A summer of wasps in the Catskills

[LizKat]

I don't know if it was because of the mild winter we had in the northeast last year or what, but I have never seen so many wasps building nests around my place as this summer.

This afternoon I counted five different nests in progress on my house. One on the east wall under the peak of the roof, one on the south wall in a corner between a window and a side of the deck, two under the clean-out door of a chimney on the west side of the place, and one on the north wall over the kitchen window. So pretty much the place is surrounded. I had taken a nest from the hinge area of my car last week,and my mechanic took one from underneath the hood of the car on Friday. They're everywhere.

We're trying to get ready to paint, so our prep work and the efforts of the wasps are quite at odds. Although I'd usually just ignore them, we have to get this work done and can't be risking stings as we move our ladders around. So these buzzy little guys are about one cool, cloudy morning and a spray-can from going to the next level. I feel sorry about doing away with them, but they sure overplayed their hand this year.

 

[chilly willy]

Isn't that one of the signs of the apocalypse?

We had issues with wasps last few summers here in NC (at least at my house), but this year not so much. Maybe they moved up there....

 

[LizKat]

Isn't that one of the signs of the apocalypse? ~snip~

I hope so... I'd go through almost anything to avoid helping finish that prep work for painting!

I really don't know much about wasps and how or why they may migrate (or manage to overwinter some years and not others). But after this invasion, I'm interested in finding out more about them.

 

[senseless]

I'm seeing tons of spiders this year. I can't walk the dog without walking face first into a web. Damn, I hate that!

 

[MorphingDragon]

Are they paper wasps or something a bit less harmless.

 

[Mac'nCheese]

When I was a kid my grandparents and all the other Jewish people from Queens used to summer in the Catskills but I guess times have changed.

 

[snberk103]

When I was a kid my grandparents and all the other Jewish people from Queens used to summer in the Catskills but I guess times have changed.

ba-dum-diss..... thank you thank you - I'll be here all week... twice on Sunday....

 

[Old Muley]

Isn't that one of the signs of the apocalypse?

Actually is was seeing Jim McMahon in a Packer uniform.

Hornets and wasps (paper and mud varieties) have been out in force here in NE Wisconsin as well. We have them behind the shutters, in light fixtures and under windowsills. It's hard to sit on our deck and not see dozen or so, but they don't seem very aggressive. No one has been stung yet, so we are managing to coexist at the moment.