Posted on 04/06/2015 9:00:54 PM PDT by djf
Now I have (and have had it for a while) a birdhouse right next to my back door.
Early in the spring, I checked it -but nothing seemed to be happening. There was an old nest inside from last year when I had the privilege of watching a pair of chickadees raise there young one.
About two or three weeks ago, I stepped outside about 2 AM just to see the weather, etc., and I heard a sound - it was like a buzzing. I realized it was coming from the birdhouse, and thought it might be wasps which I have a bit of a problem with. I decided to leave it till the morning and then terminate them.
The next morning I went out there and discovered it wasn't wasps - it was BUMBLEBEES!
Now I think that that is kinda kool, so I decided I wouldn't kill em.
Now, during the day when I'm outside, you frequently see them buzzing around and flying into and out of their nest. And it seems odd, but at night (our nights are still pretty chilly - 35F or so), you can go out there and they seem to just buzz - I imagine they are firing their engines to generate heat!
I am unsure if this is a permanent nest for them or exactly what's what - if anyone out there has more knowledge/experience with bumblebees, plese let me know! TIA!
I've been waging war against carpenter bees for several years now. They seem immune to spray. My latest weapon is an electrified tennis racket looking thing I found at Lowes.
Bumblebees nest in the ground. Carpenter bees nest in wood - they seem to like decks. They don't eat the wood so if you plug their holes over night, they won't be able to escape. However, I used duct tape over a hole last year and wouldn't you know it - someone staged a rescue and bored into the tape from the outside!
Carpenter bees are very aggressive but they don't sting. So you can get up face to face with them and whack them with a tennis racket. Their main defense is that they look like bumble bees. I've also read that they don't contribute much to pollination. So whack away!
Each hive has a different personality , based on the Queen.
The more aggressive bees were always the most productive honey makers.
Best to avoid loud noise (lawn mowers), big hair, dark shirts and fuzzy sweaters, or being around the hive with an approaching storm as that seems to aggrivate the bees.
I gave my self tennis elbow doing that one year. The new electric tennis rackets are pretty fun on those things too.
I’m not sure about bumblebees, however honey bees have the ability to “dis-locate” or un-hinge their wings (internally) and they vibrate in the hive to generate heat. That is what you are hearing. How big is the birdhouse?
Italians are the most docile; I was just removing my queen excluder last night with no problems what so ever. Now, if you eat a banana and get around a hive, you will have some problems. Banana's have the same make up that bees use to convey threats to one and other and ID an attacker. The guard bee's (usually six-seven per hive) are the first to kick things into high gear.
I know. There’s been a couple times when they come in and buzz my house - I gently use a glass and piece of cardboard to put them back out!
Not intentional I assure you. ;D)
Female carpenter bees have a painful sting, but are rarely agressive. The males are usually the ones that dive bomb you and are very curious. They don’t have a stinger. If anyone wants to know the difference, bumble bees have a hairy abdomen, carpenter bees have a shiny hairless black one.
I’m not sure if any male bees sting, I don’t think so.
Freegards
I had one of those in a cedar tree in the back yard last summer. I figured I'd wait until winter and go back and get rid of it while they were hibernating. When I went to check on it, it had been ripped open and all the cells were empty. Kind of looked like woodpecker damage.
I need to start saving these. One of my favorites was a thread where someone wrote, “A McMansion is expensive. You gave to pay people to maintain it, repair it and desecrate it.”
Lol! That was good!
Actually the bees remaining in the nest are all males and they die while the queen flies off and finds maybe a wood pile to spend the winter in. In the spring she comes out then starts the building of a new nest, laying eggs that will hatch into the males that will help her build it.
It's birds that shred the old nest looking to eat the dead bees.........
Up to 96 for the spring. Hope to hit 100 today.
We are restaining the logs and putting a glossy clear coat over them. Carpenter bees need to latch on to something, and now it is impossible. Love it.
Wow! I knocked out maybe a dozen last year. Weather's warming up and I already see some coming back to last year's nests in my porch (in a space I can't reach). Time to change the batteries in the electric tennis racket...
You are correct. It was carpenter bees.
I was always told to watch out for the ones with
white faces, they have a mean bite.
Yeah, probably the males dive bombing you. I didn’t realize until this thread that they’re stingerless. It has changed my attitude towards them. I was outside working this past week and had some carpenter bees pestering me, but I just ignored them and everything was okay. I actually admire them for their bravery — defending their homestead against me without even having a sting for a weapon. They were also fighting off some wasps in the area, which was helpful. Any time a wasp would slow down to surveille me, a bee would come zooming in and escort the wasp away.
Well, you could have told me that before I went running like a screaming maniac into the house as they were chasing me! LOL
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