It's hard to convince people that wasps are allies without showing them physical evidence of it. I managed to do so with my dad last year when I showed him our honeysuckle vine that was covered in aphids, and the ~10 different kinds of wasps that were feasting on them. Great video!
Not really a farming story but when I was living in my old home, I had a wasp nest under my balcony. I gave them food and some water from time to time. They never attacked me. Most they did was land on me while I was giving them food. They were freaking cute. I had problems with spiders. After a few days of feeding them, they attacked all the spiders that tried to get onto the balcony or my home. Felt like I had some guard dogs that wanted to protect me. I love wasps.
@@ZaneMedia Kinda like cats' love. Special. On the other hand, once I was on a ladder and a wasp came out of nowhere and stung me right into my nose without any warning. I was thinking about someone's nose at the moment - so my energy was in the nose. Ants are similar. And when someone hates you enough, the energy can manifest as flies on your face or some biting bugs. Insect is like some nature's mind and energy manifested in these robots. Maybe even microbial nano-bots. ..but what in hell are ticks? It's pure evil.
Great video. You reinforced the need to just hang on and let nature sort it out. This year I got hammered by tent caterpillars but I also saw an influx of wasps and butterflies so I figure the system is working it out.
Of course a very good point, but I'd like to add something more that is almost always overlooked when people talk or think about nature's balances. Humans are also part of nature. Our complicated abstract thought processes can obviously cause us to live more and more out of step and balance with nature, but we can also work WITH nature as gardeners. I don't just mean actual gardens and farming, but in general. We have the ability to learn about nature, to work with it, to sculpt aspects of nature (in accordance with it's proper balances) and thereby create yet more beauty and wonder in the world. Most people jump to one of two extremes: 1. Nature is king and humans just ruin everything, and 2. Nature's a chaotic mess that humans must control, dominate and force to fit our own desires. I'd say the reality is that we come from nature just as much as every other creature, plant, geology and so on, and we have to learn about ourselves - which means learning about nature, how we came from it and what our place is. We then need to work with it all intelligently to care for ourselves along with other creatures, environments and ecosystems in order to enhance this world rather than ignorantly abuse it, damage and destroy aspects of it which ultimately will always come back to bite us.
Thank you for demonstrating some of the virtues of one of nature's most underappreciated and misunderstood creatures! I share your respect for these amazing little predators.
@BurningTreeBearClips ladybugs deal Wid di spider mites, wasps deal Wid di likkle fuckery teenagers tryna rob yuh weed ahaha free day guards, only loss a couple plants lass year
@@d.w.stratton4078 unnu affi start dem right inna di earth bredrin, Nuh pots or trays unless unnu haff Nuh odda choice. Di earth will Mek unnu plants di mos fed n strong truss I&I pon dis
We had drought last year. I provided bees. wasps and butterflies (as well as birds) with water. Because I used shallow dishes for the pollinators, they dried out fast. The wasps and bees would approach me every time the waterers were empty and "bug" me until I filled the waterers. We developed a relationship. They learned I was their friend. Not stung once even though the wasps would land on me at times. Fabulous pollinators and great for gardens and crops. Don't kill wasps. Been stung many years ago only when I went to start a swather that unbenownst to me contained a wasp nest. We can live in harmony with them. Hard though to convince others to value them. Thanks for your knowledge and sharing it with the world.
GREAT INFO STEFAN!!! You are PROVING that there is a PURPOSE for EVERYTHING! We just have to GO WITH THE FLO, after observing the natural 'patterns' of nature! God Bless you and yours! AHhhh, the simple life as God intended! Nature 'shows/teaches' us the BALANCE of life...when we are determined to do things 'our way' and FIGHT nature...it is soOOoo much more work. We actually look rather stupid fighting nature and thinking WE KNOW BETTER! Luv this stuff!
I love wasps too! Last time I got stung, she was hunting around some fallen apples, and I accidentally kicked the apple she was standing on as I walked by! Ooops my bad. She was doing good work, protecting the rest of the fruit. Now I'm more careful in that area. I pick a lot of wild mushrooms, without predatory wasps there would be more flies and other things that like to eat the same mushrooms.
I've never had a bad experience with wasps. I noticed them patrolling my veggie garden and caterpillars used to destroy my crops. Now there's a few holes in a few leaves. I've been able to scoop up wasps on a spoon and escort them from my house, they just rode the spoon out. Very docile, which is a huge contrast with what I've always been told. Four years in this house, we've had two bee stings. Only one wasp sting and my husband stepped on it on accident.
Wasps are hard for me to love! I can respect them and they can be fascinating. One summer when I was a kid my grandmother had a huge nest on the outside of one of her windows. Lots of yellow and some black on them if I remember right. You could watch them through the window for hours as they went about their business in their nest. She wouldn't let anyone disturb them and so far as I know nobody got stung. But when the social wasps try to get too social and move inside my house then the war is on!
They're quite easy to usher out the window or door. Herd them like a sheep. I've done it for years and never been stung. My daughter learned that technique too and always insists on doing it in school. Her teacher thinks she's crazy and told me she's saved many from being swatted 😃
In (2017) I left some hay that I had intended to pick up. Spring came and the hay still laid there:-( The wasps were more resourceful. They built a nest under the hay. I got stung really bad. The way that I got stung was that I had finally decided to pick up the hay. I had to cross their path to feed my rabbit who was outside as well. I was able to cross successfully the rest of that summer. I tried everything to get rid of them. The only thing that worked was winter came. They are and were awesome pollinators.
Wasps... even before watching your - surely wonderful - video, I want to share this experience. I had to live for some years in a really nasty village, and finally could move back to where I wanted to be. Before leaving the nasty place, I painted the house I would leave and accidentally painted a wasp. Only slightly, and I was very concerned that this would end her life. I cleaned as much as I could, as gentle as possible. She flew away, and... well I moved out. Around a month later, I was reorganizing the small terrace (8 sqm) with trees and plants in my new home. A sunny day, nice and warm... and all of a sudden a wasp landed directly in front of me on a branch and would stare at me. Well, you guessed it, it was the painted wasp. We looked at each other for more than an hour, then she took off. This would repeat for several months. Well, you could say that the wasp - somehow - moved with me in the van. That she hid in one of the trees and came with me during the transport. And yes, this is a possibility. I personally feel, that she followed me. Her daily visits and our silent conversations for months... ok, that is just my personal experience. Kindest regards, M. (And now... will watch your video!!!) (Oh, I forgot. The distance between the nasty village and my new home is around 120 miles)
That was amazing about the HORNETS at the beginning of the video. I have alot of WHITE FACE HORNETS, where I live, sure will come in handy. Happy to have another reason not to kill the many wasps I have around, I'm just a live and let live kind of guy. I've seen the same thing with the tent caterpillars here, didn't know it was the wasps helping out! 👍👍👍
I have a colony of wasps that live under my shed roof awning. They completely leave us alone; the one time someone got stung was because they actually touched the wasp. Other neighbors have problems with really aggressive wasps. I think my peaceful little colony is keeping them out of our yard. Locusts devastated my mother-in-law's garden last year. I saw a few in mine, but not many. Maybe they're eating them too.
