Insects

I am slowly becoming more aware of the plethora of insects outside our door. I was never a fan of bugs of any kind, but gardening has changed that. So has my friend Milagra whom I casually refer to as a bee specialist, although she would deny that.

Still, I have been looking around at all the insects out there and growing amazed, really. I used to just think there were bees, wasps, ants, big spiders and little spiders. Now I realize there are many many different kinds of insects. Well, I did know of course that there were many many different kinds of insects, but I suppose I always thought that living in the city, there really weren't that many where I lived. Hawaii was the first place I lived where I realized cockroaches could actually be small animals, that cane spiders were as big as taurantulas, but could fly, that fire ants could burn your feet off, silverfish would destroy CDs, and that carpenter ants would actually eat electronics (as in my computer). That was Hawaii.

It's also true that the numbers of insects in general are on sharp decline, so there are not as many as there could be or should be. But still, it seems that there are perhaps 6 or 7 different types of bees, 3 or 4 different types of wasps, many different kinds of spiders and a few different kinds of ants, just outside our door on a daily basis.

Some sting or bite, others do not. Some pollinate, others do not. Some eat all those annoying cabbage worm larvae! Some eat aphids!

This year, we have had a drastic decline in aphids on greens, as well as cabbage moth larvae. But we've had an increase in wasps! At first, when I noticed how many wasps were about, I got nervous. But with a little research, it seems I should be hugging them for sticking around! Perhaps hug is the wrong action. Then, with yet more research, it seems that I still don't even know what kind of wasp I am trying to identify. I have named a few different wasps in the meantime, however: thread-waisted wasp, spider wasp, and mud daubers.

We also have honey bees, bumble bees, carpenter bees, hover flies, and a few others. I am learning alot. D is fascinated by bees and so I am trying to make her understand how to react around them without taking away her innate curiosity and wonder. So far it has been working.

I'm not sure why I was never a fan of insects, probably because I saw so few of them, growing up in the city, without a garden. We had plants and space outside to play, but you just don't see the mass amount of insects that you do when you actually have a functioning garden. D and I like to talk about all the insects and creatures out in the garden. She washes lettuce and points out bugs and takes them outside to help them (even slugs). I encourage it and show enthusiasm for bugs. Bugs are so important, so misunderstood, and so feared. It's too bad.

But back to wasps. I am trying to name the wasps that seem to hang around the grassy areas. Mostly because D plays there and I want to know how aggressive they are or what they are trying to do. If they are mud daubers, then they are trying to collect mud. But it's more wet and grassy than muddy. Plus they look more like yellow jackets, but I know they aren't since there isn't anything that would attract a yellow jacket there. Plus, they are bigger, longer, and simply look different than I've known your standard yellow jacket to look. They also seem unphased by us walking around and doing stuff there. What I want to know is: are they beneficial for the garden? Are they beneficial for us? For the yard? Also, will their queen hibernate and therefore their nest grow year after year? I'm not sure I want that. We had paper wasps in Hawaii and they got pretty bad, and they were right by the doorway to the house. These seem to be making their home underneath the back porch, so they are also in a high traffic area.

To be continued...