotting. I hate to keep the fruit covered with 
insecticide all the time, and don't even know if that stops them. Can 
catch some with y j traps, but not enought.

I like to let the apples fully ripen on the trees, picking them as I 
use them or give them away.  Still have aphids earlier, never see the 
y j going after them.

I predict that we will have a late spring, plentiful showers, 
moderate temperatures, and a late killing frost this year.

Paul S.  6b zone




> Maybe it depends on the yellowjackets? If you don't have trouble 
> with hornets or paperwasps I agree it's not the way you're behaving 
> around them. But the yellowjackets here only sting if they think 
> they're endangered. They're certainly Yankee yellowjackets; but 
> maybe they're not the same kind.
>
> --Rivka
> Finger Lakes NY; zone 5 mostly
>
> On Tuesday, February 11, 2003, at 08:11 PM, list@ginda.us wrote:
>
> > Self defense, nothing.  All stinging things will sting if you bump 
> > into their nest or swat them.  The thing I don't like about yellow 
> > jackets is that they will often sting if you just walk around near 
> > them.  That and that they gather around my supper.  These are 
> > Yankee yellow jackets.
> >
> > Honey bees, bumble bees, paperwasps, hornets, are all mild-mannered 
> > friendly bugs - never have any trouble with them.
> >
> > Ginda
>
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