Wasps

[Reinhard]

Don't know if this is the right forum to post this.  But I have a problem with wasps attacking my plum trees in the late summer when the plums are ripe.  Here is what I head works.  Take one of those brown lunch bags you took to school for lunch.  Fill it with plastic bags, like the kind you pack your grocery's in.  Form a ball, and tie one end and hang it where you don't want wasps.  Now I haven't tried this yet but my son-in-laws dad who raises bees swears by it, and so does my daughter who say's it works.  So you can give it a try if you like because I know I will.  good luck.

[Reinhard]

I forgot to say that this is supposed to be a  replica of a wasp nest and it that is the reason it keeps other wasps away.  good luck.

[The General]

It doesn't sound to far fetched.

[Reinhard]

It works for the bee guy and my daughter so I'll give it a shot.  The plums when near harvest really take a beating from those critters.  Maybe I'll put one on each tree LOL.  good luck.

[deadeye]

Very interesting, I might try it where wasps build nests.

[snow1]

wasps or hornets Rein? Everyone has a different name for these critters,I think of wasps as the long body large stinging bee,hornets small and aggessive tend to build ground nests or find a hole in a tree or over hang and love my apples in the fall,just curious on what you have.To lazy to look up the pics.

[dew2]

wasps or hornets Rein? Everyone has a different name for these critters,I think of wasps as the long body large stinging bee,hornets small and aggessive tend to build ground nests or find a hole in a tree or over hang and love my apples in the fall,just curious on what you have.To lazy to look up the pics.

Yah snow I thought the same,Them dang hornets that at summers end want any sugar they can get!! I'm allergic so I kinda know em all.Beer,pop,lemonade gotta have em in a clear glass covered so I can see whats in em! I hate the hornets,Now paper wasps I dont like but can avoid em. Unlike hornets!!

[Reinhard]

There are more than one "bee" on them plums.  But the ones I see the most are those that bump up your window with those long legs so to speak.  Maybe Dew is right about them being paper wasps.  I'm no bee expert but the guy that raises honey bees told me this.  My daughter does this and it works for her also.  If it works fine if not i'll try the other trick which you guy's probably know or both.  You take a big bottle of say Mountain Dew after it's almost empty.  Cut the top off so there is a bigger entry point.  Then with about 5 inches of the mountain dew in there add some dish soap, just a little.  They say the bees/hornets/wasps get attracted to the pop and work their way down to the liquid.  then once they make contact they get stuck in the liquid and die.  Guess that works real good also.  good luck.

[dew2]

Well I googled em I believe I was talkin of the Yellow Jacket as the sugar meat eatin fall miserable pest!! Heres a site to give a look see.Lots a mud daubers here paper wasps, Yellow jackets an honey bees with lots a bumble bees,The others I cant say I see often but its only a few a the species.
http://www.commandpestcontrol.com/hornets-wasps-and-yellow-jackets-identification/

[Reinhard]

Thanks Dew.  I think the paper wasp was on there and the hornet plus a couple of other ones that I didn't see on the site you showed.  I really don't like to kill these just to kill them but they do damage to the fruit trees so I'll use these ideas and see what happens.  half of the plums that I grew last year were eaten by these.  good luck.

[delcecchi]

The ones I see on apples in late summer are yellow jackets.  They live in holes in the ground or in old stumps etc. 

In the late summer they are looking for sugar. 

[HD]

I thought yellow jackets made the little hives under my porch eve, and ground wasps made nests in old stumps underground?

[Boar]

those are hornets