YELLOWJACKETS ARE BUZZING.

Pam Bennett, Curtis Young, Amy Stone, and Joe Boggs all reported that yellowjackets (Vespula spp. and Dolichovespula spp.) seemed to come buzzing out of nowhere in their parts of Ohio to wreak havoc on outdoor activities where people, food-drinks, and yellowjackets may converge. Each noted that they had received few phones calls filled with stinging commentaries about yellowjackets until late last week. Populations were unusually low last season throughout much of the state (BYGL 2010-28, 10/21/10) and BYGLers were about to conclude this would be another no-show year for the black and yellow striped marauders.

Yellowjackets are found in Ohio throughout the growing season; however, nest populations reach their zenith in late summer to early fall. Fertilized queens spend the winter outside of the nests from which they developed; alone and in protected locations such as under loose tree bark. The overwintered queens start looking for suitable nesting sites as soon as they warm-up in the spring. All species of yellowjackets in Ohio build circular to oblong paper nests. The non-native GERMAN (EUROPEAN) (Vespula germanica) and COMMON (Vespula vulgaris) YELLOWJACKETS build nests underground or occasionally in hollow trees, rock crevices, or crevices in buildings. The native EASTERN YELLOWJACKETS (Vespula maculifrons) build their nests underground and AERIAL YELLOWJACKETS (Dolichovespula arenaria) build exposed nests in trees, shrubs, or on buildings.

Overwintered queens start laying eggs once they have constructed a few brood cells in their small nests. Sterile workers that develop from these cells soon join the queen in gathering food and expanding the nest. Eventually, the queen is only involved with laying eggs. From late-spring through the summer, the ever-expanding numbers of yellowjacket workers keep busy enlarging their nest and foraging for caterpillars, sawfly larvae, and other soft-bodied insects. They use their powerful mandibles to grind-up these protein-rich meat items to feed to developing yellowjacket larvae. Thus, throughout much of the season, yellowjackets are considered beneficial insects.

However, in late-summer to early fall, drones (males) and new queens begin to develop in the nests. These new-comers do not require protein since they are not growing; they need energy from carbohydrates. So, they lounge around the nest begging the workers for sweets. In an effort to appease these freeloaders, the workers search for foods that have this much needed energy boost, such as soda, donuts, hamburgers, and French fries; the fine cuisine severed at picnics, ball parks, and other outdoor gatherings! Thankfully for the over-worked workers, nest populations of adults begin to peak at about this time with 5,000 or more workers in the colony.

As fall comes to an end, the new queens and drones leave their nest to mate, and the queens seek protected overwintering sites. The colony from which they developed dies during the winter; yellowjacket nests only last one season. This means that there is no point in trying to kill yellowjacket colonies at this time of the year since they will eventually die-out on their own; with no fanfare for the poor overworked workers.

ASIAN LONGHORNED BEETLE UPDATE.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) will be hosting a third public meeting this evening on September 22, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Bethel Community Center in Bethel, Ohio. This is the first public meeting since the expansion of the quarantine to include an additional 88 properties in nearby Monroe Township.

Since July 5, 2011, 3,108 trees have been confirmed to be infested with the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB). The number of total trees surveyed since July 5 totals 38,897. Residents in the area and across Ohio are being encouraged to look for signs and symptoms of ALB and become a beetle buster or beetle detective. If you suspect ALB anywhere in Ohio, you are asked to call 855-252-6450. Up-to-date information about Ohio's infestation can be found on the ODA website at http://www.agri.ohio.gov/ including daily updates and maps.

When I harvested my late-season peaches a couple of weeks ago, I was very disappointed to find that most of the peaches had numerous hard, brown, corky areas in the flesh! I'd seen this before in tomatoes that had been hit by the green stink bug. When I showed it to our fruit entomologist the answer was, "Yes, brown marmorated stink bug damage!" Bummer! Now, you're probably wondering why I'm talking about a fruit and vegetable pest in this newsletter! The answer is that this is going to be one of the most important pests, in many ways, all across Ohio!

This Asian introduction (sound familiar?) has the same habits as the multicolored Asian lady beetle! Yes, it is a home and building invader! Just what we need! In Pennsylvania and other more eastern states, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has caused even more inquiries than the lady beetle caused! Both will stink if handled, but BMSB is so much bigger that it makes a bigger stink! The lady beetle odor usually isn't experienced unless you handle them. Even then, the stink may only be on your fingers! This makes vacuuming BMSB a more difficult process as the odor can be blown out the exhaust of the sweeper!

I'm not really ready to make strong recommendations for control of this pest other than the old byline - seal around doors and windows and caulk other cracks and crevices that can allow entrance into a home or building. This is a pretty large bug and it needs a fairly large gap in order to get into a building!

Last spring and early summer, I saw that someone had made a light trap for capturing the stink bugs that get into a home. It's a pretty simple design. Basically, it's a two liter soda bottle cut in half. The bottom half is fitted with a battery operated LED light and the top is inverted as a reverse cone to prevent escape. The bugs are attracted to the light, especially at night. I'll talk more about this in the next P.E.S.T.!