3 years into gardening and one with fruit trees...leaving my grass taller, I notice a lot more wasps in the ground, and they love my woodchips. My family got to witness a parasitic wasp harassing a big hornworm on our tomatoes...I knew what she was doing, but it was a privilege to actually see it live and get the kids gathered round to see, too!
Ever since learning the difference between solitary and social wasps several years ago, we leave the solitary ones alone. I'm seriously allergic to yellow jackets (social ones that nest in the ground) and hornets so those have to go but I found putting a hormone trap up in the spring reduces their numbers by getting the queen when she emerges. And we still have plenty of solitary wasps building different types of nests all over the place.
I haven't found a paper wasp nest yet on our little 8 acres. I have found the wasp nests that like to build under eaves, and in sheltered spots. They have open nests and are *mostly* easily seen. They do not like it when I mow next to them with the scythe, however. LOL. I got stung, but left the nest intact, since I know where they are now. Hahaha. And it is wonderful to see a hornworm with 30 to 50 little white pupa cases on its back. Now if I could get parasitic wasps to eat the Mexican bean beetles...
Fascinating. Thank you for the coaching on wasp etiquette which will hopefully spare me from getting stung. Yes to respecting the balance of nature. Do wasps eat cabbage worms...the ones that infest brassicas in summer?
We love our wasps. Had 2 nests this summer. A hurricane blew one right out of the tree but the wasps rebuilt. Smart little critters. Hope they’re back next year!
I have green lynx spiders in my Chinese chestnut and my hazelnut and they eat wasps and grasshoppers here in NC. Good thing too had too many of each the past two months. Had ground hornets near my apple trees and used dish soap and water at night after covering hole with screen.
Honey Caffena thanks and we’re always on the lookout/reading through the comments to come up with new video ideas. So thanks for taking the time and providing us the input it’s definitely noted ;)
I love listening to you, I learn so much. Nature is a system and you help me watch and see that everything is made for a purpose...thank you so much!!!
Very true, but nature is not a "system" in the mechanical sense many people are likely to think of it. It's a constantly moving, shifting and evolving pattern that's all interconnected. Ie, nature's systems billions of years ago were wildly different to those hundreds of millions of years ago which were also very different to what we see now. However, all those "systems" are really one vast evolution of patterns which, given the right (and extremely fine) circumstances, evolve to produce greater and finer complexity. The human brain/organism being one evidential outcome of that evolution of complexity of patterns. Who knows what endless other wonders can grow out of the movements and patternings of nature.
Not a big fan of being near them. I do have a fear of stinging insects, but I also like their pest control. Unfortunately our state just mass sprayed the area, so I'm concerned that this will affect our population. There is a reason I don't use insecticides, even organic ones. Any suggestions on how to attract wasps (but not too many) to be our natural pest control? We do get tent caterpillars, hornworms, and cabbage worms as our worst pests in the garden and the couple fruit trees we have.
@@StefanSobkowiak I do have a good number of bluebird boxes on our trails in our zone 5, but besides the 1 next to our barn which is actually being used by bluebirds every year, the rest seem to be used by downy woodpeckers and mice... I could work a couple more into the space around our garden. Thanks! I don't have any old wasp nests on our property that I know of at the moment...
Sir, I am SO allergic to honey bees I HAVE TO use wasps, and 'alternative' pollinators. On the rare occasion I do get stung by a wasp, it IS painful but, I don't end up in the ER. This is VERY good info.....WELL DONE.....~Eli
I haven't been stung in years yet I still see plenty of wasps. There's no reason to freak out just because there's a wasp flying around you. They don't sting for pleasure. Even though they tend not to have barbed stingers they prefer to avoid using their ovipositor if they can avoid it. After all a creature can still kill a wasp that tries to attack it and they don't want to take the risk unnecessarily.
Funny, just this year I let them have a little nest near my pots to see if they can feast on aphids and they did not find those living underneath the leaves of my Habanero peppers.
I love them since I was 7. That time I didn't hear of wasps being bad so I wasn't afraid that much, and then I found out wasps were peaceful and cute. I can't select between ant, wasp and bee, none of them is worse than the other two. I don't fear wasps and hornets and feed them on hand nowadays. It's hard to tell people wasps can be good though. Wasps often fly at your face and it looks like they are attacking. People get panicked and run away... in fact the wasp isn't attacking, it learnt to find food around people so it follows them. I got stung 17 times, but that was when I squeezed them or disturbed the nest. Bees would sting in such situations as well.
OK you did it. I love wasps now. Born and raised in Florida I have always hated them. Growing my garden this year and doing research I have learned a valuable lesson.
We think that the wasps we have around our yard have come to recognize us as people who belong in our yard. We have experienced wasps at our last two houses, and for the most part they leave us alone. We have had friends come over and get attacked by them, but even then, they mostly leave us alone. We have wasps that live on our recycle bin out of the rain, and they will occasionally attack one of us when we move the bin out to the street for collection. For the most part, we get along.
I've only been stung when I grabbed a wasp nest by accident. Had some paper wasps on my porch this year, all they would do is look at me. Some people get stung a lot. It would be interesting to test a wasp friend and a wasp foe to see what is the difference. Is it smell? Movement? Brain waves?
I know that, for myself, if I see a wasp they are instantly on guard and aggressive towards me. I chalk that up to the fact that I have a damn-near-paralyzing fear of them, so they're very likely responding to the pheromones I'm putting out. Knowing that doesn't exactly help either of us, though. I've also read articles on studies done that have determined wasps can recognize faces of other wasps - so it may be possible they recognize the faces of humans, too. That would explain why they are "friendly" (re: non-aggressive) to some people, but may behave aggressively towards others (strangers, for example; or perhaps people who have disturbed them or their nest before).
you are just sew osm. people need to RESPECT nature. I have wasp nests in the upper corner my shed where there is a little opening that they can fly out. There is quite a little colony of them up there. I have never had a caterpillar problem nor have the wasps bothered me or my family one iota. RESPECT is key. I love what you are doing. Thank you!!
Madame Rosa Fortune Teller wow thanks for sharing and taking the time to give us some awesome feedback much appreciated and glad you’re enjoying the content so far :)
Awesome video. I saw some new wasps in my garden recently, at first I worried, but I'm glad that I found your video, knowing more about them, now I'm happy to see the little wasps flying around. Honestly they never try to sting me, even when I water on them by accident.
