I've never seen hornets attack adult butterflies or moths, Nerry, but I have seen yellow jackets attack people, namely me, repeatedly, after hurricanes. I assume it has something to do with their homes being disturbed? because when I picked up a stick (cleaning up debrs in the woods) about a week ago, a bumble bee chased me until it stung me - weird. Maybe it was building some type of bee home under the log/stick, which had been there for some time?

Wasps are usually caterpillar killers and eaters, ignoring the adults, but when it comes to these bugs, you never know!

Sherry

I know we favor some animals/insects over others. And we are always disappointed when one of them hurts the things we prefer. But I feel that we have to keep in mind that nature is usually balanced, and knows what its doing. So try not to get too hateful towards hornets. :)

I think if things do get unbalanced, its because of something man has done, and the animal world is responding to that.

OMG. Sorry you were stung Sherry. You're both right - weird things do happen in the animal kingdom with no plausible explanation. I guess I just wanted to know what was going on. Thanks

OMG. Sorry you were stung Sherry. You're both right - weird things do happen in the animal kingdom with no plausible explanation. I guess I just wanted to know what was going on. Thanks

Earlier this summer I saw a tattered male Monarch trying to nectar on some milkweed that was also being used by many bees and wasps. As I watched, several wasps and one particularly aggressive bee flew at the Monarch and actually bumped him off the blossom or leaf he was trying to rest on. They didn't do it as a group, but one or another seemed to be constantly chasing him off wherever he tried to land.

Martha

Catherinet I think we have a different view of not interfering with "nature." There aren't that many of us who specifically raise plants to help butterflies feed and reproduce. If we reduce the wasp population in our yards by killing a few of them off I don't think we will be affecting nature too much, except that we will be allowing more beautiful butterflies to exist.

I live in Florida and I regularly kill fire ants in my yard, as well as most insects, including cockroaches in my house. I have Camellias and roses and gardenias and if I didn't spray them with something they would not grow. The county sprays for mosquito control and most people put insecticides on their lawn to keep them from being eaten. I keep spraying to a minimum and try to be as specific as possible. I have changed my lawn to Bahia so that I don't need to spray and I don't really care if my lawn isn't perfect.

As to wasps, I leave most of them alone, but the paper wasps that make nests in my passaflora I spray. They do sting if disturbed at all and they do kill lots of caterpillars, which I am trying with great effort to keep alive. I don't think that I'm doing much to disturb the environment by having more butterflies than is normal and somewhat fewer wasps than could be expected with so many caterpillars to eat.

I agree that hornets are part of nature and, as a rule, should be left alone. However if one stings me I will do my best to kill it. I will do the same, if possible, if I see one of them killing and eating butterfly caterpillars.