Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
#8072573
02/09/24 09:49 AM
02/09/24 09:49 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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I scratched my head over many years on this one. In interior Alaska, some summers were fantastically high yellowjacket years, other years you'd never see one. Why? Well, I was snap-trapping voles for many years, trying to get a handle on owl and marten food. I noticed a crash in voles led to the next summer being a banner yellowjacket year. The vole crashes (mostly red-backed voles) coincided with chinooks (warm February or March winds). I surmised that the voles would get wet during these chinooks, and when sub-freezing temperatures returned (which they always did), the voles succumbed to the elements.There were wild swings in the vole population, dropping or rising 40 times from year to year. I further looked at yellowjacket "cycles". On years that we had drastic chinooks and the vole populations crashed, we would have tremendous summer populations of yellowjackets and bald-faced hornets. It all made sense, when you considered that the voles, all winter long, are sub-nivean (beneath the snow) in the leaf litter and duff, eating over-wintering yellowjackets. With no voles around, many more overwintering yellowjackets survive to produce the eggs and the yellowjacket populations increase. It all made perfect sense. Yellowjacket nests were most-often in trees. Some nests were on rock cliffs, while some were ground-nests. Red-backed voles were typical over-wintering yellowjacket predators. I snap-trapped thousands of voles to monitor populations levels of marten prey.
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: white marlin]
#8072582
02/09/24 10:02 AM
02/09/24 10:02 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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that is very interesting, Jack!
Thank you for sharing your hard-won (and very thoughtful!) insights!
[I've suddenly become a big Vole fan!] white marlin - I, too, am a big vole fan. There's about 6 species that are very important prey items for the marten in Alaska, foremost of which is the red-backed vole. It's what's for dinner! Jack
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Sharon]
#8072628
02/09/24 11:09 AM
02/09/24 11:09 AM
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,465 New York border
Cragar
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,465
New York border
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UGH..... if I could blink and make things disappear....those and Baldies. They kill honeybees. My favorite insect.
I feel the same way. A couple of years ago , there was a honeybee in the place I work. It was buzzing around the windows to get out. My co-worker thought I was nuts because I very carefully caught it alive with a cup and a piece of paper , then took it outside. If it was a yellow jacket it would have been dead. Great write-up , Jack. Kudos.
NRA benefactor member
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Gulo]
#8072668
02/09/24 12:02 PM
02/09/24 12:02 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,352 Oregon
beaverpeeler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,352
Oregon
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People are sometimes not aware that yellowjackets produce viable queens that are the ones that overwinter and keep the species going. All the workers die out late each year.
I like your hypothesis Jack. It must be very satisfying to se put the pieces of the puzzle together like that.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Gulo]
#8072716
02/09/24 12:58 PM
02/09/24 12:58 PM
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Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 2,263 Priest River, Idaho USA
SundanceMtnMan
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Feb 2017
Posts: 2,263
Priest River, Idaho USA
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I always thought the big hanging nests were paper wasps. I don't think I have ever seen a bald faced hornet nest, we don't have a large population of them. I have found I can mostly eliminate yellow jackets by heavily trapping the queens when they appear in the spring, a wet spring seems to affect them also. I always enjoy your posts Jack.
"They Say Nothing is Impossible, But, I Do Nothing Every Day."
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Gulo]
#8072730
02/09/24 01:14 PM
02/09/24 01:14 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,330 Wisconsin
RdFx
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 6,330
Wisconsin
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Jack , studies on Wis martens found the red back vole to be a preferred lunch if available. Studies show areas of high population of red back voles in marten territores carry martens
RdFx
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Gulo]
#8072741
02/09/24 01:30 PM
02/09/24 01:30 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,352 Oregon
beaverpeeler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,352
Oregon
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The paper nesting and ground nesting yellowjackets are different species.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: gcs]
#8072750
02/09/24 01:42 PM
02/09/24 01:42 PM
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,628 NC, Orange Co.
QuietButDeadly
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 6,628
NC, Orange Co.
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Very interesting..."here", I've never seen an above ground yellow jacket nest, all are under ground, The hornets build those paper nests in trees and shrubs... My experience as well. Ground nests for yellow jackets here. The paper nests are bald faced hornets and the yellow European hornets nest in hollow trees.
Life Member: NCTA, VTA, NTA, TTFHA, MFTI Member: FTA NRA NWTF
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Gulo]
#8072775
02/09/24 02:27 PM
02/09/24 02:27 PM
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Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 4,989 rogers city mi.
jeff karsten
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 4,989
rogers city mi.
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Interesting since hornets and wasps make themselves known i've noticed in wet years hanging nests Dry years ground nests by both jackets and baldies And after a mild winter like we are having now an uptick in bugs of all kinds specifically ticks wasps and hornets
olden tyred
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: jeff karsten]
#8072787
02/09/24 02:37 PM
02/09/24 02:37 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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Interesting since hornets and wasps make themselves known i've noticed in wet years hanging nests Dry years ground nests by both jackets and baldies And after a mild winter like we are having now an uptick in bugs of all kinds specifically ticks wasps and hornets Very interesting, Jeff. I'll be watching this closely. We had an "average" summer in 2023 (12 inches annually). Yellowjackets were way down. We've had several "dry" years before that (2018-2022) and yellowjackets much more common.
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Gulo]
#8072819
02/09/24 03:15 PM
02/09/24 03:15 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719 Idaho, Lemhi County
Gulo
OP
"On The Other Hand"
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OP
"On The Other Hand"
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 2,719
Idaho, Lemhi County
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In interior Alaska, both Vespula and Dolichovespula seem to prefer aerial paper nests. I've never seen a bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula) nest in the ground. but plenty of yellowjackets (Vespula). Most common yellowjacket is probably V. norvegicus.
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: Gulo]
#8072832
02/09/24 03:25 PM
02/09/24 03:25 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,352 Oregon
beaverpeeler
trapper
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trapper
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,352
Oregon
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One of my older brothers worked for Massachussets Parks and Recreation for a summer on their yellowjacket eradication team. Of all the baits tunafish was by far the best. The oilier the better.
My fear of moving stairs is escalating!
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Re: Photo Phriday 122 Yellowjacket Populations
[Re: gcs]
#8072878
02/09/24 04:08 PM
02/09/24 04:08 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,502 central Haudenosaunee, the De...
white marlin
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trapper
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,502
central Haudenosaunee, the De...
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Very interesting..."here", I've never seen an above ground yellow jacket nest, all are under ground, The hornets build those paper nests in trees and shrubs... that's been my experience in Pennsylvania.
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