Wow! Thank you so much for another video that is teaching the value of insects and definitely educating me. I want to ask though, what about the paper wasps that build nests under porch eaves and close to doors? I have never minded nests that were not in an area that we needed to go in and out of. I never have anything sprayed, but this year, we had 6 of these nests with the wasps flying around the doors, some getting in. I hated to have someone come to address the problem. It still upsets me. We still ended up with some rebuilding in the porch light can lights, and they were not a problem. We just left them alone. They have never bothered us, and I know to welcome them. It was just the first year with them close to our living quarters. Any suggestions? I have fruit trees around my house, lots of varieties of natives and other shrubs, etc. that bring in wonderful things like a giant gorgeous yellow garden spider who resides in one of our flower beds. I would love to see a video on the spiders. Thank you again, for these wonderful programs. I left all the dandelions growing all over our property in all their glory, because of what I learned from you.
I have added a baffle (a board) while the nest was smaller to make them move their runway away from the doorway. Works by deflecting their flight path.
@@StefanSobkowiak Thank you! We will do that next year. Their runway was a big eye opener for me, and my husband and I will make sure they are not bothered. They have never stung us, bothered us, nothing! We have always left them alone, so this by the front door issue is solved with the baffle.
i like them.. problem is they tend to want to live on the corners of my house, or buzz my head, like today when i was trying to pull out these dead emerald greens, and this wasp or hornet was up in my business saying 'hey, be careful.. keep your distance.. stay out of my way'.. and i was like mf, this is my yard, idk who you think you are pal
Hi. Great info sir. In the beginning of the video, wasn't that a Bald Face Hornet nest? They looked black and white like Bald Face Hornets too.. I have watched them (Bald Face Hornet) eat paper wasps on occasion as well. I'm fine with wasps, as long as they don't make their nest under my work stool in the propagation greenhouse or sleeping in the lettuce.
I've been watching loads of these pro-vespid videos to help alleviate my fear of them and tbh it's working! Now I just need to apply this to real life when I'm outside.
I am definitely binging your channel start to finish. Not a caterpillar problem; but a wasp deficiency. I actually pray for my wasps every morning, along with all my farm's other herds and flocks (bacteria, fungi, etc.).
A timely video for me. This is the second year my Walnut tree has been inhabited with the Tent Caterpillars. Am wondering what plants are especially good for attracting the parasite wasps? Thanks for sharing, as always most informative. : )
Plants with compound umbral flowers like yarrow, wild carrot/carrot, dill, parsley etc. Have a diverse range of flowers and plants though and you should be fine. Bring in insects and you'll have the wasps too. :) You may want to drill holes in some wood/logs outside of varying sizes for some solitary wasps(your rafters on a deck or porch are perfect for this), and leave standing twigs and stems that are hollow inside around your garden as habitat for a variety of insects. Make sure you have water near your garden as well.
You are so correct about Wasp sensing fear! Bees as well since fear (adrenaline), I've seen and experienced so many folks hurt by wasp, bees, and hurt themselves evading them. I've moved and eliminated many a nest, Guess I'm the wasp/bee whisperer.
By far my favorite insect. They are so very curious about everything in their world. The land on me and hang with me often. Because I never bother them. They will always fly right up to your face to have a look at you and then fly off. The calmer we can be around them, the more they let us around them and dont feel threatened. Just a sincerely amazing insect!! Our fear gets the better of us and then they react to that. They are no threat to anyone.
I've been stung only 1 time by a wasp, and that was bc I sat on it. When I first moved into my current home (RV), the first spring/summer I had a few nests pop up. These were those common yellow wasps. Long drapey segmented bodies. I removed the nests in the fall and put Vicks Vaporub along the area when I saw the first scouts. Well I guess it wore off or they didn't care bc that Spring there were a LOT more. The only one I really worried about was the one above the door, 6 inches above my head basically. They never threatened me and only 1 ever came inside. I refused to poison them and natural methods didn't work, so I let them stay. I thought of them as my guard wasps 😁. Sadly, they showed up less and less until last year I had none at all. I kind of miss them.
One thing to remember as well about the Boldfaced hornets (the hive you got very close to) never try to get that close if in front of the hive by the entrance , they will chase you off immediately and may swarm without a warning , they tend to be very visually acute and are very protective of the hive . ( I actually was surprised by how close you were able to get to them , they are very trigger sensitive) . I do however agree with this video in total , all these wonderful creatures saved a tree here that I am partial towards from the spotted lantern flies , I now look forward to the triumphant return of my bee friends here every spring , I have loved seeing all the honey bee's for many , many years (lawn covered in clover) I have been inviting them and they have come , and now I have all the other bee's to come and help with the other stuff , it is the best and coolest way to live that I know , living with nature rather than against nature.
Great Video! I love when you make video specially on insects and pests. But what if I wanna hav bee nests for the honey? Aren't wasps gonna fight them?
you are so cool i love seeing you stand up for bugs and weed, fyi id like it if when you have you pop up info its on longer then five seconds so that i can read it instead of having to rewinding and pausing?
Wasps are awesome, I use them for doing pedicures lol they will land and chew off the dead skin. I also allow them to harvest the salt crystal around my mouth and eyes. If they seem a little aggressive i simply point my pinky and say no.
Oh man ~ let me tell you... You, wonderful, intelligent, funny you... I find myself well informed, thoroughly entertained and better armed to go forth with improved practices after watching your videos. All of that and a few lols with scattered giggles to boot. So thank you so very much for everything including and especially getting a different point of view that often strays away from the mainstream 😏
Glad you liked it. I actually think this wasp video is one of the most important I’ve done. Can your suggest a better title so more people can have your reaction? Thanks.
Thanks for yet a GREAT video! 🙏 I had an empty wasp nest in a shed in the garden, the door of the shed was missing. The nest hang from the ceiling of the shed 2 meters above the ground. Nothing below it. The weird thing is that the nest began to crumble, like something tore it apart. In 2-3 days the whole thing was destroyed. I still wonder what on Earth could do that?? But my question is; in a time where the butterflies are struggling to survive and their numbers are plummeting, will they suffer even more with wasps around? I know the monarch is safe, but do the wasps eat other threatened species? I love all insects - wasps included - but the important thing for me is helping the species that need help the most.
Every healthy environment has a healthy population of predators. Wasps are no different, they need to be present and abundant and will only be so if there is a healthy population of their prey insects to feed their young.
I love the Cup Plant behind you in this video. I have propagated this quite a bit on my property and I really love it. Strong, hardy, hug, tons of flowers, long flowering period,food and water for birds. I would love to hear you thoughts on it.
I have planted 3 cherries , 3 peach and 3 plum trees around my house. The trees are 15 feet away from my deck and once they grow they might come very close to the deck. Will that bring wasps too close to my family and kids? I will not be able to harvest all the fruit. So will ripe fruit also attract more and more wasps?
