Bees

[frans]

Dammit!
I just killed a nice honey bee hive.
a peach farmer talked me into it.
he said the bees were destroying his peaches. A bee expert came out and attempted to relocate the bees, but couldn’t do the job. Peaches are almost ripe.
so I agreed to deal with the bees and also remove the tree they are in.
an hour ago (nighttime here) I went over and squirted 4 cans of bee/wasp killer into their hole. Small tree, $2200.00 bucks.
So for a ‘few dollars more’ I killed a large honey bee hive.
I feel like shit.
Sorry just wanted to share. No real point to this post, I just feel bad.
NEVER AGAIN
even for a few dollars more (tree will take about 1.5 hours to remove)

 

[pigwot]

Sorry to hear how it went for you.

I'll never forget the time I cut into a hollow trunk and one of the three baby squirrels inside got cut in half. The mama was beside herself running in and out with the other two - I felt like crap.
We are noticing far fewer mosquitoes around here this year. Markedly fewer! Fireflies have been spotty, too.
When I cut the grass I leave islands of clover, letting them fully bloom. Still I might only see about a dozen honey bees (mellifera) in all those patches per day.
The carpenter and mason bees are doing better and lots of them are visiting the sage and comfrey blossoms.
The bee hive the old-timer collected from that hollow walnut we felled a few weeks back is dong well in their new home.

 

[cory]

Good shares. Frans, you learned something for yourself and maybe other readers will too.

We planted a bunch of pollinator plants 2 weeks ago. My front lawn was complete chit because I don't care about a lawn but it had turned to mostly dirt due to grubs and a dirt front lawn is really a no go from a real estate perspective. Plus, it is on a slight incline and you need roots to hold the soil in place. So we planted 1/3 pollinator plants and redid the remaining 2/3 of lawn.

And last year, we planted a bunch more pollinator plants, especially Walker's low cat mint, near the veggie garden to encourage garden pollination. I chose the Walkers cuz on so many of the properties I'm on, I see very strong bee activity on them. So far this year, I see virtually no bees on the Walker's in my yard nor elsewhere. Too early?? SMH.

 

[cory]

Bees now on the WLC, things looking good

 

[Tree09]

We seem to have a bunch of bees, and my wasp control has also proven effective. I still have one nest of bumblebees in my siding, but I've read they don't damage anything and I'll simply patch it this fall.

 

[gf beranek]

Frans, for that much money someone else would've done the job if you didn't. Too bad about the bees, though.

 

[SeanKroll]

Buzzing for Solutions: 13 Organizations and Initiatives Helping to Save Bees

Food Tank is honored to highlight 13 organizations and initiatives helping to save bees.

foodtank.com

Some orgs to consider for a donation.

 

[cory]

Thx for the great link

 

[frans]

ALLS WELL THAT ENDS WELL!
My buddy rescued the trunk sections with the bees. Got his loader and brought the sections to his back yard.
he bolted the two sections together then set it upright. Then chained it to another tree.
that hive is huge!
the bees seem to be doing just fine!

 

[cory]

Wow, good chit!!!!!

 

[ruel]

That's awesome! Honeybees are really cool, glad you were able to save them

 

[flushcut]

Sounds like a happy ending. You're not the only one who feels bad about killing bees, wasps on the other hand can't kill them fast enough.

 

[cory]

It would seem to me that wasps are no better nor worse than bees, they're all doing their thing to keep your world intact.

 

[lxskllr]

I try to leave all critters alone if they're neutral or better from my pov. Ticks and skeeters get killed on site, as do stinkbugs and EAB and I suppose spotted lantern fly when I eventually see one, but I try to just avoid stingy things when I can. If they get in the house, it's fair game. I don't think I got my Euro hornet nest in the house this year. Last three years or so they decided they liked it here, and I killed one in the house this year, but I haven't seen signs of a nest. Can't say I'm disappointed.

 

[Tree09]

Booo wasps 🤣 🤣

 

[kevin bingham]

how did he blame bees for damaging his peaches. my understanding is that with no bees there are no peaches. how is this guy in the peach business?

 

[frans]

how did he blame bees for damaging his peaches. my understanding is that with no bees there are no peaches. how is this guy in the peach business?

Good question!
the only answer I have is that he sees the bees eating from the holes Punched in them that birds have made, and now he hates them.
bees have a working range of, I think, 3 or 5 miles? Depending on available resources.
complete nonsense.

I sat in that orchard about an hour the other day with a bunch of cut up/ smushed peaches on the ground in front of me. I spotted no less than three flight patterns of other wild bees. It is not hard to spot if you simply sit still and watch carefully. Bees from different hives tussle with each other over nectar sources. They don’t kill each other, but they do get into bee fights lol.
bees are fascinating creatures, predictable with their patterns, and surprisingly gentle.

 

[cory]

 

[kevin bingham]

i can see yello jackets and wasps. but that guy sounds like an idiot.

 

[flushcut]

Bee gangland feuds. The Westside Honey Makers vs. The Eastside Comb Kings vs The Southside Pollen Bangers. New show coming to Nat Geo Fall of 2020!

 

[cory]

It would seem to me that wasps are no better nor worse than bees, they're all doing their thing to keep your world intact.

I try to leave all critters alone if they're neutral or better from my pov.

An article re the good of wasps and hornets

There Are Wasps in the Yard. You’d Better Get to Know Them.

They buzz. They hover. Sometimes they sting. But how much do you really know about these insects that can menace our summers?

www.nytimes.com

 

[lxskllr]

I killed two paper wasps in the house today :^D Dunno where they came from, in the house isn't cool. I don't bother the nests outside.

edit:
surprised the article didn't mention mud daubers. They're pretty common, and from what I've read, can cause problems in small engines by nesting in the mufflers and stuff. I never had a problem.