Although we stopped milking cows, (we still raise beef cows)
and we stopped using horses, (we use four-wheelers now)
and we stopped raising pigs (the price of baby pigs is too much).
We still have life in the old barn.
These little bugs are a pain.
They are helpful…they prey upon lots of garden pests, they feed their young on lots of invertebrates which cause damage to plants and flowers such as aphids and caterpillars, and they pollinate flowers.
It’s good to leave them alone so as not to disturb the natural control of pests and reduce the need for insecticide.
But they ruin your work, they get into your hair and face and, of course, they sting.
As annoying as they are, wasps are very beneficial and interesting insects, with a highly developed social structure. Wasps work really hard during their short lives and maybe deserve a break from their status as the creature we most like to eliminate.
Generally you are unlikely to get a wasp sting until autumn, unless you accidentally put your hand or foot on one and they are defending themselves, or unless you disturb a wasps nest. (Which could be anytime you come near one).
Up until late July and early August they are busy bringing up and feeding larval wasps, chasing insects, and foraging for food and maintenance materials for the wasps nest. After that their job is mainly done and they gorge themselves on the food they collect, especially on ripe and fermenting fruit; they become more and more dependent on sweet foodstuffs like these and will aggressively seek it out.
Additionally it will be getting hot and very crowded in the nest. It is at this time when they are most likely to sting humans, partly due to bad tempers caused by the heat and overcrowding in the nest, and partly in a semi-drunken reaction to being obstructed in their quest for sweet food.
I thought about going and on and on about these beneficial pests but I’ll stop here.
The old walls of the barn were full of these tiny creatures, it was rather disturbing to them and us (stings are not fun) but the walls had to come down and they had to move on.
I’m sure they were able to find a new house to rent close by!
Life on a Colorado Farm 
Sorry, I still don’t like wasps!!!
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I dislike them too………I’ve been stung WAY too many times.
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We have had 3 wasp hives in the back yard and the kids have been stung. Hate it. We got rid of them. They seem to find a new spot in the yard. Go away. When we eat our lunch outside they come after our food. Crazy things.
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I’m sure they are wonderfully beneficial but if JR get stung by one or by a bee we are off to the hospital with the epipen. Not fun!
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I had no idea they were so useful. I can’t wait to find out in Heaven about all the critters that I think of as a hassle (being raised in MN mosquitoes the size of humming birds comes to mind) of the good they do.
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Wasp are GREAT! I don’t want one in the house but they make good outdoor companions. They keep our black widow population down in California. VERY cool pictures!
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We’ve been dealing with, what I think are called, Japanese Hornets this year. Big fat hornets. I’ve got a bunch of them in the tree at my back door. They are attracted to the porch light at night. Weird things.
Why do all the weird things come from Japan? J Hornets, J Beetles, J ladybugs….
~Faith
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Everything that’s not man made was put here for a reason, but they can be annoying. Still, unless they’re in or very near the house I tend to leave bees of any sort alone – ants however are another story!
You’re so brave to get so close – or do you have a *very good* telephoto lens?
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I don’t like wasps but most of them are gone now because it is so cold. I guess though I like wasps better than yellow jackets because at least the wasps don’t bother you until you bother them.
All I can say is you are VERY brave to take these photos. I can’t get close because I’m allergic to there stings.
We even share an old barn in common 🙂 Sisters from afar.
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Never realized how beneficial wasps are. They do always seem to appear while we are apple picking and then tend to join us for cider pressing. Good luck with the new barn.
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OOOh I wouldn’t like that job of dismantling the barn and a wasps nest….no sireee!
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That is one pest I wish we didn’t have. My son is deathly afraid of them and is always looking for something to kill them with. My hubby is slightly allergic but yet he wants to go into raising the honey bees. (whats up with that!) My son says no way is he going to help with them. Me, well, I have mixed feelings so far!
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Ouch.
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Ok, you make several good points…almost enough to sway me… but since I got stung picking those dang apples this weekend, the bees are still on the losing end and the apple tree has been abandoned. Bee’s dont fight fair…
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I hate getting stung by wasps, but now thanks to your post I can understand why they act so aggressive sometimes. Thank you.
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I so agree, wasps , as so many insects are so good in so many ways. Blessings,Kathleen
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I love honey bees, bumblebees but wasps and I do not get along. The last time I was stung, by a yellow Jacket, it resulted in a very quick trip to the emergency room. Not at all fun.
I have been desensitized and I know they are useful but….
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Pain in the butt, but cool to photograph..:-))
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You are so right about the wasps. We really need to be protecting all pollinators – for our own good.
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Since I had a terrible allergic reaction to them (followed by toxic symptoms) I just don’t want them around, no matter how beneficial they might be! I now have the Epi-Pen on hand just in case but really don’t want to have to use it. I don’t mind the honey bees that swarm all over the catmint – at least they stay on the flowers and don’t swarm the deck every time you step out, like the wasps and yellow jackets do! I read somewhere that if you make a fake wasp nest and hang it the wasps will move on and find a different place to make their nest (they’re very territorial). Somebody sells the pattern on-line and you knit or crochet it using gray yarn – go figure!
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Their stings hurt so much, they must have lots of venom..I am allergic too..I carry my epi pen in my old lady bag..:(
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The burning sting from the wasps is awful but I dont kill a nest unless I HAVE to as well.
The kids will sometimes mess with the nests and get stung but I chalk it up to their learning curve. Heh heh…
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I didn’t know they ate all of those garden pests.
I find it interesting that in different parts of the country the bees are more or less aggressive. Here in WA we have lots of yellow jackets, but they just kind of fly around you. You can gently shoo them off your food and they won’t sting. Other places we’ve lived they hunt you down to sting.
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