According to Montana State University (MSU), several “social wasps” thrive in Montana. At first glance, I took 'social' to mean wasps that get up in your face and try to steal your food while you are eating it. Turns out the term “social wasp” refers to a type of wasp that lives in colonies and exhibits social behavior within their groups. Social wasps are known for their complex social structures, which typically include a queen, worker wasps, and male wasps.
An article posted by MSU noted: “Except for the
western yellowjacket, social wasps are typically not aggressive unless their
nest is disturbed. Most are beneficial and feed on a lot of our garden pests.
Our most common wasps are bald-faced hornets, aerial yellowjackets, western
yellowjackets, and paper wasps.”
I can attest to the whole
aggressive-if-their-nest-is-disturbed thing. They most certainly are. I have
been there. The phrase “stinging hordes” immediately comes to mind here.
I bring this stuff up because a wasp activation switch
or button of some sort must have been activated recently. In the last few days,
I have seen a significant number of yellowjackets poking around outside my
house. Apparently, they are sensing the end of summer. In the fall, new adult
wasps leave their homes in search of food and places to start new colonies. It
seems many of them fancy the idea of living alongside me.
I have mixed feelings about this.
—Mitchell Hegman
Source:
https://urbanipm.montana.edu
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