Renovation Entomology
My brother bought the condo next to his place in Indianapolis for a really good deal, although the place is a mess. I was over there today helping him clean it out (filled a dumpster, and need to get a second!!) and found my first BMSB (Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, Halyomorpha halys), just waltzing around on one of the trash bags. I was pretty excited to find it, even though I’m sure I’ll be seeing many, many more in the coming years. I was kind of surprised to only find one though.
It was a pretty warm fall day, the kind when lots of insects are cruising around looking for the perfect spot to spend the winter. Boxelder bugs, Boisea trivittata, were swarming on the sunny side of the building. Billbugs, Sphenophorus parvulus, were lumbering across the sidewalks, and quite common too. I also saw a couple Sitona joining them. The quicker sidewalk bugs included a Geocoris uliginosus and a nice winged female Bethylid (Holepyris sp.) that I scooped up with a leaf (I’ve learned my lesson about handling them, they pack a mean sting, and man is her stinger big). Also nabbed a tachinid fly that wasn’t very interested in running away from my fingers. Unfortunately she dropped a few legs when I put her in my vial.
Oh yeah, there is a hornet nest, in the FREAKING wall. It’s big too, probably bald-faced hornets. Luckily the inhabitants were all gone. I’ll have to take pictures of it next weekend.
EDIT: Turns out the wasp nest was from German yellowjackets (Vespula germanica).
Midwestbugs 
I remember being at a friends house last summer when a wasp (mud wasp?) flew out from behind a poster on his wall. We took a closer look and discovered a nest. SO, he got a dictionary and tried to crush the whole thing. This would have worked it the wasn’t wasn’t too strong, but it was and we ran out of the house with the wasps following us.
I guess that was a case where the pen wasn’t mightier than the sword. 🙂