The wasps prefer fully ripe or over ripe fruit, ideally ones that are cracked or partly open. Not as much on untouched fruit. You’ll find you’ll eat all the fruit in reach as they ripen.
Stefan, at our place the most common social wasp is the Yellow Jacket Hornet. They tend to make their nests underground... I usually only discover them by accident and by then it's too late to avoid a sting. I have been wondering.... since wasps are beneficial creatures like carpenter bees, and bats, songbirds etc... why don't we make little boxes for them like we do with the others? That way perhaps we could control where they set up their houses. Provide them a home, and avoid nasty surprises.
We have yellow jackets and the standard black and red wasps around my house. I have only been stung once when I was doing some cleanup around a yellow jacket nest. I am not allergic so they never really bothered me. I noticed they pollinate my fruit trees, along with flies and mosquitoes, so I don't mess with them unless they build a nest around a spot where me and my wife frequent.
I wish the caterpillar color warning color was true, but for me, that wasn’t the case. I used to leave wasps alone but experience was watching red wasps attacking monarch caterpillars from my milk weed. That’s when I became their worst enemies. On a positive note, I did witness the wasps attacking bag worms. I love them for that but they have plenty bagworms to stay busy. Just leave my monarch caterpillars alone!! Thanks for letting me vent😊
The last few years, since I've gotten pretty serious about spending time in the garden, I've really enjoyed watching the wasps hunt caterpillars. Love seeing them creep around the broccoli. Mud daubers spend a lot of time in the flower bed with me. We'll work on the same plant and, while I've offended quite a few bees in my life, I've never been stung by a wasp. I tell the kids, Freeze, be calm, it'll figure out you're not interesting, and everyone minds their own business. It's when you freak out that they freak out, too!
My wasps and I garden together. They are actually very non aggressive to me. I talk to them and carpenter beas all the time They are pretty neat to observe.
It's always the freakin yellowjackets, mean little things. I have a whole bunch of wasps that come around my garden that I appreciate, they don't care about me at all, don't bother me or anything but they make good guards for the garden itself lol. I wish we had more of a certain variety that digs into the ground and eats all the grubs mainly because I have a bunch of voles that are just jacking up my whole yard lol
I've noticed that wasps and bumble bees are actually much more active and productive in the garden than honey bees. Honeybees only seem really active early in the day where bumble bees and wasps will be in and out of the flowers most of the day. The only hornet/was I try to discourage are yellow jackets since the usual method of finding their nest usually involves hundred of stigs and creative methods of getting the mower away from their nest.
Only time I ever had issues with wasps was with yellow jackets around open soda cans or trash cans. They swarm the sugar, don't drink from open cans during late summer! But in my 42 years, been stung by wasps 4 times... 3 were from not looking before I picked something up.
Wasps VS Bees which do you prefer 🤷♂️
Both... ... as they do different jobs for the plants/gardens/other wildlife
Tim Bushell great answer!!
We have trouble with wasps raiding our bee hives. Definitely bees!
Immortal SoFar oh wow 😮
Bees give me honey ,wax and the pollen. Bees are friendlier and they pollinate for me
It's hard to convince people that wasps are allies without showing them physical evidence of it. I managed to do so with my dad last year when I showed him our honeysuckle vine that was covered in aphids, and the ~10 different kinds of wasps that were feasting on them.
Great video!
Everything in nature was put there for a purpose ;)
I have witnessed the same thing...wasps eating aphids.
dancingcedar well i learnt something new today
@@ZaneMedia what are roaches for?
It's like suggesting to some people not to till, or to work with some weeds. Dandelions are welcome on our place and so are most wasps.
Not really a farming story but when I was living in my old home, I had a wasp nest under my balcony. I gave them food and some water from time to time. They never attacked me. Most they did was land on me while I was giving them food. They were freaking cute. I had problems with spiders. After a few days of feeding them, they attacked all the spiders that tried to get onto the balcony or my home. Felt like I had some guard dogs that wanted to protect me. I love wasps.
Great story, thanks.
Tenroshou haha love it!!
@@ZaneMedia Kinda like cats' love. Special.
On the other hand, once I was on a ladder and a wasp came out of nowhere and stung me right into my nose without any warning.
I was thinking about someone's nose at the moment - so my energy was in the nose.
Ants are similar. And when someone hates you enough, the energy can manifest as flies on your face or some biting bugs. Insect is like some nature's mind and energy manifested in these robots. Maybe even microbial nano-bots.
..but what in hell are ticks? It's pure evil.
@@trollmcclure1884
Good thing you weren't thinking about sex!
@@buddysilver5788 :)
Great video. You reinforced the need to just hang on and let nature sort it out. This year I got hammered by tent caterpillars but I also saw an influx of wasps and butterflies so I figure the system is working it out.
Valley nature’s hard at work
Of course a very good point, but I'd like to add something more that is almost always overlooked when people talk or think about nature's balances. Humans are also part of nature. Our complicated abstract thought processes can obviously cause us to live more and more out of step and balance with nature, but we can also work WITH nature as gardeners. I don't just mean actual gardens and farming, but in general. We have the ability to learn about nature, to work with it, to sculpt aspects of nature (in accordance with it's proper balances) and thereby create yet more beauty and wonder in the world.
Most people jump to one of two extremes: 1. Nature is king and humans just ruin everything, and 2. Nature's a chaotic mess that humans must control, dominate and force to fit our own desires.
I'd say the reality is that we come from nature just as much as every other creature, plant, geology and so on, and we have to learn about ourselves - which means learning about nature, how we came from it and what our place is. We then need to work with it all intelligently to care for ourselves along with other creatures, environments and ecosystems in order to enhance this world rather than ignorantly abuse it, damage and destroy aspects of it which ultimately will always come back to bite us.
I have caterpillars massacring my blue spruce, nothing to the rescue
@@sm-hi7jt it’s because you killed that wasp some time ago
Thank you for demonstrating some of the virtues of one of nature's most underappreciated and misunderstood creatures! I share your respect for these amazing little predators.
Wasps and ladybugs saved my cannabis garden this past fall.
Josh Lockie how?
So jealous
Did you start them in module trays... Or in pots? 🥁
@BurningTreeBearClips ladybugs deal Wid di spider mites, wasps deal Wid di likkle fuckery teenagers tryna rob yuh weed ahaha free day guards, only loss a couple plants lass year
@@d.w.stratton4078 unnu affi start dem right inna di earth bredrin, Nuh pots or trays unless unnu haff Nuh odda choice. Di earth will Mek unnu plants di mos fed n strong truss I&I pon dis
We had drought last year. I provided bees. wasps and butterflies (as well as birds) with water. Because I used shallow dishes for the pollinators, they dried out fast. The wasps and bees would approach me every time the waterers were empty and "bug" me until I filled the waterers. We developed a relationship. They learned I was their friend. Not stung once even though the wasps would land on me at times. Fabulous pollinators and great for gardens and crops. Don't kill wasps. Been stung many years ago only when I went to start a swather that unbenownst to me contained a wasp nest. We can live in harmony with them. Hard though to convince others to value them. Thanks for your knowledge and sharing it with the world.
