If It Flies and Stings, It's In My Garden

[LunchBox]

Hey...been battling aphids for over a month now. I've tried homemade spray, fertilome 3-way, safer bt, and lady bugs...they do a great job, but suppies are nil in north Texas in August. I've even put out DE between waterings around the base of the infested plants, as not to "get" to many of the ladies.

In the last week or so, I've had swarms of wasps, yellow jackets, hortnets, honey bees, bumble bees...anything that flies and stings. I've noticed they are all ove rthe leaves...not so much the blossoms. My guess is they are helping to hunt the aphids, and other bugs as well.

I took some pics tonight, and will upload later...including one type that I was trying to get a good pic of...but just couldn't.

That is...until 30 minutes after coming in, I caught one in my shirt...stung me a couple times, but nothing bad. I got a great pic of that one...

What do yo umake of that? Are they attracted to the sticky leaf-tops?

Mama Aphid? (told ya they were bad...)

No idea what these are...but they are squooshy...

I think this is a paper wasp...they are digging through the leaves looking for something...

And this little bastard got me...in my shirt...

ID help appreciated!

 

[thx1138]

If it is still dry and hot in Texas, the wasps and other flying critters are probably looking for water. I've noticed them in the mornings on the wet blades of crab grass. Good luck with the aphids! The squishy things elude me.

 

[Fremp]

haha!!!!
I think I took home a visitor from your place then...

After

Once I got home I sat at my desk for an hr. Sometime around then I felt a poke or something inside my left rib cage. So I poked it with my left thumb really fast. That made a stinging sensation,so this time I pressed harder, and harder. Now It really hurt. Went to the Bathroom took my shirt off and looked at my side first,and noticed these two marks. Looked back over to my shirt in my other hand,and baaaaam this fool was Mad-doggin(I think he was stunned actually,and me pressing actually helped shove his stinger in me). So I threw my shirt out the back door,and grabbed the spray. I took the pics first because I text my mom the pics. Didn't really think it could have been from your place. Then now thinking about it again...My 3 wasps,to your Elevendy Billion.I don't know if you noticed or not,but I was a bit freaked out in the garden. Then to make matters worse,here comes your boy all BEAST MODE....
"Hey do you know what this is..."
He knew every single pod,along with the name. Oh and he didn't even flinch at the crap flying EVERYWHERE!!

So I guess he made it inside my shirt,and just chilled in the AC. I think it was a hot'n that day? 107?
At any rate it didn't really hurt. After about an hr tho,it just got really annoying.

 

[scrufy]

oh dang dude, that looks painful. Yeah the wasps love it if you leave water droplets. My friend lives in the desert in a new housing tract and he is the only one on his street with a lawn. He tells me everyday at work when he waters the night before in the morning he has to dodge them when he leaves as every wasp in the area is at his house.
Edit:
sidenote- watching the olympics. Who in their right mind would name their kid destiny hooker? LMAO

 

[HotPeppas]

haha!!!!
I think I took home a visitor from your place then...

After

Once I got home I sat at my desk for an hr. Sometime around then I felt a poke or something inside my left rib cage. So I poked it with my left thumb really fast. That made a stinging sensation,so this time I pressed harder, and harder. Now It really hurt. Went to the Bathroom took my shirt off and looked at my side first,and noticed these two marks. Looked back over to my shirt in my other hand,and baaaaam this fool was Mad-doggin(I think he was stunned actually,and me pressing actually helped shove his stinger in me). So I threw my shirt out the back door,and grabbed the spray. I took the pics first because I text my mom the pics. Didn't really think it could have been from your place. Then now thinking about it again...My 3 wasps,to your Elevendy Billion.I don't know if you noticed or not,but I was a bit freaked out in the garden. Then to make matters worse,here comes your boy all BEAST MODE....
"Hey do you know what this is..."
He knew every single pod,along with the name. Oh and he didn't even flinch at the crap flying EVERYWHERE!!

So I guess he made it inside my shirt,and just chilled in the AC. I think it was a hot'n that day? 107?
At any rate it didn't really hurt. After about an hr tho,it just got really annoying.

Damn man... thats a million different thoughts in a fee paragraphs. Couldnt keep up! LMAO

 

[scrufy]

Rub some Douglah on it.. That'l fix ya up right quick !

 

[LunchBox]

Edit:
sidenote- watching the olympics. Who in their right mind would name their kid destiny hooker? LMAO

I hate to do this...but the topic at hand is not the olympics, or naming a child something strange. I'm afraid I'm going to have to report...OOO!!! Something shiny! Say, that's a cool lookin' dog there in your pic, and I've been to southern California. I just had fajitas, and I see a blue pen.

What were we talking about?


Seriously though...I don't know that it's a water issue...we have numerous watering troughs for the horses (and they do hang out there), as well as the fact that we live a few houses down from a lake. They were swarming everywhere tonight...and the garden was bone dry!

 

[Dave2000]

Kill them all! Except wasps and bees since they are pollinators.
You will get stung if you don't introduce yourself and make friends with them. Talking insect is hard but you will succeed.

 

[Doomsdaykillz]

Kill them all! Except wasps since they are pollinators.
You will get stung if you don't introduce yourself and make friends with them. Talking insect is hard but you will succeed.

ilike fuzzy bees... wasps/yj's/hornets aer enemies

i likethe tiny bees esp since they seen to do most of my pollinatunng jobs for me

 

[LunchBox]

Well the damndest thing...I still have viable pollen...and it's August in TEXAS.

 

[Dulac]

Not sure what bit or stung me all over in the garden, but one of the welts is infected. It was under my knee, so I didn't see realize it was getting infected . You don't need pollinators for a self-pollinating plant.