Bugs and Insects

Bald-faced hornets are friends! These creatures have an intimidating name and they look rather fearsome, but they are very unlikely to sting you. Unfortunately for all wasps, bees, and hornets, it is the Yellowjackets that give them all a bad name. This is not a scientific number, but I would guess that 99% of all stings are from the Yellowjackets. Honey bees will only sting you if you step on them (can’t blame them) and Bumble bees only seem to get aggressive when you dig them out of their home in the ground. I’ve done that, and now I know where the term “a bee line” comes from. I can also attest to the fact that their sting (in my neck) doesn’t hurt any more than a Yellowjacket even though the Bumble bee is much bigger. A Bald-Faced Hornets Nest in Genesee Valley Park The Bald-faced Hornets that built a home next to the Tupelo shelter in Genesee Valley Park must have done an exceptionally good job, because it was still hanging there until recently, months after most other nests have fallen to the ground. I love examining their nests in detail, from the octagonal combs where they raise their young to the paper like wood pulp that they use to cover their combs. If you look closely at the nest, the colors are woven together like a piece of art. The queen will survive the winter in the ground, and all the other Bald-faced Hornets will die in the freezes of late fall, so there are no hornets to worry about in the winter. I also found a nest on the Riverway Trail just south of the Ford Street Bridge on the west side of the river. Our Backyard Hornet Nest Several summers ago we had a small baseball size nest appear in our apple tree, only about 5 feet off the ground and within 12 feet of our outdoor dining area. I’ve seen dozens of nests over the years but only one other nest that was within 15 feet of the ground. Rather than remove the nest, I used it as an opportunity to watch the hornets up close. Because my dog likes to try to eat bees or anything that happens to fly by, I had to create some barriers to keep him from walking underneath the nest. He gets a funny look on his face when he gets stung in the mouth by a Yellowjacket but has no negative consequences. If I hadn’t noticed the nest, I would never have known there was one in close proximity. I usually see a couple of Bald-faced hornets in our vegetable garden and amidst our grape vines, but I didn’t notice an unusual number of hornets that year. Identifying The Bald-Faced Hornet It won’t help you in Scrabble but it has a delightfully challenging Latin name – Dolichovespula maculata. Bald-faced hornets have white and black bodies, somewhat larger than Yellowjackets. They are scavengers, but apparently don’t like the sweet […]

There are a number of invasive insects that environmentalists are tracking, but this year there’s some extra attention on the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA). This invasive insect feeds on the sap of eastern hemlock trees and its well past becoming a nuisance. It spreads at such high rates that it currently is on track to decimate New York’s hemlock population. This time of year is a critical point in the insect’s gestation, so we went to see if we could locate any infestations in Rochester. Unfortunately, it didn’t take long at all. We found egg sacks within just minutes of stepping into Washington Grove near Cobbs Hill Reservoir! Why Hemlocks Are Important To truly understand the potential devastation the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid might cause, it’s important to understand why eastern hemlocks are so critical. Eastern hemlock trees are what’s known as a foundation species. A foundation species is a local species that is plentiful, but most importantly it controls the ecology immediately surrounding it. In the case of the hemlock, one way they are critical is how their root systems help stabilize cliffs in our gorges. You’ll see examples of this throughout Watkins Glen State Park and Taughannock Falls State Park. If those hemlocks at the edge die, their root systems no longer provide the structural integrity for the soil. That could ultimately mean crumbling gorge walls. Hemlocks also provide an ample tree canopy. That shade assists with controlling the temperature in those forests allowing other plants and forest life to thrive. As the third most common tree in New York State, the eastern hemlock’s absence would devastate much of our natural landscape. The tree is so prolific here that if the hemlock was suddenly erased overnight, you wouldn’t even recognize most of the scenes you’re familiar with in the Finger Lakes. If you’re thinking that just replanting more hemlocks would solve the problem, there’s trouble with that solution. Eastern hemlocks are also known as a climax species, which means they are an indicator of a mature ecosystem. It can take hundreds of years for them to reach a state of maturity. How the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Causes Destruction The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid first made its way to North America in the early 1950’s by way of Japan. The first place it was spotted was in Virginia and in the 70 years since it has spread to nearly half the country. Back in Asia the adelgid has natural predators that help keep the balance. Here in the United States though, there is nothing to stop the bug, so reproduction continues unchecked. The adult HWA is super tiny. In fact, it’s about .8 millimeters wide. (For reference, the width of a human hair is about .12 millimeters.) Imagine walking through the woods and trying to spot a hair laying on a branch in a tree! Needless to say, spotting an adult is nearly impossible with the naked eye. As an adult, the HWA is asexual so it can reproduce without the […]