Unknown tree (for drunk wasps:))

Well last week i was asking about what was making wasps fall out of my tree. The general consensus was that the sap was probably making them drunk. Heres the piccies of the tree and leaves.



Any ID help appreciated.

Oh and the catnips/catlins (i forget the name) that grew were yellow.

 

Not a lime is it? When I was at a beekeeper's meeting the other week they were talking about a type of lime that produces pollen or nectar that is poisonous to bees. They said that you can find them dead under the trees. Fortunately it is a rare specie.

 

If this helps I got this off Wikipedia. Looks pretty similar

It's a leaf from a common lime. (Don't worry the pic is not copyrighted.)

If Geoff is right, are you sure they are wasps NG? I do hope they are not honey-bees.

 

They are definitely wasps and not bees or those fake hoverfly types. Also not a single wasp has died near my tree since i've noticed it happening so i dont think they are actually being poisened (not to death anyway). It also doesn't smell at all like lime so i dont think its that.

 

NG. The British lime tree is nothing to do with the lime fruit. It is known in the US (and Germany) as the linden.

I don't honestly know if wasps are affected by the same thing as bees but I only asked this because I once got invaded by honey bees and thought they were wasps. They look nothing like bumble bees of course, more like a blackish wasp, but Geoff will know far more about that than me. (OK Geoff, I realised in time and had them lifted, not fumigated).

So you are back investigating. I love a good Agatha Christie :confused: . But I think even Poirot may be stumped by this one.

Will watch with interest.

 

I think its a goat willow. Salix caprea.
They can turn completely black with honey dew/sooty mould, which attracts the wasps.

 

Thanks pete and all.

I thought it was a willow from somewhere else aswell, i think my dad reckoned it was from only my verbal descriptions and his tree surgeon anatomy books. I've remembered the name i got wrong above, the catkins look generally like these.
http://images.google.com/images?q=catkin&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&ie=utf8&oe=utf8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

There yellow and in fact do look like this.
willow catkins

but just as much like this
goats willlow

Thanks all, we know whats making my wasps drunk

 

I just thought, is this bad? The dew/sooty mould? I dont want it to die, its the only tree in my garden after the other silver one got blown over in the storms a couple of months ago. :(

There are black aphids that i keep meaning to get some systemic insecticide to sort out. (sorry if its not organic).

 

So. Sussed. Well if in doubt go to a moderator That's what they are paid for. Paid???? :D Sorry Pete.

 

Newbiegreen, I dont think it will kill the tree, but it is unsightly and can be messy.
There is one of these trees bordering my allotment, some years it gets the problem, some it dont. In this case its a small yellow aphid on the underside of the leaves.
They respond well to hard winter pruning, putting up strong new stems the following summer if you ever want to give it a haircut.

John,

 

Well if its honey dew on the willow it will be a sugary solution and I suppose it must be fermenting and that is why the wasps are getting stoned. You had better steer clear when they wakes up... a wasp with a sore head!!!!
I am only a beginner at this bee keeping lark. looking to get my first hive in Spring hopefully. Just got back from another meeting. I was given the job of opening up the big colony. Last week this hive got angry and tonight they seemed a bit P****d off when someone smoked them. I was doing Ok examining the frames until the instructor took the frame and knocked the bees off back into the hive. There was a very loud humming and being hit by several hundred flying bees is quite an interesting experience. At least i did not chicken out like one guy did last week. It would appear that the feisty ones seem to be better at getting honey than the placid ones. Not so sure my neighbours would appreciate bees with attitude though.
Now if I could put a hive of them at my in laws where I had a row with a guy over the dogs, perhaps put it just over the wall near where he parks his car....