I noticed some posts about hornets and wasps on the blackberry thread… I am always learning myself so heres some ‘facts that i found on the internets’.
Bald Faced Hornet-
‘Bald-faced hornets feed on many pest insects. The adults eat nectar from flowers, making them important pollinators, but they also feed insects and arthropods to their larvae. If you live in an area where nesting conditions are favorable, you may get them.’
Paper Wasps-
‘mainly feed on nectar’ also feed on larvae of caterpillars and aphids and beetles.
Ok so on paper they are ‘beneficial’… they tirelessly remove unwanted pest larvae as well as pollinate some… although not as effective as other bees.
But wait theres more…
By not killing hornets and wasps…the predators like bug eating birds, reptiles and bug eating predators also thrive by eating wasps and hornets as well as the many other pests you may have.
Tough call for us all… as we all plant things that attract pests… but with that you also attract things that eat those pests. If you upset that balance you yourself will have to take on the job of the hornet or wasp or predator insect and bird.
For those of you following cicadas (or locusts as my locals call them)… you may see what you think is a nasty hornet and be afraid… even the cicada has a wasp (Eastern Cicada Wasp)… i hope to see them myself.
Option 1-
Option 2-
