We originally tried hanging some salmon, didn't get much result. Then a cat came along at night and ate the salmon. Yum, even tastier than birds!
Later, I hung a piece of peach. I sweetened the water with sugar and, of course, added a couple drops of soap as a surfactant. This makes it so the little creatures sink if they hit the water. I had taken a bowl of cantaloupe scrap out in the yard and noticed the yellow jackets liked it, so I dumped the bowl of scraps into the basin also.
I was watching today. actually saw two yellow jackets bump into each other while hovering, then both fell into the water and couldn't get out, One did find it's way to the cantaloupe and crawl up on it. Still have a lot of yellow jackets buzzing around in the bush on the arbor. Haven't found the nest, but clearly, the home-made trap is much more effective than the store-bought.
I thought this was kind of cool, I have a whole bouquet of roses growing on one stem. I should cut it and put it in a vase.
Your yard is so awesome.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever find the main nest?
Yeah, your yard is so awesome! I love those roses. But don't cut them and bring them inside; Scott would sneeze. Also, your yellow jacket trap is amazing. You are smart folks!
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a yard, but I will say that outside our main room window are a bunch of bushy trees. I love to watch the birds hop around in them early in the morning. Pictures to come, but the prettiest I've seen is a Western Scrub Jay (at least I think that's what it is...)
"Yellowjacket wasps often become a nuisance from August through October, as they build up in large populations and scavenge for food. Unless the threat of stings and nest location present a hazard, it may best to wait for freezing temperatures to kill off these annual colonies. Stinging workers do not survive the winter and the same nest is not reused." What a relief!
ReplyDeleteYay!
ReplyDelete