We have seen really huge (about 2 inches long) wasps going in and out of several holes in our lawn. They look like queen yellowjackets, but I don’t see any smaller yellowjacket workers along with them. What can we do about them, they’re pretty scary? F.H., Candia, NH Cicada Killers Are Solitary Wasps A yellowjacket
VIEW MORECarpenter Bees Vs. Bumblebees: Appearance Carpenter bees and bumblebees do look somewhat alike. You can tell them apart. Both collect pollen to feed to their young, but their nest sites and habits are quite different. Both bees are about the same size, and both are black and yellow. The easiest way to tell the difference
VIEW MOREThe short answer to this question would seem to be, “anywhere they want!” but the fact is that yellowjackets do have preferred nest sites. Just in New Hampshire, we have at least 9 different species of yellowjacket wasps. Most of the yellow and black wasps that we know as “yellowjackets” nest either in the ground
VIEW MOREYellowjacket wasps, like ants, are social insects, meaning that they all live together in a colony with a queen and with a division of labor. A single queen is “mom” to every wasp in the colony. All of the yellowjacket workers are basically sterile sisters who cooperate to raise and feed all of their younger
VIEW MOREI was intrigued when I saw the above question on the Internet. I have to disagree with the answer that was provided by the “MAD Scientist,” a medical student. He said that wasps were attracted to car grilles because of the heat which wasps identify with a predatory animal. The wasps are looking for a
VIEW MOREMy son just discovered about a dozen sets of mud tubes on the outside wall of our garage near the roof overhang. The tubes are attached side by side and some of them have holes in them. Are these termite tubes?—L.M., Sterling MA Wasps Make Mud Tubes, Too No, they’re not termite tubes, they are
VIEW MOREYellowjacket wasps don’t always have to be killed. They are considered beneficial predators because they feed on caterpillars and other insects. As long as they are not interfering with people, yellowjackets can be left alone. But, too often, yellowjackets cause problems with their behavior, which tends to get more aggressive as the summer progresses. If
VIEW MOREBee Sting Question It seems like every spring when my kids start playing outside, one of them gets stung by a bee. I’ve always rubbed butter on the sting, but I think that’s probably not the accepted method anymore. What’s the best way to handle a bee sting?—P.P., Bolton MA Answer That depends. There are
VIEW MORE[music] Katlyn Graham: Hi, I’m Katlyn Graham, here with Tim Chace, a pest control technician and entomologist with Colonial Pest. Welcome, Tim. Tim Chace: Good morning, Katlyn. Katlyn: Good morning. Thanks for joining us here today. We’re discussing yellow jackets. Tips on yellow jacket wasp control in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. This is the season
VIEW MORE