The Hornets Are Worse This Fall Than Ever It Seems In The Northland
Has anyone else noticed how terrible the hornets are this September? They are everywhere! This weekend at the lake we had a picnic outside and were forced inside to get away from all the wasps. Within minutes we were swarmed by dozens of them. I can't remember a fall where we had hornets this bad.
I went out and bought a disposable hornet trap. I've tried them in the past and I honestly haven't had great luck. Seeing as this was only a few bucks I decided to spring for it. I used some fishing line to tie it up on our fence and within days it was fully of dead & still alive hornets. I went back and bought a bunch more and hung them up around the yard. They keep filling up, but unfortunately the hornets keep coming.
What makes this fall so bad? It's hard to say. Maybe because it's been so dry? Seasonally yellowjackets, hornets, and wasps get more aggressive in August and September. It's because they are sensing the cooler temperatures and trying to get as much food as they can for their upcoming last meal. Perhaps they are being more aggressive this year because of the drought there hasn't been as many food sources? They could just be that much hungier and that's why they are bugging us our going towards our things that are sweet like beverages.
Hornets die off in the winter with only the queen of the colony surviving by burying herself deep in a tree or other place to stay warm over the winter. Then the colony start to rebuild in the spring. Did you know one nest can house 1,000 hornets? That's insane, I swear they are all at my place too.