# Swarming Red Wasps!



## Feral Nature

I am usually haunting the goat forum and came over here as i was not sure where to post this.

We have lots of red wasps around here, that is normal. But yesterday they were swarming almost like bees do right outside both the front and back doors. There were probably 40-50 of them, it was impossible to tell. There may have been many more as they were on both sides of the house and crawling all up on the oak trees. There may have been over 100.

I do not fear them, they fear me so that is not the point. I just never in all these years have seen this type behavior. Also my DH is allergic to them and has to carry an epinephrine pen with him for just this one type wasp or anaphylactic shock. he could barely get into the house. I had to call his work and tell him to run in quickly when he got here. They don't seem to want to sting me, I haven't been stung in years and when I do get stung, I usually get revenge. Feels like hot coal though.

Anyway, what the heck is up with these critters? They are always flying around but not all crazed like this. And it wasn't because something disturbed their nest, it was "different".

Oh, and temps have been 40-50s at night and 80s day...getting cool.


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## Iddee

In the fall, the nest raises a lot of queens to hibernate over the winter. All the workers die. The next spring, the queens will start a new nest and begin raising workers again.

My guess is the fall queens are hatching, mating, and looking for a safe place to hibernate. They should be gone within a few days when they find that place.

BTW, each one you kill will be killing a whole nest that would have been next spring. Whether good or bad is according to your attitude toward the wasps.
They do eat insects and pollinate plants. GOOD They also sting. BAD Which overpowers the other, the good or the bad? :shrug:


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## Feral Nature

Thanks for the reply. It is odd to me that there are so many this year as this part of Texas had a bizarrely cold and freaky winter last year, "Texas Ice Storm 2007" as it was called. very unuasl weather where it stayed in the 20s for 3 days with everything in several inches of ice for days. Not normal. But then we had rain for six months after a 2-3 yr. drought. I guess the few wasps that survived really replenished themselves.

I don't go around killing wasps or things like that. They have to actually be in the house or be a direct threat. We have a "bee man" who puts about 100 hives on our ranch each year and then gives us honey in exchange. So we have not only his bees for pollination but plenty of wild insects. I am used to the bees swarming, always keeping in mind they may be Africanized. I have been out here a long time and just never had seen so many red wasps. They seem to have a weird intelligence too. They cock their little evil heads and watch you when you walk by trying to decide if they should go after you...creepy little things.


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## Sand Flat Bob

Feral Nature said:


> Thanks for the reply. It is odd to me that there are so many this year as this part of Texas had a bizarrely cold and freaky winter last year, "Texas Ice Storm 2007" as it was called. very unuasl weather where it stayed in the 20s for 3 days with everything in several inches of ice for days. Not normal. But then we had rain for six months after a 2-3 yr. drought. I guess the few wasps that survived really replenished themselves.
> 
> I don't go around killing wasps or things like that. They have to actually be in the house or be a direct threat. We have a "bee man" who puts about 100 hives on our ranch each year and then gives us honey in exchange. So we have not only his bees for pollination but plenty of wild insects. I am used to the bees swarming, always keeping in mind they may be Africanized. I have been out here a long time and just never had seen so many red wasps. They seem to have a weird intelligence too. They cock their little evil heads and watch you when you walk by trying to decide if they should go after you...creepy little things.


We had red wasps thicker than I ever have seen in this area. Had nests up to 6 inches in diameter. They buildt nests in my sweet corn, I found them picking it, their sting burns like fire. Also never had as many spiders as we had this year, everything was weird.

Bob


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## midkiffsjoy

Feral Nature said:


> Thanks for the reply. It is odd to me that there are so many this year as this part of Texas had a bizarrely cold and freaky winter last year, "Texas Ice Storm 2007" as it was called.



Dont forget the snow!!! It snowed on Easter here. It hadnt snowed since I was EIGHT !!!! Talk about WEIRD !!!


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## OkieDavid

In Texas and Oklahoma with the abundant rainfall we had this year EVERYTHING grew out of proportion- vegetation grew thicker which allowed for an abundant insect population which increased the forage for the predatory insects (wasps and spiders for example)....It's all connected. Nature is known as feast or famine. I am noticing a larger than normal population of bred queen wasps looking to overwinter as well. The good thing about them is they aren't agressive as they aren't defending a nest and are simply trying to survive the winter. Oh and while I will go out of my way to protect my honeybees....Wasps are fair game for anything from flyswatters to bug bombs LOL.

David


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## Feral Nature

midkiffsjoy said:


> Dont forget the snow!!! It snowed on Easter here. It hadnt snowed since I was EIGHT !!!! Talk about WEIRD !!!


No kidding, Joy, it SNOWED here Easter here too! We are slightly west of you so occasionally we see a flake or so floating down (we ooohh and aaah out the window) but this year was unbelievable. I took tons and tons of pics because I didn't think my kinfolks in houston would believe me! it was just 2-3 inches but it was a blizzard as far as we were concerned!


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## Feral Nature

OkieDavid said:


> In Texas and Oklahoma with the abundant rainfall we had this year EVERYTHING grew out of proportion- vegetation grew thicker which allowed for an abundant insect population which increased the forage for the predatory insects (wasps and spiders for example)....It's all connected. Nature is known as feast or famine. I am noticing a larger than normal population of bred queen wasps looking to overwinter as well. The good thing about them is they aren't agressive as they aren't defending a nest and are simply trying to survive the winter. Oh and while I will go out of my way to protect my honeybees....Wasps are fair game for anything from flyswatters to bug bombs LOL.
> 
> David


Our place has looked like the dust bowl for several years with the drought, well and ponds dry. Then boom! This year the weeds are over my head and it looks like the tropics. i need a machete to get to the barn...not a joke.

But weirdly no snakes. They don't have to come to the house to eat chickens and such, they have plenty of food in the woods. I usually kill around 10 chicken snakes and several rattlers each year, this year there was only a big copperhead. maybe they were just well hidden in the thick vegatation.

yes, there were tons of spiders...I just gave up brushing them and knocking them out of my hair, they were always on me.


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