In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
Yellow jackets?
NeoBlackdog
Member Posts: 17,182 ✭✭✭✭
It just occurred to me that I haven't seen a single one of those evil little buzzards this summer!
How 'bout you folks? Got bugs?
Comments
Yep, lots, no yellow jackets, but plenty of paper wasps, fig beetles, tarantula hawks, bumble bees and a few mosquitos.
Had a strange occurrence around town during 4th of July weekend.
Many residents found large swarms of honey bees in a tree in their yards. Some were removed/recovered by bee keepers while others just moved on in a day or two. Never seen or heard of this before.
Thankfully people realized they were honey bees and did not destroy them.
No yellow jackets, here. I'm sure they're laying for me, though.
Earwigs aplenty. No stink bugs, jap beetles, or lady bugs.
got them here, if you sit a cup of pop down outside within 10 minutes they seem to find it......
Hardly seen any down here.
Funny you ask. I ran the lawnmower over a hive 2 days ago. Two of them busted me right on the butt!
It hurts. I wiped them out this morning.
I think our long cold winter knocked 'em on their butt this year. Maybe 6 months of snow on the ground and -29 for a bit is a blessing!
Makes sense. Don
Those that are out there are hiding and waiting for apples /pears/peaches to start rotting on the ground. They will show up for chow and dig in.----------------------Ray
I got destroyed by those little ba****ds one time. Ran over a nest with the lawn mower and ended up with 8 stings on my ankles and legs. Hurt like hell an itched even worse.
But, a good late night bonfire showed ‘em who’s boss. Yellowjacket smoke makes for goooooood hotdogs.
🇺🇲 "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." - Thomas Jefferson 🇺🇲
This has been an unusual year so far.
No apples and no pears.
The hermosa trees did not bloom.
The maple trees had no seeds.
I had a similar experience a couple of years ago. I GAVE them the old push mower, but was close enough to the pool that I could hit it post haste. I had to let the mower run out of gas before they settled down enough for me to retrieve it.
NeoBlackdog, I hadn't thought much about it but yes, in central IN, I have seen no yellow jackets and only a very few ladybugs and I live on 5+ heavily wooded acres and there are many creatures around here (jeff not withstanding).
Lots of Honey bees this year ! Fewer bumble bees and wasps. I have not seen a Japanese beetle or any yellow jackets.
the heat makes tihe bees swarm faster
As usual we could have sold mosquitos by the pound for two weeks in May.
Not many yellow jackets this year(although I'm still careful around the house shrubbery)...........but the crickets have once again moved into town in pretty good numbers.
Heck.......about 10 years ago they were so thick that restaurants had trouble keeping up with them.........while patrons tried to EAT!!🥺
No joke........in some places you had to be careful not to HYDROPLANE on the streets!!!😳
Where in Indiana do you live. Daughter lives in Carmel. Is there a good gun club in the Indianapolis area, to include skeet, trap and rifle range ??
Uhh... Maybe you should wear pants while you're mowing!
I was wearing my 100 percent cotton boxers. These pants are good for all yard varmints.
Maybe you should wear pants period!😆
The yellow jackets and paper wasps were way worse last year. I think this year the grasshoppers pushed them all out. The hoppers are horrible this year.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
I have a truce with just about every stinging bug on the planet. The only exceptions to this truce come from the Renegades........Yellow Jackets and Bald Faced Hornets! I've tried to make peace and live in peace with em but they will not even listen!
I haven't had any grass hoppers either. We had a fella come up from Hot Springs last week to trim our cow's hooves and he said the hoppers were thick down there. Hot Springs is about 70 miles south of us.
Found two nests last week mowing Mom's yard. Got popped four times on right bicep, once on left wrist and twice on my back. I ran over the second nest about 15 feet from the first trying to make my escape. 8 ounces of gas in each nest that night. Little bastages!
Man vs Hornets
HeDog is this you, doing some entomology research?