Everything that has been hibernating or dormant for the winter will soon be active again- this means bears (it’s time to start watching for them) and wasps (get the traps up early!)
Read what local biologist Tim Thier has to say about bears- it may be from last year, but it’s still relevant, and excellent!
Bear Hibernation (Part I)
People are fascinated by bears for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is their ability to hibernate. Imagine an animal much like people in many ways, being able to crawl into a den for 5-6 months and remain there, without eating, drinking, urinating or defecating, the entire time. As if that wasn’t…
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Bear Hibernation Part II
While I was working on black bears in the Yaak for my Masters degree, I had the pleasure of cooperating with Dr. Ralph Nelson from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Nelson was studying hibernation in bears for a variety of human-related reasons, not the least of which was to assist NASA with sending…
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Bear Hibernation Part III
Black bear dens in northwest Montana come in a variety of types. The most common den consists of where a large tree toppled over years ago, bringing up a large amount of soil with the roots. Black bears will hollow out an area under the fallen tree where the trunk meets the roots. Usually, these…
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And a reminder- it isn’t just time to start trapping wasps, it’s also important to consider what they are eating. The best bait will vary throughout the year, the same as the wasp diet will.
Learn about wasps, and when to trap them (and with what)
The time to start trapping wasps is now.
While winter isn’t quite done with us yet, we’ve had a good period of warmth recently. Wasps, as well as bears, are waking from their winter hibernation. I’ve seen a few queen paper wasps scouting for new nesting sites. With this in mind, if you want to control wasps in or around your property, the…
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Wasp control
I’d wanted to talk about how to read wasp body language this week, but that’ll be postponed. I couldn’t persuade any individuals to do threat displays this week – all live wasps were well-mannered, despite extreme invasion of their personal space. Most of the wasps I’ve seen around Trego are Polistes paper wasps. We have…
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Paper Wasp Body Language
If you know what signs to look for when you meet a wasp, it’s easy to avoid being stung. Have you ever been buzzed by a bee or a paper wasp? They dive bomb you, fly close to your face, even collide with you, but without stinging? Those were probably sentries for a nest, trying…
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Trego's Mountain Ear 