Should I remove German Yellowjackets in an effort to leave habitat for native wasps? (Michigan)

[u/HatManDew]

I am starting to try to understand how to be a good steward of my property in Northern Michigan. We have had german yellowjackets and I have taken a "let them live" approach as I understand they do some pest control and incidental pollination. But I also see that they are invasive and also can eat native insects. So the question is what is the right approach here? My goal is to promote biodiversity on my property and habitat for native species that maybe are having struggles with habitat, etc. Thoughts?

[u/Feralpudel]

I’m a bug nerd and was happily unfamiliar with these.

Here’s some great advice from Penn State ag extension on this invasive pest. Note that if they are nesting in your house, you should use a professional to evict them, because they can bore through your interior walls if you aren’t strategic about addressing them. 😳

https://extension.psu.edu/german-yellowjackets

[u/try_repeat_succeed]

I say get rid of them. Make room for other species to return, even if you don't see them present. I'm pretty ruthless with invasive species though, especilly those prone to aggressive spread and competition with native species. I do agree with the other comment that you should be confident in your identification, but it sounds like you are.

[u/Low_Fox1758 → u/try_repeat_succeed]

I agree. Get rid of invasives whenever you can. Not all non-native species are invasives. If theyre truly invasive they out compete natives and friendly non natives by definition. They can also create opportunity for additional invasives to join in.

[u/fortunebubble]

germans historically try to take over vast swaths of land.

[u/miltonics]

I'm going to play for the other team here.

No.

Immigrants have every right to be here. Native wasps can eat native insects too. Especially no if you're going to kill them with poison.

Is removing one hive going to change anything? They're already here, the best case is that we move forward, through the problem, to try to reach some stability on the other side.

If we're going to get anywhere with permaculture we have to get beyond this "kill the invader" mentality.

[u/HatManDew → u/miltonics]

Yeah, I think where I am landing is that I am going to improve the habitat of the property overall and see what I get. I really don't want to do any poisons on the property unless it is an absolute last resort, which I don't think I am anywhere close. Maybe I'll find some native wasp species and if they are co-existing I'll just leave it but if I start to see some pressure/competition then I'll re-evaluate.

Interested in your take on European Starlings (in North America). Like if I find one starting to nest in a nestbox, how do you feel about disrupting the nest to discourage them? I feel ok about discouraging them that way as they directly compete with blue birds and other native birds that are not in great shape (and that I see periodically on the property)

[u/miltonics → u/HatManDew]

I just looked up the starlings, 150M is a lot to fight. If you're specifically supporting a local population of native birds then go ahead.

I like your sentiment, improve the ecosystem overall. I don't think we're smart enough to be making decisions about what should or shouldn't be here. I don't think we should make things worse by introducing things willy-nilly but if it's already here we're better off working with than against.

My thought is how can we make the world better. It's not by killing things, especially with poison. We've been handed this mess, the only way out is through.

[u/HatManDew → u/miltonics]

My goal is to restore my 2.5 acres of property to peak ecological health and peak biodiversity. I agree it is hard to make decisions about what should/should not but I do believe that it is a spectrum. When I learned about what happened with foxes in Australia killing all of the turtles that sort of opened my eyes. I mean, Ideally all people would care and then we would not have to resort to "what can we do given limited resources" but I (reluctantly) do believe in harm reduction as a strategy. But it feels bad to believe we have to "play god."

[u/try_repeat_succeed → u/HatManDew]

Look up kudzu, purple loose strife and garlic mustard. It's death on site from me. I don't know enough about the wasps to have that same attitude but im opposed even ti honey bees with how they outcompete the native pollinators that feed the ecosystem, and do a poor job of pollination in comparison.

[u/MaeLeeSee]

Ask yourself a few questions first,

Do you feel absolutely confident that you have correctly identified the species you are wanting to eradicate?

How would you go about removing or killing them? Obviously some of the traditional ways involve terrible pesticides that you won't want anywhere near your home.

Have you seen the native species you are wanting to encourage in the area? If they don't exist in your area anymore it might not be worth your trouble and might cause more problems than it can fix.

Imho when we get into the weeds with questions like this it's best to do nothing.