GREAT INFO STEFAN!!! You are PROVING that there is a PURPOSE for EVERYTHING! We just have to GO WITH THE FLO, after observing the natural 'patterns' of nature! God Bless you and yours! AHhhh, the simple life as God intended! Nature 'shows/teaches' us the BALANCE of life...when we are determined to do things 'our way' and FIGHT nature...it is soOOoo much more work. We actually look rather stupid fighting nature and thinking WE KNOW BETTER! Luv this stuff!
marie leopold yes everything’s been put here for a reason ;)
Thanks, blessings always appreciated. Observe and learn, so many great lessons to learn from nature.
I love wasps too! Last time I got stung, she was hunting around some fallen apples, and I accidentally kicked the apple she was standing on as I walked by! Ooops my bad. She was doing good work, protecting the rest of the fruit. Now I'm more careful in that area.
I pick a lot of wild mushrooms, without predatory wasps there would be more flies and other things that like to eat the same mushrooms.
railspony great mindset!! Thanks so much for sharing
I've never had a bad experience with wasps. I noticed them patrolling my veggie garden and caterpillars used to destroy my crops. Now there's a few holes in a few leaves. I've been able to scoop up wasps on a spoon and escort them from my house, they just rode the spoon out. Very docile, which is a huge contrast with what I've always been told. Four years in this house, we've had two bee stings. Only one wasp sting and my husband stepped on it on accident.
Wasps are hard for me to love! I can respect them and they can be fascinating. One summer when I was a kid my grandmother had a huge nest on the outside of one of her windows. Lots of yellow and some black on them if I remember right. You could watch them through the window for hours as they went about their business in their nest. She wouldn't let anyone disturb them and so far as I know nobody got stung.
But when the social wasps try to get too social and move inside my house then the war is on!
Butch I’m sure they provided you with hours of fascination.
@@StefanSobkowiak every time I visited her house that summer!
They're quite easy to usher out the window or door. Herd them like a sheep. I've done it for years and never been stung. My daughter learned that technique too and always insists on doing it in school. Her teacher thinks she's crazy and told me she's saved many from being swatted 😃
Yout video is very informative and I fully agree with the value of wasps.
Cynthia Mahlin thanks glad you enjoyed it
Great video Stefan! Thank you for your enthusiastic and informative presentations!
SHO Farm awesome we’re so glad you enjoyed this one cheers
Look at their house. They are amazing architects as well.
I love my wasps! I used to let them live in my greenhouse & never had any issues with them. Aphids either for that matter ...
JT Bear some one who lets nature run its course 👍
In (2017) I left some hay that I had intended to pick up. Spring came and the hay still laid there:-( The wasps were more resourceful. They built a nest under the hay. I got stung really bad. The way that I got stung was that I had finally decided to pick up the hay. I had to cross their path to feed my rabbit who was outside as well. I was able to cross successfully the rest of that summer. I tried everything to get rid of them. The only thing that worked was winter came. They are and were awesome pollinators.
Wasps... even before watching your - surely wonderful - video, I want to share this experience.
I had to live for some years in a really nasty village, and finally could move back to where I wanted to be. Before leaving the nasty place, I painted the house I would leave and accidentally painted a wasp. Only slightly, and I was very concerned that this would end her life. I cleaned as much as I could, as gentle as possible. She flew away, and... well I moved out.
Around a month later, I was reorganizing the small terrace (8 sqm) with trees and plants in my new home. A sunny day, nice and warm... and all of a sudden a wasp landed directly in front of me on a branch and would stare at me. Well, you guessed it, it was the painted wasp. We looked at each other for more than an hour, then she took off. This would repeat for several months.
Well, you could say that the wasp - somehow - moved with me in the van. That she hid in one of the trees and came with me during the transport. And yes, this is a possibility.
I personally feel, that she followed me. Her daily visits and our silent conversations for months... ok, that is just my personal experience.
Kindest regards,
M.
(And now... will watch your video!!!)
(Oh, I forgot. The distance between the nasty village and my new home is around 120 miles)
Wow it sounds like the making of a wonderful children’s book. Consider it seriously because wasps get such a bad undeserved reputation.
@@StefanSobkowiak I'll do friend. Thx for the suggestion! Kind regards. M.
Loved this video guys! One of your best!
Stefano Ianiro Wildlife thanks buddy always trying to improve 🙏
I agree it raises the bar.
I was sent here by one of my viewers. Thanks for the great video!
That was amazing about the HORNETS at the beginning of the video. I have alot of WHITE FACE HORNETS, where I live, sure will come in handy. Happy to have another reason not to kill the many wasps I have around, I'm just a live and let live kind of guy. I've seen the same thing with the tent caterpillars here, didn't know it was the wasps helping out! 👍👍👍
I have a colony of wasps that live under my shed roof awning. They completely leave us alone; the one time someone got stung was because they actually touched the wasp. Other neighbors have problems with really aggressive wasps. I think my peaceful little colony is keeping them out of our yard. Locusts devastated my mother-in-law's garden last year. I saw a few in mine, but not many. Maybe they're eating them too.
3 years into gardening and one with fruit trees...leaving my grass taller, I notice a lot more wasps in the ground, and they love my woodchips. My family got to witness a parasitic wasp harassing a big hornworm on our tomatoes...I knew what she was doing, but it was a privilege to actually see it live and get the kids gathered round to see, too!
Matthew Taylor wow amazing
Great observation
Ever since learning the difference between solitary and social wasps several years ago, we leave the solitary ones alone. I'm seriously allergic to yellow jackets (social ones that nest in the ground) and hornets so those have to go but I found putting a hormone trap up in the spring reduces their numbers by getting the queen when she emerges. And we still have plenty of solitary wasps building different types of nests all over the place.
I haven't found a paper wasp nest yet on our little 8 acres. I have found the wasp nests that like to build under eaves, and in sheltered spots. They have open nests and are *mostly* easily seen. They do not like it when I mow next to them with the scythe, however. LOL. I got stung, but left the nest intact, since I know where they are now. Hahaha.
And it is wonderful to see a hornworm with 30 to 50 little white pupa cases on its back.
Now if I could get parasitic wasps to eat the Mexican bean beetles...
Fascinating. Thank you for the coaching on wasp etiquette which will hopefully spare me from getting stung. Yes to respecting the balance of nature. Do wasps eat cabbage worms...the ones that infest brassicas in summer?
