Cicada Killer wasps are huge, but I think it's still a little early for them, unless you're in the south, sdshoars. These wasps nest in the ground (you can see their tunnel entrances, usually with a little pile of dirt/sand nearby) and while the female is reported to have a very severe sting, they are generally not aggressive. Perhaps a carpenter bee? They are active now, not as big as the cicada killer, but a pretty impressive size. They're even less aggressive, but can be a problem if they're nesting in your house or other wooden structure on your property: they make tunnels in the wood in which to lay their eggs.

We had some bald faced hornets build a nest in a young dogwood tree about hip-height off the ground right near the edge of our lawn. We practiced "don't bother us, and we won't bother you." They never were particulary threatening, even when we mowed the grass close to them. It was really fascinating to watch them build the nest. They seemed to follow regular flight paths, and if we got in their way they'd fly up to us, look annoyed, then go around. The nest had grown to be little bit bigger than a football when we got up one morning and it was gone except for a tiny bit still stuck to the tree. We found other bits and pieces scattered around the yard--must have been a raccoon looking for some tasty grubs is all we can figure. There were still a few wasps left who tried half-heartedly to rebuild the nest from the remains, but they were gone in a couple of weeks. We also had a yellow jacket nest get in a gap in the siding above our back door. They would zoom above your head while you went in and out. Fortunatley the lifecycle for them in this part of the world is to only nest for one season. By the end of fall they were gone, and we patched up the gap. Western yellow jackets are not as aggressive as the ones in the southeast, or we might have called an exterminator. With both these nests and all the wasps visiting the flowers in the yard, I've only been stung once since I've lived here. I was just out of the shower and smelling of soap, and one of the little beasties had to check out that good smell and flew up my pants leg. When he found out he was trapped, I got stung. Perfectly understandable from his point of view. Sometimes having the wasps and hornets check you out is a little unnerving, because the sting does hurt, but they are such beneficials that we try to leave them alone if at all possible.

Jessaka, We cornered MiMi, the feral kitten that didn't want to come indoors, on the enclosed back porch last summer when a 112-degree was forecast, and kept her inside throughout the heat wave. She stayed mad and stubbornly hid in the guest room closet for 2 months, venturing out only to eat and to use the litter box. I finally let her go outside to play, hoping she'd come in with her litter mates at night. She wouldn't then and still doesn't. We caught her again when she was a little older in order to take her to the vet and get her spayed. She still holds that against us. She is a very stubborn cat. If I ever catch her again, I will keep her inside forever or until she becomes tame. She doesn't hate me. She follows me around and meows and talks to me. She just doesn't want to be touched or told what to do. I could put on leather gloves and grab her and bring her in against her will, but I hate to upset her that much. I keep hoping she'll follow her mom indoors one evening. Last week she actually did. She made it inside the front door about a foot, then realized where she was and turned and ran out before I could close the door. In the meantime, paper wasps are building a nest by the front door, so I need to remember to knock that down at night while the wasps are not active...but MiMi sleeps on that porch and I don't want for the wasps to get her. Pet names can be tricky. For years we had a dog named Biscuit. (Chris named him after the rock group Limp Bizkit.) About 5 years after Biscuit adopted us, a golden terrier type dog came to live with us and we named her Honey. We didn't think about it at the time, but later on, when they were out running through the woods and we were calling them to come home, there we were yelling "Honey! Biscuit!" It sounded like we were calling our breakfast to come home. Dawn

Pretty sure you can shoot it with a permit in some states, not sure. Either way I think the easiest solution is owning roosters. I live near a lake with a lot of birds of prey and my roosters have killed many hawks trying to get their girls. I have issues with the large owls personally, they have even broke into my coops and kill for fun. I absolutely hate birds of prey and wish my roosters could slay the owls too. I'm not down to go to jail over birds but I have told my neighbors who also hate them I know nothing if some of them go missing around here lol. Plenty of shotguns in our neighborhood going off when we see them flying around, the wild quail population has skyrocketed this year! Also, if ones attacking your pets or livestock you have the right to protect them within reason. I killed a hawk with a golfball sized rock once that was attacking my cat, killer aim to the head! No regrets, heft vet bill and my cat lost its ear.