Farm Hazzard..... Ground Wasps
21 October, 2008 - 14:00
Javier called me mid-day and said he had a big problem in the horse paddock and to come quick. I met him and Jovita, his wife who is 8-1/2 months pregnant . She was sitting on a stump. I immediately imagined it was time to go to the hospital. That was not the problem. The truck was sitting by the fence with the motor running and the doors open; and radio blaring Mexican music. Javier's hat was across the pasture.
He had gone to get a piece of scrap iron from our private dump and the truck tires ran over a ground wasp nest. They were lucky it was not ground hornets that have attacked me before and are very nasty. Jovita apparently dived out of the truck before Javier knew there was a problem and ran getting only one sting. He was slower, being a man, and got a number of bites on his head.
After looking things over from a distance, we went to the house and got Jovita some anti-itch cream. I dressed Javier in heavy winter overalls, a winter coat, pull over mask that only leaves a slit for your eyes, leather gloves and then tied every opening with bailing twine. He looked quiet the sight. I sprayed him with both tick repellent and OFF.
He walked up the truck and got in with hundreds of wasps, drove off the windows open and the wasps departed for their nest. He did not get any stings. Back at the nest, the wasps were raising holly hell and a swarm of them looked like a small black cloud hanging over the hole in the ground leading to their nest. They better enjoy the rest of today, for tomorrow they will have been dispatched to wasp heaven.
You just never know what is going to happen on the farm.
Ground Nesting Wasps:
Many species of wasps are also solitary and nest in the ground. They have a life cycle similar to that of the mining bees. After preparing a burrow, the female wasp stocks it with provisions (which consist of insect or spider prey rather than pollen and nectar), lays one or more eggs in it, seals it and departs. Some species don't permanently seal the nest, but instead return repeatedly with additional prey as their larvae grow. These wasps range in size from extremely small forms to the large, fearsome looking "cicada killers."
Cicada Killers (Specius speciousus): Cicada killers resemble large yellowjackets. They are mostly black with pale yellow markings on the abdomen, and about 5 cm (2 inches) long. Despite their appearance, these insects are inoffensive and usually will not bother people even when provoked. Their sting is meant for paralyzing their prey and normally does not cause a reaction in humans. They are considered beneficial because they reduce cicada populations. However, they may cause lawn damage if there are large numbers of them nesting in close proximity to each other.
Adult cicada killer. Image copyright Ronald F. Billings,
Texas Forest Service
Another group of ground nesting wasps are the Scoliid (family: Scoliidae) or Tiphiid (family: Tiphiidae) wasps. Scoliid wasps are about 16 mm (5/8 inch) long and blue-black, with blackish-purple wings. They have a yellow stripe on each side of the abdomen. Their bodies are fairly hairy and the back part of the abdomen is covered with reddish hairs. Tiphiid wasps are black and somewhat hairy with short, spiny legs. Both wasps are generally seen flying over the lawn during the day, leaving in early evening. Scoliids and Tiphiids are beneficial wasps in that they parasitize grub populations. They are not aggressive and generally do not attack humans. Adults are often seen on golden rod flowers in the late summer.
He had gone to get a piece of scrap iron from our private dump and the truck tires ran over a ground wasp nest. They were lucky it was not ground hornets that have attacked me before and are very nasty. Jovita apparently dived out of the truck before Javier knew there was a problem and ran getting only one sting. He was slower, being a man, and got a number of bites on his head.
After looking things over from a distance, we went to the house and got Jovita some anti-itch cream. I dressed Javier in heavy winter overalls, a winter coat, pull over mask that only leaves a slit for your eyes, leather gloves and then tied every opening with bailing twine. He looked quiet the sight. I sprayed him with both tick repellent and OFF.
He walked up the truck and got in with hundreds of wasps, drove off the windows open and the wasps departed for their nest. He did not get any stings. Back at the nest, the wasps were raising holly hell and a swarm of them looked like a small black cloud hanging over the hole in the ground leading to their nest. They better enjoy the rest of today, for tomorrow they will have been dispatched to wasp heaven.
You just never know what is going to happen on the farm.
Ground Nesting Wasps:
Many species of wasps are also solitary and nest in the ground. They have a life cycle similar to that of the mining bees. After preparing a burrow, the female wasp stocks it with provisions (which consist of insect or spider prey rather than pollen and nectar), lays one or more eggs in it, seals it and departs. Some species don't permanently seal the nest, but instead return repeatedly with additional prey as their larvae grow. These wasps range in size from extremely small forms to the large, fearsome looking "cicada killers."
Cicada Killers (Specius speciousus): Cicada killers resemble large yellowjackets. They are mostly black with pale yellow markings on the abdomen, and about 5 cm (2 inches) long. Despite their appearance, these insects are inoffensive and usually will not bother people even when provoked. Their sting is meant for paralyzing their prey and normally does not cause a reaction in humans. They are considered beneficial because they reduce cicada populations. However, they may cause lawn damage if there are large numbers of them nesting in close proximity to each other.
Adult cicada killer. Image copyright Ronald F. Billings,
Texas Forest Service
Another group of ground nesting wasps are the Scoliid (family: Scoliidae) or Tiphiid (family: Tiphiidae) wasps. Scoliid wasps are about 16 mm (5/8 inch) long and blue-black, with blackish-purple wings. They have a yellow stripe on each side of the abdomen. Their bodies are fairly hairy and the back part of the abdomen is covered with reddish hairs. Tiphiid wasps are black and somewhat hairy with short, spiny legs. Both wasps are generally seen flying over the lawn during the day, leaving in early evening. Scoliids and Tiphiids are beneficial wasps in that they parasitize grub populations. They are not aggressive and generally do not attack humans. Adults are often seen on golden rod flowers in the late summer.