Yes - as do the parasitic wasps. The most common non orchard food I have found.
@@timbushell8640 Thank you. I will do more to encourage them :)
dancingcedar great question thanks for asking 👍
We love our wasps. Had 2 nests this summer. A hurricane blew one right out of the tree but the wasps rebuilt. Smart little critters. Hope they’re back next year!
Very interesting and captivating. I'll keep this in mind for the future.
Crystal Lastname great! Glad we could help
I have green lynx spiders in my Chinese chestnut and my hazelnut and they eat wasps and grasshoppers here in NC. Good thing too had too many of each the past two months. Had ground hornets near my apple trees and used dish soap and water at night after covering hole with screen.
Love it, please share more about insects in the future!
Honey Caffena thanks and we’re always on the lookout/reading through the comments to come up with new video ideas. So thanks for taking the time and providing us the input it’s definitely noted ;)
I love listening to you, I learn so much. Nature is a system and you help me watch and see that everything is made for a purpose...thank you so much!!!
Very true, but nature is not a "system" in the mechanical sense many people are likely to think of it. It's a constantly moving, shifting and evolving pattern that's all interconnected. Ie, nature's systems billions of years ago were wildly different to those hundreds of millions of years ago which were also very different to what we see now. However, all those "systems" are really one vast evolution of patterns which, given the right (and extremely fine) circumstances, evolve to produce greater and finer complexity. The human brain/organism being one evidential outcome of that evolution of complexity of patterns. Who knows what endless other wonders can grow out of the movements and patternings of nature.
Not a big fan of being near them. I do have a fear of stinging insects, but I also like their pest control. Unfortunately our state just mass sprayed the area, so I'm concerned that this will affect our population. There is a reason I don't use insecticides, even organic ones. Any suggestions on how to attract wasps (but not too many) to be our natural pest control? We do get tent caterpillars, hornworms, and cabbage worms as our worst pests in the garden and the couple fruit trees we have.
Leave past nest. Supposedly it attracts others to start a nest. Our best is lots of bird nest boxes. Wasps like to nest in them.
@@StefanSobkowiak I do have a good number of bluebird boxes on our trails in our zone 5, but besides the 1 next to our barn which is actually being used by bluebirds every year, the rest seem to be used by downy woodpeckers and mice... I could work a couple more into the space around our garden. Thanks! I don't have any old wasp nests on our property that I know of at the moment...
Interesting... good to know.
I wonder if people quit wiping them out if we'd have less cabbage worms multiplying in the canola crops.
Veta B I’m sure we would!!
Sir, I am SO allergic to honey bees I HAVE TO use wasps, and 'alternative' pollinators. On the rare occasion I do get stung by a wasp, it IS painful but, I don't end up in the ER. This is VERY good info.....WELL DONE.....~Eli
singleman thanks for sharing and we’re glad you liked this one! Definitely in agreement I’d also much rather a sting over the ER 😂
A leaf blower works well in some instances.
A Quebecker talking about the need for more Anglos? Now I've seen everything.
Thanks for the lesson in wasps!
Urbane Farmers glad you enjoyed it
Haha. More everyone.
I haven't been stung in years yet I still see plenty of wasps. There's no reason to freak out just because there's a wasp flying around you. They don't sting for pleasure. Even though they tend not to have barbed stingers they prefer to avoid using their ovipositor if they can avoid it. After all a creature can still kill a wasp that tries to attack it and they don't want to take the risk unnecessarily.
Funny, just this year I let them have a little nest near my pots to see if they can feast on aphids and they did not find those living underneath the leaves of my Habanero peppers.
Nick Pappagiorgio interesting 🤔
I don't think wasps usually prey on aphids...? I know ladybugs are an aphid's worst nightmare, though!
criss t'es quebecois ?!
I'll definitively swing by if it's possible.
do you allow apple picking on your orchard?
jonathan morand salut Jonathan tout les informations seront sur notre site-web :) www.miraclefarm.ca/farm-membership/
awsome video......
matteo distasio thanks Matteo glad you like it 👍
I've been noticing the amazing role that wasps play as predators in my garden and orchard (small though it may be), and it's pretty cool.
I love them since I was 7. That time I didn't hear of wasps being bad so I wasn't afraid that much, and then I found out wasps were peaceful and cute. I can't select between ant, wasp and bee, none of them is worse than the other two. I don't fear wasps and hornets and feed them on hand nowadays. It's hard to tell people wasps can be good though.
Wasps often fly at your face and it looks like they are attacking. People get panicked and run away... in fact the wasp isn't attacking, it learnt to find food around people so it follows them.
I got stung 17 times, but that was when I squeezed them or disturbed the nest. Bees would sting in such situations as well.
Superb. Except that wasp stings don’t hurt. Great observations. I guess you’re the wasp whisperer.
OK you did it. I love wasps now. Born and raised in Florida I have always hated them. Growing my garden this year and doing research I have learned a valuable lesson.
We think that the wasps we have around our yard have come to recognize us as people who belong in our yard. We have experienced wasps at our last two houses, and for the most part they leave us alone. We have had friends come over and get attacked by them, but even then, they mostly leave us alone. We have wasps that live on our recycle bin out of the rain, and they will occasionally attack one of us when we move the bin out to the street for collection. For the most part, we get along.
robert childers interesting thanks for sharing
Thank you Stephen! I have Japanese Beetles!
YOU ARE A WONDERFUL DELIGHTFUL SOUL.
Bradley Scott thanks for the awesome feedback haha much appreciated
Great information! Thank you!
sj v you’re welcome glad you liked it
I've only been stung when I grabbed a wasp nest by accident. Had some paper wasps on my porch this year, all they would do is look at me. Some people get stung a lot. It would be interesting to test a wasp friend and a wasp foe to see what is the difference. Is it smell? Movement? Brain waves?
Grady Houger very interesting question!
Would be a fascinating study. My experience is they can sense fear.
I know that, for myself, if I see a wasp they are instantly on guard and aggressive towards me. I chalk that up to the fact that I have a damn-near-paralyzing fear of them, so they're very likely responding to the pheromones I'm putting out. Knowing that doesn't exactly help either of us, though. I've also read articles on studies done that have determined wasps can recognize faces of other wasps - so it may be possible they recognize the faces of humans, too. That would explain why they are "friendly" (re: non-aggressive) to some people, but may behave aggressively towards others (strangers, for example; or perhaps people who have disturbed them or their nest before).
Very interesting. Thank you.
Jim Willeford glad you liked it
you are just sew osm. people need to RESPECT nature. I have wasp nests in the upper corner my shed where there is a little opening that they can fly out. There is quite a little colony of them up there. I have never had a caterpillar problem nor have the wasps bothered me or my family one iota. RESPECT is key. I love what you are doing. Thank you!!
