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Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Michael Borragio ()
Date: April 12, 2008 12:33AM

Hey...

Since Wednesday, when it started to get warm around here I've been seeing more and more bees and wasps hovering around everywhere. It seems like they are more prevalent than ever in this area...is this going to get worse!!!

Does anyone else notice this? For some reason I've actually seen them hanging out on my balcony at night!

And this is a bit unrelated...but there was a raccoon just chilling on my balcony...I'm on the third floor here!!! The thing was as big as a bear cub...about the size of a cooler.


-- Anyone?

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: TheExxonTiger ()
Date: April 12, 2008 01:07AM

Have a heart... give the raccoon a break... it's a hot day, so he/she probably
just wanted a place to cool off... perhaps you should leave a cold brewski
on the balcony? I hear raccoons love Heineken and Miller draft...?




Michael Borragio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
> And this is a bit unrelated...but there was a
> raccoon just chilling on my balcony...I'm on the
> third floor here!!! The thing was as big as a
> bear cub...about the size of a cooler.
>
>
> -- Anyone?

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: chihuahuamom ()
Date: April 12, 2008 02:56AM

Yes Yes Yes. The wasps the past two days have been unreal!!!! I couldnt even sit out back on my patio and enjoy the weather as they were just flying rampant all over the place. The other thing that I noticed is that they are much larger this year. I even called my husband and told him that something has to be done, I wasnt going to be terrorized and run out of my own backyard by wasp's that look like they're taking steroids.

He went out and bought a stock of wasp spray and literally drenched the perimeter of our house, not just ground area's but the roof top, gutters, down spouts and vents as well. I think i'm going to end up calling a pest company out though. We have a inground pool and we get mass amounts of water spiders in July an August, last year was the first year I did NOT have a pest company come out and spray and what a huge mistake that was and one I will not make again.
I wont stay stuck in my house because of wasps and spiders this year. I will gladly pay the monthly amount to keep them away.

By the way the only wasps/hornets that I am aware of that come out at night in this area are the European Hornets. They are strictly nighttime wasps/hornets. We had problems with them two yrs ago and thank god we didnt have them last year. They are horrible. They look just like yellow jackets, however they are 10x larger, just as aggressive and are attracted to light, such as flood lights, patio lights, ect. They nest in tree's most of the time in a densly wooded area, but will travel to get to a bright light at nighttime. They're stinger is huge and from what I understand is extremely painful to the point of making you physically sick to your stomach as soon as you are stung. As I said they are very aggressive and have no problems hunting you down if you get in they're way or try to get out of they're way. Two yrs ago we spent very little time out back at night due to these nasty insects, we even tried just tiki torches, but even the light from those attracted them, and there was never just one, it was always 4 or 5 at a time. Last year we lucked out and they never came back, but i'm already worried about this year and with the amount of wasps i've already seen the past two days, i'm hoping that its not a sign of horrors to come.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: chihuahuamom ()
Date: April 12, 2008 03:22AM

I havent figured out what this is yet. These are also huge, but they nest in the ground, not like your typical paper nest in a tree or stuck to the side of your house. They make holes in the ground, most of the time in the dirt, but i've seen them come out of holes in grassy areas, they have a enter and exit hole. They are about 2in long and have either white rings or a multi color ring around its back end. These are also aggressive with a very large stinger. This one my 11 yr old son killed last year after it ran me off numerous times and I sent the pictures to a wildlife/insect website to find out what it was exactley, but never got any response back. Do any of you know what this one might be called?
Attachments:
DSC05056.JPG
DSC05063.JPG

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Wrinkle ()
Date: April 12, 2008 07:56AM

It's a Cicada Killer. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada_killer_wasp

They nest in the ground and use cicada grubs to feed their young. According to the article, the males can't sting and females only will if you're obnoxious with them.

I saw a lot of bees/wasps the past couple of days too -- it's just the time of year.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: ITRADE ()
Date: April 12, 2008 08:28AM

I was thinking, enjoy the raccoons et al. At least they're not the cicadas from about 4 years ago....

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Masked ()
Date: April 12, 2008 08:57AM

ITRADE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was thinking, enjoy the raccoons et al. At
> least they're not the cicadas from about 4 years
> ago....


And raccoons do not sting.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: ITRADE ()
Date: April 12, 2008 09:50AM

How lovely:

After digging a nest chamber in the burrow, female cicada killers capture cicadas, paralyzing them with a sting; the cicadas then serve as food to rear their young. After paralyzing a cicada, the female wasp straddles it and takes off toward her burrow; this return flight to the burrow is difficult for the wasp because the cicada is twice her weight. After putting the cicada in the nest cell, the female deposits an egg on the cicada and closes the cell with dirt. Male eggs are laid on a single cicada but female eggs are given two or sometimes three cicadas; this is because the female wasp is twice as large as the male and must have more food. New nest cells are dug as necessary off the main burrow tunnel and a single burrow may eventually have 10 to 20 cells. The egg hatches in one or two days, and the cicadas serve as food for the grub. The larvae complete their development in about 2 weeks. Overwintering occurs as a mature larva within an earth-coated cocoon. Pupation occurs in the nest cell in the spring and lasts 25 to 30 days. There is only one generation per year and no adults overwinter.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Eyeballs ()
Date: April 12, 2008 09:59AM

