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refin

A few too many wasps!

refin
15 years ago

We have always had some wasps (I think they are yellow jackets but I am not certain). They have never been aggressive or stung us so I have always left them alone. However, we seem to have one plant that attracts them and they swarm around it. Quite scary looking! Is there some way I can make this plant less attractive to them? Something I can spray on it? I don't want to spray to get rid of the wasps, just make this plant less tasty.

Comments (10)

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    15 years ago

    I'm curious...what is the plant they're flocking to?

  • refin
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I don't know! I will take some pictures tonight. It was some weird thing that I found years ago that was supposed to climb but it is more of a bush. In general, we don't have a lot of flowers and these seem to have teeny, tiny flowers on them.

  • refin
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    below is a picture of the plant. If you scroll through there are more pictures including the wasp. I will post on vines and see if they know what it is. It was climbing for the first year but I cut it back and now it won't climb.

    Here is a link that might be useful: plant

  • jean001
    15 years ago

    The critter is Polistes dominulus, the European paper wasp, a relatively recent arrival in the US.

  • Kimmsr
    15 years ago

    Because it is a non native you may want to consider control measures and a cheap hair spray is quite effective at controlling these critters as long as you actually spray them. While not nearly as aggressive as the Yellow Jacket they can be pests.

  • refin
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    this morning there is a different type of wasp (all brown), a bee (that has been out there for some time and is carrying a ton of pollen), tons of fly-type bugs and the regular wasps. What on earth is up with this plant!? I am going to be on every insects' list.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    15 years ago

    The plant looks familar to me, but I can't quite recall what it is. Post your images over in the Name That Plant Forum and someone will ID it in a jiffy.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Let's go to the Name That Plant Forum!

  • refin
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Someone on vines Identified it! It is Ampelopsis brevipedunculata var. Elegans. If I can't figure out how to get rid of the wasps, it will have to go. It sort of creeps me out. I like the few wasps we have (they attract dragon flies) but not this many. Is there something I could put on the plant? Maybe spray it at night to knock off pollen? There are so many flowers though. I hate it because I really like the plant.

  • rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
    15 years ago

    Porcelain berry! It was nagging at me that it was an invasive plant.

    I can't think of anything you could do to make it less appealing to all of those wasps. Have you seen other pollinators on it, too?

  • refin
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Yes! It is pollen-palooza on this one plant. Yesterday there was also a huge brown wasp, some bee loaded with pollen as well as some type of fly (about 10 of the flies -- I don't know what they are but they also only go near this plant.) I hate the idea of a wasp trap. I just feel like, if they don't bug me, I don't want to bug them. We had dragon flies for some time which may have eaten some wasps but now, nothing. (My daughter suggested we train some bats to stay awake during the day!)

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