In the summer of 2016, I noticed some piles of sawdust under an old log in a wood pile. When I looked closely, I saw a small ant-like insect entering one of the holes that were scattered about. I took a few photos and posted them on iNat and it was identified as an aphid wasp (Pemphredon sp.). They returned every spring for the next six years, nesting in the same log.
But after the summer of 2022, I didn't see any more nesting there. But this summer they've shown up in a new location - in an old wood pile on the other side of the yard. It's a busy place this summer, with dozens of active nests.
The Aphid wasps have found a new place to nest in the yard. For many years they nested in a brush pile on the north side of the house. Now it's in an old woodpile by the compost. There are dozens of holes with lots of sawdust on the ground to mark th ...
In the summer of 2016, I noticed some piles of sawdust under an old log in a wood pile. When I looked closely, I saw a small ant-like insect entering one of the holes that were scattered about. I took a few photos and posted them on iNat and it was identified as an aphid wasp (Pemphredon sp.). They returned every spring for the next six years, nesting in the same log.
But after the summer of 2022, I didn't see any more nesting there. But this summer they've shown up in a new location - in an old wood pile on the other side of the yard. It's a busy place this summer, with dozens of active nests.
