I don't think hornets eat pollen and they don't make honey.They eat insects and spiders. I wonder if it was cool out and perhaps the sun was warming the steel slightly and they were on the steel or warmth?
Planning a Batona Trail Thru Hike
- Thread starter sgtdave4321
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You're right. They eat insects. They were fascinating to watch so closely, summer 2012. I noticed they would land and wait on my dogs' feces in the yard and grab flies when they came around! Then, directly back to the nest...
I wonder if they were smart enough to use dog crap as bait or if they landed there to lick salt and took advantage of the flies when they showed up? I don't know if insects crave salt like mammals do?
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Toothy Critter
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It was 45 years or so ago so damn if I remember the paint but it was sunny. I thought they might have been attracted to the warm metal. IDK. But I'm talking many thousands of wasps. Not flying, not eating, as far as I noticed. Just chilling, like a huge organism or entity. Geez...I watch too many creature feature movies
But I'm sure the Rangers that man the towers have seen it before, and may know the answer.
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A possible answer to the wasp swarms...note the high structures reference: https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Other/note144/note144.html
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Toothy Critter
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On a fire tower? Now thats an idea! Much too old for that now though:-( Have a cousin who claims the deed in a tree. I"d be terribly frightened of splinters in wayward places!
It's either climb the tower or...too old to do both!
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