Butterfly-predacious Hornets

[Doug Yanega]

>The aforementioned 'yellow and orange' Hornets still keep their
>nesting habitrs secret from me.  One educator ventured that this
>hornet may be the 'old world' hornet,  'Vespa',  and may not build a
>nest in the open,  but possibly in the ground.  Note - This Hornet is
>slightly larger than the common Black and Cream colored hornet,  which
>builds a grey,  spherical nest in trees.

Actually, I believe Vespa crabro (the European Hornet) makes nests in
trees, rather than in the ground. The other species you have is the
Bald-faced Hornet, Dolichovespula maculata. At least you now know their
identities, for future reference.

Peace,

Doug Yanega    Depto. de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas,
Univ. Fed. de Minas Gerais, Cx.P. 486, 30.161-970 Belo Horizonte, MG   BRAZIL
phone: 031-449-2579, fax: 031-441-5481  (from U.S., prefix 011-55)
                  http://www.icb.ufmg.br/~dyanega/
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82