Image Copyright 2002, David L. Green Unauthorized use prohibited
Wonderful,
Wonderful Wasps!*
More caterpillar killers
Be careful of these. These white faced hornets have a very powerful colony with hundreds of individuals. They guard their colony well, and will protect it with vigor. In other words - they sting! But they consume a LOT of pest caterpillars. Some day I hope to have a photo of a hornet actually catching a caterpillar. In Europe, their value is recognized, and it is illegal to kill a nest of Eurpoean hornets.
Image
Copyright 2002, David L. Green
Unauthorized use prohibited
In the US, there are no laws, but hornets should not be destroyed unless they really pose a threat to people. In other words, you should not bother hornets on the farm, but perhaps in your backyard they may be too much risk, especially if there are children. A couple years ago, we had hornets by our back door, not more than 8 feet from where we walked. We took the risk of leaving them, because we wanted to watch them, and we were not afraid of being stung.* The only time they ever got riled was when we slammed the door hard. To see them.
*Note on Protection from Stings