Madame Rosa Fortune Teller wow thanks for sharing and taking the time to give us some awesome feedback much appreciated and glad you’re enjoying the content so far :)
Awesome video. I saw some new wasps in my garden recently, at first I worried, but I'm glad that I found your video, knowing more about them, now I'm happy to see the little wasps flying around. Honestly they never try to sting me, even when I water on them by accident.
Wow! Thank you so much for another video that is teaching the value of insects and definitely educating me. I want to ask though, what about the paper wasps that build nests under porch eaves and close to doors? I have never minded nests that were not in an area that we needed to go in and out of. I never have anything sprayed, but this year, we had 6 of these nests with the wasps flying around the doors, some getting in. I hated to have someone come to address the problem. It still upsets me. We still ended up with some rebuilding in the porch light can lights, and they were not a problem. We just left them alone. They have never bothered us, and I know to welcome them. It was just the first year with them close to our living quarters. Any suggestions? I have fruit trees around my house, lots of varieties of natives and other shrubs, etc. that bring in wonderful things like a giant gorgeous yellow garden spider who resides in one of our flower beds. I would love to see a video on the spiders. Thank you again, for these wonderful programs. I left all the dandelions growing all over our property in all their glory, because of what I learned from you.
I have added a baffle (a board) while the nest was smaller to make them move their runway away from the doorway. Works by deflecting their flight path.
@@StefanSobkowiak Thank you! We will do that next year. Their runway was a big eye opener for me, and my husband and I will make sure they are not bothered. They have never stung us, bothered us, nothing! We have always left them alone, so this by the front door issue is solved with the baffle.
Fascinating video, thank you for showing us your wasps.
samadhi town you’re welcome glad you liked it
Dang...never thought I would say this, but you have changed my mind about wasps
Fantastic. Job done one more person not waging all out war on wasps.
i like them.. problem is they tend to want to live on the corners of my house, or buzz my head, like today when i was trying to pull out these dead emerald greens, and this wasp or hornet was up in my business saying 'hey, be careful.. keep your distance.. stay out of my way'.. and i was like mf, this is my yard, idk who you think you are pal
This is by far my favorite show on RUclips 🍻👍
Wow thanks that’s wonderful. High honour.
Hi. Great info sir. In the beginning of the video, wasn't that a Bald Face Hornet nest? They looked black and white like Bald Face Hornets too.. I have watched them (Bald Face Hornet) eat paper wasps on occasion as well. I'm fine with wasps, as long as they don't make their nest under my work stool in the propagation greenhouse or sleeping in the lettuce.
Laughing Salad Farm ya those might not be ideal places haha
Yes they are bald faced hornets. Most people don’t make a difference between wasps and hornets.
I've been watching loads of these pro-vespid videos to help alleviate my fear of them and tbh it's working! Now I just need to apply this to real life when I'm outside.
Wonderful. They can sense fear so the more calm you are the closer you can get without danger, just stay clear of their flight path.
I am definitely binging your channel start to finish. Not a caterpillar problem; but a wasp deficiency. I actually pray for my wasps every morning, along with all my farm's other herds and flocks (bacteria, fungi, etc.).
Wonderful, a lot to binge.
@@StefanSobkowiak I feel funny asking people questions before having heard what they have to say. What if you have already answered it, right?
But, I have left my wasps nest alone since I don’t have bees. Bumble bees too.
George Murray exactly ;)
Wasps Shute did like building a nest on my childhood trampoline.
Great knowledge about wasps contributions, thank you very much!
You gave me a new view on an insect I used to not like because I could not see their use beyond possibly stinging me. I like wasps now.
A timely video for me. This is the second year my Walnut tree has been inhabited with the Tent Caterpillars. Am wondering what plants are especially good for attracting the parasite wasps? Thanks for sharing, as always most informative. : )
BOHO RUSTICA thanks glad we could help
Plants with compound umbral flowers like yarrow, wild carrot/carrot, dill, parsley etc. Have a diverse range of flowers and plants though and you should be fine. Bring in insects and you'll have the wasps too. :) You may want to drill holes in some wood/logs outside of varying sizes for some solitary wasps(your rafters on a deck or porch are perfect for this), and leave standing twigs and stems that are hollow inside around your garden as habitat for a variety of insects. Make sure you have water near your garden as well.
Good Green Goy yes great advice 👍
I think it’s more an abundance of food that attracts them but habitat is also important.
You are so correct about Wasp sensing fear! Bees as well since fear (adrenaline), I've seen and experienced so many folks hurt by wasp, bees, and hurt themselves evading them. I've moved and eliminated many a nest, Guess I'm the wasp/bee whisperer.
By far my favorite insect. They are so very curious about everything in their world. The land on me and hang with me often. Because I never bother them. They will always fly right up to your face to have a look at you and then fly off. The calmer we can be around them, the more they let us around them and dont feel threatened. Just a sincerely amazing insect!! Our fear gets the better of us and then they react to that. They are no threat to anyone.
You got it.
I so love watching your show 🥀🌹🌺 I have learned a lot
Donna Johnson wow thanks Donna :)
I've been stung only 1 time by a wasp, and that was bc I sat on it.
When I first moved into my current home (RV), the first spring/summer I had a few nests pop up. These were those common yellow wasps. Long drapey segmented bodies. I removed the nests in the fall and put Vicks Vaporub along the area when I saw the first scouts. Well I guess it wore off or they didn't care bc that Spring there were a LOT more. The only one I really worried about was the one above the door, 6 inches above my head basically.
They never threatened me and only 1 ever came inside. I refused to poison them and natural methods didn't work, so I let them stay. I thought of them as my guard wasps 😁.
Sadly, they showed up less and less until last year I had none at all.
I kind of miss them.
Thanks for the very useful information, no more raid from this guy!
One thing to remember as well about the Boldfaced hornets (the hive you got very close to) never try to get that close if in front of the hive by the entrance , they will chase you off immediately and may swarm without a warning , they tend to be very visually acute and are very protective of the hive . ( I actually was surprised by how close you were able to get to them , they are very trigger sensitive) . I do however agree with this video in total , all these wonderful creatures saved a tree here that I am partial towards from the spotted lantern flies , I now look forward to the triumphant return of my bee friends here every spring , I have loved seeing all the honey bee's for many , many years (lawn covered in clover) I have been inviting them and they have come , and now I have all the other bee's to come and help with the other stuff , it is the best and coolest way to live that I know , living with nature rather than against nature.
Great Video! I love when you make video specially on insects and pests. But what if I wanna hav bee nests for the honey? Aren't wasps gonna fight them?
A healthy hive with a reduced entrance will always fight off our region's wasps. Not sure for other areas.
No. There will be just a few wasps and hornets.
