How Sweet It Is

[tuvoc]

This little guy has been in the same place for three days now, lapping up all the honey dew he can get. As long as he behaves himself, I see no reason to interrupt him. Actually, it's kind of 'sweet'.

Kim

[RosieC]

Not sure I could leave it sitting there. I'm not good with wasp types.

[Junebug]

Great photo. He is 'Sweet'.

Paper wasps are a mainstay in my shade house. They're beneficial insects because they kill the less desirable creepy crawlies. The wasps love honeydew too, and drink water that collects between the base of dendrobium leaves. This summer I left a shallow dish of water out for them and sometimes 4 or 5 of them would gather at the dish for a refreshing drink.

[fotofashion]

The only problem I have with wasps (other than the one that was hiding among my outdoor plants and stung me on the elbow) is that they congregate on the hummingbird feeder and do not allow the birds to eat. They and what we call "garbage bees" were covering the feeder and the poor birds, for whom the feeder is meant, can't get near the feeder. I know there are hummingbird feeders that have what is called "wasp guards" but they do not seem to help.
Beverly A.

[got ants]

Looks like a Southern Yellow Jacket. I'm thinking either a male, or a worker, hard to tell. Vespula squamosa

[silken]

Maybe it is stuck on there!

[tuvoc]

Originally Posted by silken

Maybe it is stuck on there!

Yikes! Maybe I'd better check.---------
Nope, he's OK.

Kim

[Angurek]

"Beneficial?" Riiiiiight.

I've caught these things stripping the velamen from the roots of my Vandas (or flat-out eating the roots). Before I found out who the culprits were, I'd always be puzzled by the appearance of scars in the roots; it looked like someone had gone over the roots with a wood plane and shaved bits off. When I came home one day, I got to see the mischievous little culprits in action.