This is really strange

16 years ago

I grow a lot of daylilies and they are in full bloom right now. Yellowjackets and those funky neon green bees are out in force! I'm guessing there were over a hundred of them just in the front yard. So much so that last night when I liveheaded (removed the days flower blossoms) the yellowjackets skimmed my hands as I reached for a bloom and as they buzzed on their way. They were much more interested in the bright flowers than what I was doing.

Early this a.m., I went to Ace Hardware for whatever kind of yellowjacket traps they had. OK, they had these bags that have a bait in them and a yellow plastic vent to allow the bees to get in them. To use it, you hang the bags and then fill them with water and the water activates the bait. By this evening, nothing is in the traps, but there are NO yellowjackets or green bees to be seen.

A week ago at our favorite restaurant in NSB, the owners explained in broken english (they are Italian) that someone told them that plastic bags filled with water would deter flies and bees. Well, this theory was just proven to me. The bags I put out eliminated the critters even though the traps didn't catch any of them.

HOW CAN THIS BE????? We're shaking our heads because we would never believe it, but it's true. I liveheaded this evening and two yellowjackets in the front yard and one in the back. That's all!

How can this be????? Why? My neighbor says it's voodoo.

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Comments (8)

fagopher
16 years ago
As a kid, I used to see lots of plastic(clear) bags full of water hanging in places as a way to deter flies.. and I think it worked. It was in another country...
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
16 years ago
see link below

Here is a link that might be useful: Can a bag of water keep flies away?
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stuartwanda
16 years ago
Very interesting? Might try that myself.
beachlily z9a
Original Author
16 years ago
Checked outside this morning, and just a few slow learners were buzzing around. Now I can tend to those daylilies! It's been so bad that I just stood there and looked at them knowing I could do nothing.

Truly, if I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I would never have believed it!
olyagrove
16 years ago
Interesting. Must be the light (passing through) phenomenon, and I wonder if a glass ball or jar would have a similar "terrifying" effect.
manature
16 years ago
Very interesting theory. I have never noticed any bags of water around restaurants, etc, but will keep an eye out. If it actually does work, it's certainly preferable to using pesticides willy-nilly.

I'm not sure why the author of the article (Robert Lamb) thinks "clear" and "opaque" mean the same thing when they are exact opposites, but other than that, I found the studies he mentions intriguing.

Just as an aside, I have tons of bees this year (for the first time in about 4 years), along with bumblebees, those bright green "sweat bees," and various wasps and things. None of them pay any attention to me at all when I'm working in the plants. I can put my hand right down into the bushes, even when there are dozens buzzing around. However, woe be unto me if I bump into an actual wasp nest. They will certainly come out prepared to do battle then, especially those little half inch long red wasps that make a nest only about 2" wide. They are the most aggressive of any of them, I think.

I'm glad the bags worked for you, BL. Good luck.

Marcia
beachlily z9a
Original Author
16 years ago
Spoke too soon. After the sun came up, the yellowjackets were back. They act drunk on the color and scent of the daylilies. Guess those baits don't even compare!

Anyway, trying another style of trap. Still no luck despite 3 different types of bait in this one. I'm not the only one who likes my flowers!
SaintPFLA
16 years ago
I have noticed wasps seem to prefer the color yellow. My water fountain is yellow and the wasps seem to frequently visit it.