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  • From: Steve <sdw12986@aol.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Yellowjackets, common names.
  • Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:46:18 -0400

Hal Love wrote:

Having lived in areas where the different types of "yellow jackets" can be found, it is clear folks are talking about completely different species. I grew up in Arkansas and there a yellow jacket was a big, hornet-like, aggressive paper wasp that we feared very much. The nest were found just about anywhere that one may find the brown paper wasp nests. The underside of the eves of houses was probably the most common location.

Here in middle TN, we only seem to have the brown paper wasps, and the only yellow jackets are the ground wasps that are much smaller and very different looking than the paper wasps. They look more like bees and the entrances to the tunnels are about 0.5 inches in diameter. If you get too close to the entrance and distrub them, they will swarm out and aggressively chase and sting. I was once chased 300 feet before they stopped, but usually they will defend up to about 100 feet. They don't seem to initiate an attack unless you get really close to the entrance and create some sort of disturbance (a lawn mower works really well). These things swarm all over rotting pears that the squirrels constantly drop to the ground, so I would think pear or apple juice would make a great bait for a trap.

Hal

Oh gosh, lawnmowers and yellow jackets....
I was tempted to tell this story after I read the thread that follows this one about Bald-faced hornets. (I thought Jim was about to say he found a nest in the ground, not just low to the ground.) Now that you mention lawn mowers, I have to tell it.
In one corner of my yard, there is an entry way that allows me to drive my truck into the yard when I need to. Decades ago, someone used a couple of railroad ties to build up one side to keep the area level. They have been hollow for a long time and make a good nest for yellow jackets. Well, about 3 or 4 summers ago, I was mowing right over one of the railroad ties and I got an incredible burning sting in my ankle. I had light shorts on and "he" went for the black socks I was wearing. Caution, scenic side trip ahead: I once got stung by a bald-faced hornet. My brother disturbed a nest which I never saw. I was coming down the same path and he yelled to warn me. As I stood there thinking what to do, I saw a black object 30 feet away flying at high speed toward me. Before I could even raise my hand, he hit me with a sting right on the eyebrow. That was bad but honestly, the sting that got me on the ankle hurt worse.
Back to the lawnmower story: So I instinctively swatted at the sting on my ankle and saw a whole swarm of what appeared to be Bald-faced hornets near the ground. I ran away leaving the lawnmower running. After the pain in my ankle subsided to moderate torture, I returned with a long rope which I manages to tangle around the handle and pull the still running mower several feet away. I turned it off and again left the area. I brought out the wet vac and did my usual trick of catching all the flying adults by placing the vacuum tube right next to the entry hold.
Later, I opened the vac and found 60 some of what appeared to be hornets drowned in the soapy water I had inside. They seemed to have markings exactly like Bald-faced hornets but they looked a little small to me. That lead to an internet search. I discovered a thing called "Northern Yellowjackets". I had been wondering why on earth hornets were nesting under ground. Now I realized what I had. Indeed, they are a little smaller than hornets and the marking have a slightly different pattern, which I could confirm with a closer comparison.
I learned that they have the habit of parasitizing the nests of regular yellow colored Yellowjackets, then they move on to another nest. I left the remainder of the colony alone and in a week or two, they did indeed leave the area. Man can those things sting! I never had a sting like that. The pain lasted 3 days and the area was sore to touch for about 2 weeks. The sting seemed to kill a small area of flesh and left a crater that didn't fill in for about a month.

Steve in the Adirondacks




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