ITRADE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How lovely:
>
> After digging a nest chamber in the burrow, female
> cicada killers capture cicadas, paralyzing them
> with a sting; the cicadas then serve as food to
> rear their young. After paralyzing a cicada, the
> female wasp straddles it and takes off toward her
> burrow; this return flight to the burrow is
> difficult for the wasp because the cicada is twice
> her weight. After putting the cicada in the nest
> cell, the female deposits an egg on the cicada and
> closes the cell with dirt. Male eggs are laid on a
> single cicada but female eggs are given two or
> sometimes three cicadas; this is because the
> female wasp is twice as large as the male and must
> have more food. New nest cells are dug as
> necessary off the main burrow tunnel and a single
> burrow may eventually have 10 to 20 cells. The egg
> hatches in one or two days, and the cicadas serve
> as food for the grub. The larvae complete their
> development in about 2 weeks. Overwintering occurs
> as a mature larva within an earth-coated cocoon.
> Pupation occurs in the nest cell in the spring and
> lasts 25 to 30 days. There is only one generation
> per year and no adults overwinter.




So....The females are twice as large as the males eh?...
They must live in Arlington.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Eyeballs ()
Date: April 12, 2008 10:02AM

This is a story often told:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yOw1cxTNgw

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: ferfux ()
Date: April 12, 2008 10:26AM

its called nature. As we encroach on more and more land through the sprawling suburbs its gonna be only normal that insects and animals lose their habitats. So get used to racoons chillin on your porch and insects invading your personal bubble

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: KeepOnTruckin ()
Date: April 12, 2008 11:51AM

Masked Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ITRADE Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I was thinking, enjoy the raccoons et al. At
> > least they're not the cicadas from about 4
> years
> > ago....
>
>
> And raccoons do not sting.




Yeah, the y bite instead and give you rabies

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Masked ()
Date: April 12, 2008 11:59AM

KeepOnTruckin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Masked Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ITRADE Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I was thinking, enjoy the raccoons et al. At
> > > least they're not the cicadas from about 4
> > years
> > > ago....
> >
> >
> > And raccoons do not sting.
>
>
>
>
> Yeah, the y bite instead and give you rabies


True, but not all raccoons are rabid. If one sees a rabid raccoon, then just hope that this person knows what he or she is doing and stay away from the raccoon.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: pestcontrol ()
Date: April 12, 2008 12:05PM

chihuahuamom Wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- Do any of you know
> what this one might be called?

Yeah, it's a bug.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: legit ()
Date: April 12, 2008 10:05PM

sweet.. time to hunt raccons and make them in to little hats hahahaha i also a vulture once never seem then in person.. except in t.v

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Mike Sorce ()
Date: April 12, 2008 11:58PM

chihuahuamom Wrote:
> By the way the only wasps/hornets that I am aware
> of that come out at night in this area are the
> European Hornets. They are strictly nighttime
> wasps/hornets. We had problems with them two yrs
> ago and thank god we didnt have them last year.
> They are horrible. They look just like yellow
> jackets, however they are 10x larger, just as
> aggressive and are attracted to light, such as
> flood lights, patio lights, ect. They nest in
> tree's most of the time in a densly wooded area,
> but will travel to get to a bright light at
> nighttime. They're stinger is huge and from what I
> understand is extremely painful to the point of
> making you physically sick to your stomach as soon
> as you are stung. As I said they are very
> aggressive and have no problems hunting you down
> if you get in they're way or try to get out of
> they're way. Two yrs ago we spent very little time
> out back at night due to these nasty insects, we
> even tried just tiki torches, but even the light
> from those attracted them, and there was never
> just one, it was always 4 or 5 at a time. Last
> year we lucked out and they never came back, but
> i'm already worried about this year and with the
> amount of wasps i've already seen the past two
> days, i'm hoping that its not a sign of horrors to
> come.

And I thought that I was imagining things earlier today when I was working in the yard with all of the bees.

We have a problem with European Hornets and find that our front porch is nearly unusable during the summer since they are attracted to the house lights, but I am hoping that the the low voltage lighting that I am installing this weekend along the front walkway will allow me to turn off the lights. The hornets nest in a large tree in our front yard and I really would rather not cut down the tree to eliminate this pest. They were really bad a couple of years ago when they built a nest in the eaves of our porch and caused nearly $1000 of damage.

The best investment we made is the annual $300 contract with Western Pest. Highly recommend them for the quick response and high quality field service technicians. We get semi-annual exterior treatments and they come within 24 hours when we have a problem like ants in the kitchen or an exterior pest.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Michael Borragio ()
Date: April 13, 2008 11:53AM

Thanks for all the comments...especially chihuahamom and Mike Sorce.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: Carole ()
Date: April 13, 2008 11:23PM

The stuff you are spraying all over the place to kill the ants, bees, spiders, etc. are far worse for you than the insects! I was glad to see some bees around--they have been disappearing over the last few years and without them the world would be a very different place. Yes, I agree you don't want to be bitten by a spider, but in this area, most of the spiders will not bit you and they eat other bugs. Bees generally will not bother you unless you bother them...

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: 496 ()
Date: April 14, 2008 08:46AM

Most "pest control" companies area total rip off. I hired one to get rid of deathbycop and he's still around.

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Re: Hornets, Bees, Wasps, Raccoons...all over!! What's going on?
Posted by: DeathByCop ()
Date: April 14, 2008 11:42AM

Do you consider that to be funny??? You are a retard, no wonder you made the list!!LOL


496 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most "pest control" companies area total rip off.
> I hired one to get rid of deathbycop and he's
> still around.

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