I'd like to think that I was a lover of all God's creatures; that seeing them in their natural habitat makes me smile and wonder at their complex natures. But then I open up the blinds in my apartment and watch all those creatures fly and flit about on my balcony and my thinking changes drastically. It takes me a little bit to realize that maybe I never was a lover of all of God's creatures but only the soft and cute ones, and maybe the big and powerful ones too. But bugs? Well, bugs are another matter all together.
My balcony seems to be a melting pot of bug species; a sort of "Insectopia", if you will. There some flowers and some freshly sprouted green herbs for them to use. There's also moist soil and maybe a puddle of water that they can play in. As if that's not enough, there are thousands, if not millions, of tiny little spaces just big enough for them to squeeze into. It's awe-inspiring to watch a wasp wiggle itself underneath a crack next to the dryer vent that is invisible to the naked eye. It's mesmerizing to see spiders no bigger than the top of a nail head weave the most intricate webs around the most open of areas. It's addicting to follow the flight pattern of birds, butterflies, and teeny tiny gnats.
True, I can do all this from the relative safety of my apartment behind a thick sliding glass door, but when a ginormous wasp hurls itself into the window over and over again, I can't help but shudder. These wasps look like they drag their bodies around with their little wings and appear top heavy. Today I found out that these are not your ordinary yellow jacket wasps. These are actually Colorado Mud Daubers. (Read more about them HERE). They rarely sting people, and when they do it is more than likely due to being handled or trapped next to the body accidentally. They form cylindrical nests and stuff it to the max with different types of spiders, orb weavers and crab spiders being their first choice. They are solitary wasps, and after a long days' work they usually retire to nearby vegetation to rest. This explains why they are found in the tree next to my apartment (I found them last year and found them again this year) and why they look like they are ready to topple over when they fly (really elongated bodies). So, even though I don't like bugs (especially the flying ones), it's good that I was able to do some research on these ones to see that they are good because they should get rid of the two spiders I saw hanging off the balcony today, and they more than likely won't sting me when I'm out watering my plants in the morning. I'm still not a fan of bugs, but I guess these guys can stay.
2 comments:
That article has some pretty nasty pictures!
Are those the wasps that have long things hanging from their rear ends? That look like their back legs are three times too long for their bodies? We have those too.
YES!! Those are exactly what they are. They keep bumping into our sliding glass window here, and a couple of days ago we saw a black colored one, though after doing some more research I found out they are called Blue Mud Daubers (go figure). They are just so weird with their really long legs and bodies. Weird!!
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