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What's all the "BUZZ" about?

Well, It's this little fellar right here!

                                                                Carpenter Bee

 If you have any wood on your house you have probably seen these guys hanging around drilling small perfectly round holes in just about any structure . Or you have seen the sawdust below and wondered where that came from. Well, just look up and you'll see the hole. Or, you have been sitting outside on your porch and had one of them fly up to you and try to intimidate you. Don't panic!!

Here are the facts about the Carpenter Bee that you need to know.

1. The male carpenter bee is not able to sting. The females can sting but are pretty docile unless you go on a full out attack on them. So, if they stare and they dare, just act unaware.

2. A Carpenter Bee is NOT a "Bumble Bee". At first glance they may look like a Bumble Bee but if you know what to look for you can easily tell them apart. A good thing too, since a bumble can and will sting you if provoked. Here is the need to know difference between the two. The carpenter bee has a smooth outer abdomen as opposed to the bumble bee. Also a bumble bee does not bore into wood to make a nest.

3. And, this is very important. That little hole that you see is not the entire home of the carpenter bee. It may look like they just go straight in but once inside that little hole they start boring in various directions and set up a series of "baffles" to inhibit intruders and to protect the eggs etc. Note the baffles on the lower right side of the sketch as an example. 

 4. From the sketch you can see how jamming a stick or dowel into the hole or spraying a typical insecticide such as for wasps etc. would do very little good since it would probably go in straight. 

                                                                                                                                                        The best solution here is to use a product such as SEVIN in the "powder" form not liquid. Put it into a small squeeze type plastic bottle. If you get the powder into the entrance hole then the bee will walk through it and carry it back to the nest on its legs and body where it can do more good in eradicating the entire clan. Remember: always wear proper eye, nose, mouth and body protection as specified on the product label when using any pesticide.

Allow about 2- 4 days for all of your efforts here to work and then plug the holes with putty or caulk to match the existing wood as best as possible. If you do not plug the holes then future carpenter bees may be thanking you for the "furnished apartment" plus put on their own addition. 

 Happy Hunting! 

 Ken

WHOA!!!

WHOA!!!

 W---H---O---A!!!!

WHEW!....That was close!.... Them little critters can hurt ya!

Sure wish you all would keep my feeder clean so I didn't have to take chances

like this. I know you want me around or you wouldn't have put food out for me.

But....LOOK.....All ya gotta do to keep me healthy and safe is to just wash

out my feeder every 3-4 days and put a  little fresh stuff in it.

Now, I ask ya,....is that toooooooooo much to ask to keep a little cutie like me 

around  to "oogle" at??? ....I'm pretty entertaining ya know!

JUNE "DO'S"

1. If you have not already pruned your lilacs, azaleas and any other "early" blooming shrubs.....GET ON IT!! They need the entire rest of the year to store up goodies so they can bloom again next year.

2. Spirea will be finishing up blooming around the end of the month so you will need to prune them AGAIN and HARD. They will look ugly for a couple of weeks but the patient reward will be a much smaller, tighter and better looking plant in your landscape.

3. Don't forget to put mulch down. With the hot weather coming ( 90 degrees right now ) your plants need the protection and moisture retention abilities of the mulch.

4. If you have given up on a garden for this year I am sure Kroger's etc. will be very grateful but I doubt you will get a thank you card. You could always plant a tomato, pepper or various herbs in a pot and put them on your deck or patio. Even if you do put in a garden it is not a bad idea to plant one or two of these in areas of quick access.

5. Last but not least. In visiting I have noticed "aphids" on many burning bushes and birch trees. You will notice stunted looking leaves or leaves that are somewhat curled up lengthwise. Inside these curls or on the undersides of the leaves you will find these little ( hopefully ) black dots. These are aphids and if you have a magnifying glass you can get a good close up of them. Spray them with an insecticide but make sure you purchase one that has aphids listed. If you buy an insecticide and it does not state that it will kill aphids then you have wasted both your time and money. Not all insecticides kill all insects. And make sure that the one you choose will not be harmful to the plants you are spraying it on. Remember: read the label and follow all of the recommended dosage and safety instructions. I know most of us hate reading instructions but these pesticide labels are here to protect you.  

IMPORTANT: Try to avoid spraying any insecticide on any plant that is "blooming" if at all possible as you may very well kill bees that are desperately needed to help propagate our plants and food. The honeybee population is in great decline and our existence is dependant on their existence together with other bees, even the carpenter bee. Spraying a specific carpenter bee hole is far less harmful than spraying a flower where hundreds of bees may visit.