Why I put
Queens Annes lace every where to attract wasp.
Grower prepper interesting never heard of that before thanks for sharing
@@ZaneMedia Np, yarrow and sweet fennel do this as well.
Parsley 2nd year also
Thank you boss
Thanks for this. I greatly respect wasps, but have a hard time finding anyone else who shares that respect.
you are so cool i love seeing you stand up for bugs and weed, fyi id like it if when you have you pop up info its on longer then five seconds so that i can read it instead of having to rewinding and pausing?
Good point thanks
Wasps are awesome, I use them for doing pedicures lol they will land and chew off the dead skin. I also allow them to harvest the salt crystal around my mouth and eyes. If they seem a little aggressive i simply point my pinky and say no.
I have a fly and black widow problem in my backyard so they help with that
JordaniusVonRhod oh wow they’ll attack black widows?
Oh man ~ let me tell you... You, wonderful, intelligent, funny you... I find myself well informed, thoroughly entertained and better armed to go forth with improved practices after watching your videos. All of that and a few lols with scattered giggles to boot. So thank you so very much for everything including and especially getting a different point of view that often strays away from the mainstream 😏
Glad you liked it. I actually think this wasp video is one of the most important I’ve done. Can your suggest a better title so more people can have your reaction? Thanks.
thank you for great video
Thanks for yet a GREAT video! 🙏 I had an empty wasp nest in a shed in the garden, the door of the shed was missing. The nest hang from the ceiling of the shed 2 meters above the ground. Nothing below it. The weird thing is that the nest began to crumble, like something tore it apart. In 2-3 days the whole thing was destroyed. I still wonder what on Earth could do that??
But my question is; in a time where the butterflies are struggling to survive and their numbers are plummeting, will they suffer even more with wasps around? I know the monarch is safe, but do the wasps eat other threatened species? I love all insects - wasps included - but the important thing for me is helping the species that need help the most.
Every healthy environment has a healthy population of predators. Wasps are no different, they need to be present and abundant and will only be so if there is a healthy population of their prey insects to feed their young.
Bald faced hornets like the ones in the beginning of the video are generally pretty mellow IF you leave their nest alone
you kinda look like paul james from "gardening by the yard."
Nice
Lum thanks Lum glad you enjoyed this one!
Loved me this video!
Thank you!!
I love the Cup Plant behind you in this video. I have propagated this quite a bit on my property and I really love it. Strong, hardy, hug, tons of flowers, long flowering period,food and water for birds. I would love to hear you thoughts on it.
So many insect sounds in the background!
I have planted 3 cherries , 3 peach and 3 plum trees around my house. The trees are 15 feet away from my deck and once they grow they might come very close to the deck. Will that bring wasps too close to my family and kids? I will not be able to harvest all the fruit. So will ripe fruit also attract more and more wasps?
The wasps prefer fully ripe or over ripe fruit, ideally ones that are cracked or partly open. Not as much on untouched fruit. You’ll find you’ll eat all the fruit in reach as they ripen.
Stefan, at our place the most common social wasp is the Yellow Jacket Hornet. They tend to make their nests underground... I usually only discover them by accident and by then it's too late to avoid a sting. I have been wondering.... since wasps are beneficial creatures like carpenter bees, and bats, songbirds etc... why don't we make little boxes for them like we do with the others? That way perhaps we could control where they set up their houses. Provide them a home, and avoid nasty surprises.
Jedidiah Wiebe excellent idea 👍
Boxes are great, even in the ground. Ours use bird nest boxes regularly, just not this year.
@@StefanSobkowiak I bet a modified Bumblebee nest box would work good. I probably ought to make a bunch of them anyways for the bumblebees themselves!
I like the wasps that gather mud. They look so intelligent, and they're so hard working.
Thank you for that nice video. I noticed an error at 5:22. You say that the carterpillar will emerge out of the carterpillar instead of the wasp.
You’re very observant and correct.
We have yellow jackets and the standard black and red wasps around my house. I have only been stung once when I was doing some cleanup around a yellow jacket nest. I am not allergic so they never really bothered me. I noticed they pollinate my fruit trees, along with flies and mosquitoes, so I don't mess with them unless they build a nest around a spot where me and my wife frequent.
I wish the caterpillar color warning color was true, but for me, that wasn’t the case. I used to leave wasps alone but experience was watching red wasps attacking monarch caterpillars from my milk weed. That’s when I became their worst enemies. On a positive note, I did witness the wasps attacking bag worms. I love them for that but they have plenty bagworms to stay busy. Just leave my monarch caterpillars alone!! Thanks for letting me vent😊
Can the Japanese beetle be controlled? You must see alot of it, what do you do?
Thank you, Lorraine in Eastern Ontario
We just started seeing some this summer. Never been a problem yet.
We just started seeing some this summer. Never been a problem yet.
I wonder what your annual expenditure on pesticides is nowadays.
If you count molasses and tree tanglefoot used in the traps answer is $70 molasses and $100 glue.
Buck Rogers 2000 yup very little
The last few years, since I've gotten pretty serious about spending time in the garden, I've really enjoyed watching the wasps hunt caterpillars. Love seeing them creep around the broccoli. Mud daubers spend a lot of time in the flower bed with me. We'll work on the same plant and, while I've offended quite a few bees in my life, I've never been stung by a wasp. I tell the kids, Freeze, be calm, it'll figure out you're not interesting, and everyone minds their own business. It's when you freak out that they freak out, too!
Anna you’ve learned a valuable lesson. They really are fascinating.
My wasps and I garden together. They are actually very non aggressive to me. I talk to them and carpenter beas all the time They are pretty neat to observe.
Absolutely when you give them a chance. And friendly to you if you are to them.
It's always the freakin yellowjackets, mean little things. I have a whole bunch of wasps that come around my garden that I appreciate, they don't care about me at all, don't bother me or anything but they make good guards for the garden itself lol. I wish we had more of a certain variety that digs into the ground and eats all the grubs mainly because I have a bunch of voles that are just jacking up my whole yard lol
I've noticed that wasps and bumble bees are actually much more active and productive in the garden than honey bees. Honeybees only seem really active early in the day where bumble bees and wasps will be in and out of the flowers most of the day. The only hornet/was I try to discourage are yellow jackets since the usual method of finding their nest usually involves hundred of stigs and creative methods of getting the mower away from their nest.
Very informative and interesting video
They lovely, especially when accidentally step on their nest. 21 bites just in jewellery and much more around.
They defend themselves. They shouldn't sting you you say? When you step on their nest? I would sting you too. It's your problem, not theirs.
Only time I ever had issues with wasps was with yellow jackets around open soda cans or trash cans. They swarm the sugar, don't drink from open cans during late summer! But in my 42 years, been stung by wasps 4 times... 3 were from not looking before I picked something up.