The weather is getting warmer and the flowers are blooming, emanating the sweet smell of spring and summer.  We have been waiting for this time all winter long.  However, we were not the only ones.  Bees, Hornets, Wasps and Yellow Jackets have been longing for this time as well.  As we begin to work on landscaping, seeding our lawns and planting our favorite flowers, they are eager to assist us with our work.  In what way you may ask ?  They are the major pollinators of flowering plants and assist in the reduction of many insect pests. Therefore, this makes them a very beneficial group of insects.   They are identified as either solitary (live independent of a colony) or social (live together in a colony).  Understanding their behavior, social or otherwise, will provide us with important information that may allow us to avoid a nasty encounter.  
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Have you noticed that when you observe someone that really knows what he or she is doing, our normal reaction is I can do that!  However, what we tend to neglect is this very simple fact; their skill is a result of years of training and experience which gives us the false sense that anyone can do it.  Whether it’s watching a celebrity chef on the Food Channel or craftsmen on DIY Network, the fact remains that training and experience is the key to why it always appears to be so easy.
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One thing I have learned over the thirty years in pest management is that insects or rodents don’t always follow the manuals.  Though they (manuals) provide valuable information on the biology and basic behavior of these various pests, it’s not an exact science. 

Case in point, a colleague and I were called on to evaluate the source of a gnat condition in a newly renovated office building on the twentieth floor.  After our initial evaluation we were able to identify the insect as a Phorid Fly. 
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