Now I know that it's that time of the year, but we seem to have way more bees, wasps and or hornets than I remember in years past. There are two nests in the ground, along the path down to the lake, there's a nest under the deck, and the little critters keep coming and going through the cracks between the boards, which makes sitting out their way more of an adventure than it's supposed to be. I knocked down a nest in the eves of the garage, and in the cardboard boxes we save for the recycler, there are two, or was two, I sprayed one, and then found the other, ooops. I even found on of those football shaped (American Football that is) nests in a tree near the clothes line. Bees wasps and hornets, I never did learn how to identify which is what, I think I know the bumble bee, that fat old guy that bumbles from flower to flower, and that long guy with definite separate body sections is some kind of wasp, but I tend to group the rest all together, and call them bees or wasps or hornets as the mood dictates. Al, I know is you better give them some distance. Anyway, I took a few pictures and here they are. Tom If you look closely, you might see one of the little fellows just entering the nest. All the little black dots, and streaks are angry Bees, or wasps or hornets. I wasn't about to stop and ask.
Cool looking Hornet's nest, shame it is filled with those nasty Hornets. Take real care around that Capt, you might want to call in a pro to remove it.
I just checked out Sjoerds post, Bees from above, in Village Square, that puts mine to shame. Wow. Tom
Last year we had a picture in the paper of a swarm of bee's on a lamp post downtown. It was about 2 ft wide and 3 ft. long. I had never seen one that big. They had a bee keeper come in and remove it. Evidently there were 2 queens together and he had to split them into 2 hives. Took him most of the day to get it done.
A good way of telling a bee from a wasp or hornet Tom is that wasps/hornets have 'waists' whereas bees don't. Also wasp and their relations build nests just like the one you have shown us in your piccies and they always resemble brown paper. Actually that is exactly what they are as the insects make them from 'chewed' up wood. I hate it when wasps here chomp on my wooden garden furniture to gather material to make their nests. :-x
What good shots of that hornet's nest. You really got them going, didn't you? I found those turnip-like nests pretty amazing-looking. I liked this post. The nest looks so big.
Thats great hornet nest pictures.Be very careful with those babies.You will end up in the lake to get away from them .
great pics tom! i've noticed that the wasps in our greenhouse love cardboard. can't keep any boxes in there or they build a nest. eileen, i didn't know it was wood they chewed???! i thought it was the paper/cardboard!
What a fantastic sight. I would be keeping my distance, but once all the buzzy critters have gone, I love to handle those nests. We have had the odd wasps nest in the past and the children love to take them in to school to show their classmates.
Bunkie they do use cardboard or paper which is easier for them to work with than having to chew the wood into a paper-like consistancy. However, as I don't have any around my garden then they resort to chewing on my fence panels, shed and garden furniture. This year I seem to have foiled them, thankfully, by making sure that I used citronella oil on my benches and table. They hate the smell, and probably, the taste of the stuff. Pity I can't afford to do the whole of my fence and garden shed too though.
