I this giant hornet (??) native or invasion and a problem for the bees - Ask Extension
I spent a small fortune...for me....to change all my shrubs to bee/pollinator friendly shrubs. i now have some happy little bees visiting though a...
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I this giant hornet (??) native or invasion and a problem for the bees #880322
Asked August 05, 2024, 6:05 PM EDT
I spent a small fortune...for me....to change all my shrubs to bee/pollinator friendly shrubs. i now have some happy little bees visiting though also some small hornets. The other day a monster of a wasp or hornet came by...just one for now fortunately. i need to know if it will be a problem for the bees. Is it native or invasive. I am not sure how to get rid of it if a non-native problem.
also can the smaller yellow jackets become a problem for the bees. they use the underside of my front porch railing ...where the post go under a channel to hold them....to build nests. they never seem to bother me so i have never bothered them. If a possible problem for the bees i would wait till winter when they are gone and have the whole underside sealed with a foam...i read they don't reuse their nests so may not be a big problem this year.
first two pictures...the big wasp or hornet...distance to show size next to the plant and then cropped one for detail. The other is regular hornet.
Lane County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Lynn,
Great work on the pollinator garden! Its people like you who are make the world better for bees.
Now on your wasp. I can help. This may come across as confusing, but here we go. What you have is what is commonly knowns as the bald faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata). It is a native yellowjacket (it's not a true hornet, Oregon has no true hornets at this point). Unlike many of our yellowjacket species, it does not nest below ground, but above ground with large paper nests in trees or shrubs. The colonies were started in the spring, but are nearing maturity, at which time they will create a batch of newly mated queens before the colony collapses. To make things more complicated, the wasps nesting under your eves are likely not yellowjackets, but paper wasps, which are largely gentle wasps that do not enclose their nests in an envelope (like yellowjackets do). Both the bald faced hornets and paper wasps will eat bees, but they eat a lot of different insects. I think you can keep building your pollinator garden with the confidence that you are contributing to our bee populations in a positive way.
Best,
Andony
Great work on the pollinator garden! Its people like you who are make the world better for bees.
Now on your wasp. I can help. This may come across as confusing, but here we go. What you have is what is commonly knowns as the bald faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata). It is a native yellowjacket (it's not a true hornet, Oregon has no true hornets at this point). Unlike many of our yellowjacket species, it does not nest below ground, but above ground with large paper nests in trees or shrubs. The colonies were started in the spring, but are nearing maturity, at which time they will create a batch of newly mated queens before the colony collapses. To make things more complicated, the wasps nesting under your eves are likely not yellowjackets, but paper wasps, which are largely gentle wasps that do not enclose their nests in an envelope (like yellowjackets do). Both the bald faced hornets and paper wasps will eat bees, but they eat a lot of different insects. I think you can keep building your pollinator garden with the confidence that you are contributing to our bee populations in a positive way.
Best,
Andony
thank you very much for the info. since the bees seem to far out number the yellow jackets which do see easy going and the bald face one only showed up once and singularly....will just nature take its course. i will not seal up the space under the front porch as the poor yellow jackets need some place to live. My other shrubs haven't done much this year but have only been in since last fall. Hopefully next year they will be in full flower mode. also the shrubs are suppose to bloom different times in the year so hopefully provide food most the time. I have included a picture of my small back yard...was only small grass patch 20 by 30 feet....now bushes. the shrubs along the front and side of house are now useful shrubs that will help the bees.
I will say I think my dogwood tree out front was given too much water and won't survive. one maintenance man suggested i replace with a crape mrytle but it doesn't sound that great...too big and not native. i have a very small front yard so need a dwarf or tree that tolerates being cut back. would like it to be native if possible and bee friendly even more important. any suggestions?
picture of my front yard to show how small area for a tree but one required by my HOA. the picture of the 3 bees has a yellow jacket just right of the top bee and the other has a bee with collected pollen. so lovely to see so many around
Thank you for your help.
Lynn
On 08/06/2024 2:33 PM PDT Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Whoops ...forgot the full picture of my back yard...before and after. also of a bee and paper wasp seeming to co-exist...never seen any problems when both there. hopefully flowers keep the wasp full.
Lynn
On 08/06/2024 2:33 PM PDT Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
One small tree that does not have a lot of problems and is good for bees is Western Redbud. It is native to Northern California and grows very well in Western Oregon.
