Bee Season

Sun Shine · #21 04-22-2008, 05:49 PM

I DON'T LIKE BEEEEEEESSSSSSS... I will run like hell!

Curly · #22 04-22-2008, 06:07 PM

Quote:

bees seem especially bad this year...they hover around my truck though its dirty as hell...why I have NO idea lol

Hemi's are sweet.

Ok kid, wasps? Fat looking? colors? I need details.

I've got termites coming out of the ground today, swarming.

Kid Lester · #23 04-22-2008, 06:12 PM

They look pretty much like bumblebees...small, fuzzy...black and yellow.

They are NOT wasps, hornets, or yellowjackets.

They could be wood bees, bumbles, carpenters....I don't really know.

They're not fat, just small and fuzzy.

And they aren't aggressive at all. They fly into the little caverns they've created, fly back out, and really don't bother anyone.

?

Pythoness · #24 04-22-2008, 07:22 PM

Hey Kid, are these caverns on the ground, or in the deck itself? If they are nesting in the ground, they could either be a ground nesting wasp or hornet, or miner bees. Certain types of miner bees can look exceptionally like honey bees, but generally darker in color. The only way most people can tell the difference is by their behavior - miner bees, of course, live in the ground in individual nest sites, not in one big colony.

If they're in the deck, they are carpenter bees. Carpenter bees are big suckers. These are what most people confuse with "bumble bees." The difference is (in visual terms anyway), carpenter bees have a shiny black abdomen. Bumble bees have a fuzzy yellow and black striped abdomen.

If they are carpenter bees, or even bumble bees, you've got really nothing to worry about. You really have to work to make these bees sting you (and I mean, really, you have to work at it). I usually walk around picking them up, petting them, or, what I used to do when I was younger to amuse little kids I babysat for, pick them up in my hand and shake them up and let them go. I've never been stung by one.

I still wouldn't recommend that you do that. I've never been stung by anything. Stinging things with wings just don't sting me, no matter what I do to or with them.

Carpenter bees will drill nice big holes in your patio, though. So they can be a nuisance.

For help with identification try this page: Insect Stings Online Allergy Resrouce
You could also try the Interactive Identification Guide of Bees and Wasps from Virginia Tech's Department of Entomology.

Kid Lester · #25 04-22-2008, 07:29 PM

I think they're Miner bees...based on your description!

They have like 6 to a nest in various locations.

Panama Girl · #26 04-22-2008, 08:14 PM

Ok, so you're not interested in napalm... well, it does have too broad an area of effect.

Let's keep it focused and use a flamethrower instead!

Tracy · #27 04-22-2008, 08:16 PM

see.....this is why I look pale and pasty

Panama Girl · #28 04-22-2008, 08:23 PM

At the farm the bugs are in full swing.

On any given day I'm seeing:
honey bees
wasps
bumblebees
(suspected) carpenter bees
flies
gnats

Mosquitoes are the only ones who haven't showed up yet.

19720 · #29 04-22-2008, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kid Lester

I have an allergy to them, but I think only to yellow jackets. I don't remember. When I was 7, I stepped on a hive/nest and got stung by 45 jackets. I almost died. But...it was 45 stings....how did they really know I was allergic? And to what degree?

These guys aren't aggressive at all. They just keep going out and coming back. Sooner or later, somebody's gonna get stung, even if it's accidental.

They could be Wood bees...They would be bees if the wood bees could sting....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kid Lester

If only I could express how much I truly appreciate the input.

LOL... I ain't goin there......

Quote:

Originally Posted by ss0847

she called me like 10 mins later....said sorry about that...it wouldn't get out lol

If only you could train them to sit in the back seat, and buckle up like good children..... Damn bees.....

They're attracted to your Honey Suckle edition Dodge.....

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Pythoness · #30 04-23-2008, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kid Lester

I think they're Miner bees...based on your description!

They have like 6 to a nest in various locations.

Best natural solution?

Birds! Birds, birds, birds.

Birds have a stupidly high metabolism - higher than mine, even! The amount of insects an insect-eating bird has to eat on a daily basis is staggering. If you let them know you've got a bonanza in your backyard, they'll clean you out.

That might take awhile, to attract the right type of birds to your area. The Eastern Phoebe is one that will eat just about any insect that flies, but they typically prefer heavily wooded areas.

So how do you attract insect eating birds to your yard? If you have feeders, mix freeze dried meal worms into your seed. (We have them at the store, and you can also buy them from some garden centers under the label "Bird Grub.")

If you don't have feeders.. buy one! And mix dried worms into your seed. lol.

Bee Season

Nature and Environment