To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] yellow jackets, help!
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:35:29 -0500
We have never seen the like of yellow jackets. I take that back, once we
did in the 1980's when we set the kids to killing queen wasps in the spring.
They kept count and killed 600. That year Mother Nature filled the vacuam
with yellow jackets. It is an experiment we will never repeat! Anyway, the
yellow jackets are so thick that I have been stung twice already, in July
when they are not normally a problem. The first time was on my right index
finger, as I stood on a ladder cutting a branch from a hickory to try some
summer budding. The second time was dusk, one flew inside my shirt as I was
walking along. Picking blackberries has required examining each fruit from
all sides before touching it. We have discovered that MOST of them go to
bed fairly early so we can pick blueberries. I have seen two holes where
skunks have dug out nests in the woods, but the remaining nests are surely
growing by the day.
We have never managed to make a yellow jacket trap that worked. We
bought one at Tractor Supply that has collected a total of 2 in a week. Do
you all have any suggestions? Donna