Worried about the bees

LOL

Did you all know that new queen bees 'quack' or 'pipe'?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qXLEZejRow

Wow thank you Kathy. I shall listen to that too. Here is a few more.
http://news.discovery.com/animals/listen-to-the-haunting-internal-sounds-of-bugs.html
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=21&ved=0CBEQFjAAOBQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftomdavenport.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F898808619%2Finsect-micro-sound&ei=9ceKTKnrBoKclgeGv5m0DA&usg=AFQjCNE9pJKxWno292hk2PjQJWr1JT4xqQ
I enjoyed that honor Portland. I do have to talk to dogs, cats, horses, and many others at work. Now I am trying insects, arachnids, and chickens.

This message was edited Sep 10, 2010 6:24 PM

Anyone who doesn't talk to dogs, cats, chickens or horses is highly suspect. I talk to yellow jackets alright, but it's not sweet talk!

Yeah- what Judi said. ;)

Love the little buzzers. They are all wasps holes dwellers anyway. And of course they seem to be son's of bees. But I love them despite their reputation for unwanted procreation.

I have tried sooo many times to be nice to the extremely large and grotesque spiders who find their way into my bathroom this time of year, looking for mates. I understand that they cannot help how they look, all leggy and brown, which sounds like it should be attractive but isn't. There were two in my bathtub that were so large that I could not shake my horror. I had to have Mike take care of them. I've been able to get used to face-smacking into spider webs this time of year in the garden, but I've made no headway on the big wolf spiders in the bath.

Has anyone else found that while there was a bumper crop of orb spiders in the garden last year, this year there are few?

No shortage on any of the spiders here. *shudder*

I totallly agree, Melissa. Way fewer webs in the mouth this year than usual. I'm sure it's about the cold.

Did I post the spider article here? Seems that indoor spiders are indoor spiders and outdoor spiders are outdoor spiders. Apparently it's not doing anybody a favor to put the indoor spiders outside. So I've been leaving them up around the house (as long as they're not in my way) this year. I know, I'm quirky. :-)

I usually vacuum up their webs but shake them first so the tenants will scurry to a safer place. I like spiders, and they catch flies and mosquitoes, too. Didn't know that putting them outside wasn't a good idea, though. What DID they do before we made houses for them, then? Curious minds want to know.

Reminds me of an environmental consultant who told us (inaccurately, I happened to know) that there were no endangered pine snakes on a parcel his client wanted to develop, because there were no white-footed mice since it was a remote location and it lacked the human trash - paper and other debris - that those mice favored. What did they do for nests before we invented paper?

Melissa, I also agree that there are a lot fewer webs across the garden this year. Last year you couldn't walk anywhere in the garden without them tickling your face. I like spiders for the most part, and usually do like GG said and vacuum the webs that bother me but usually leave their creators alone. Living in the woods, I figure if I tried to put all of the spiders that come inside back out, it would be a full time job. I am however definitely NOT a fan of those big scary ones that always seem to end up in the bathtub.... those have gots to go!

Interesting about the inside spider vs outside spider thing. I will have to do a bit of reading on that...

Bald faced hornets, my friend called them. They were making a deafening hum in the prune tree we were sitting by. That tree had been ravaged every year of its life by aphids and would look brownish and droopy. The hornets were apparently ravaging the aphids in such huge numbers that we literally had to speak up to be heard over their "music". It lasted for several days and then they were gone and so were the aphids. The tree became beautiful and was beautiful every year after that. Never a problem again. That's miraculous and magical to me. I wish I had had the idea to listen to the music then. I have it now, thank you, and will be listening from now on.

Ah a other convert. I have been reading and whoever has the nest outside the door be careful in the fall wasps go to sweets from insects and do get
ore aggressive. I just move them with a plastic bag and place them in a new site in a fhishing net. ...... and run.

I have lots of spiders in the garden this year, and every morning I walk around waving a stick in front of me so I don't have to feel the webs on my head and in my face. I do not like spiders at all. Not one bit. I don't get many in the house but if they dare to venture there they don't stand a chance. The idea of them crawling on me when I'm sleeping is just too much.

This message was edited Sep 11, 2010 8:54 AM

Apparently the spiders that live indoors stay indoors and the spiders that live outdoors stay outdoors. Indoor spiders, I presume, die (from cold?) when put outside . . .

Here's the article I was referring to. There's lots of spider myth vs. fact on this site:

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/myths/comein.html

Here are the rest of the articles:

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/spidermyth/

I've been really concerned about the bee situation too and this year when all the borage popped up around my cucumber plants and were buzzing with bees I couldn't remove them even for the sake of the cucumbers. They were so shaded by the borage that I didn't get a single cucumber. That's one thing that has always been successful for me so I really missed them. But those bees were so plentiful and busy with the borage that there was no way I was going to discourage them. So it makes me wonder, should I call myself a gardener or what? I sacrificed food for me in favor of food for bees. By the way, the borage looks horrible now but the bees are still loving it. And the poor little cuke plants are about 6 inches tall. They are still trying but of course they will not have time to fruit.

My DH told me that he has been removing the black swallowtail caterpillars from the carrots, parsnips, parsley and celery leaves and feeding them to the chickens so they don't damage the plants. I would rather have black swallowtails! We compromised and he'll just remove half. This has been a great year for butterflies.

Anyway, I can totally relate to your sacrificing the cucumbers for the borage and the bees, although next time maybe you can just transplant some of the borage elsewhere.

And next year you are going to have T ons of borage because it reseeds like mad. Maybe a new spot for the cucumbers? But not too far away because they will be pollinated very well with so many bees near by. It is sad about your cucs, though. I would miss them too.

Today I saw several big bumble bees and I was so happy about that. I really haven't seen many this summer.

I was working in a different bed today (digging up Aegopodium) and the native bees (with the red rumps) were madly working on the Stonecrop. I think it's just been a cold summer for the bees. Wouldn't it be nice if the mites that are affecting so many of them were also affected by the cold summer? One can only hope.

I'm trying to get Borage growing around here. I may regret it, but I love the cucumbery smell of the leaves and the blue of the flowers.

Speaking of blue flowers, I saw lots of Chicory growing wild along the road on the west part of Orcas Island when I was there las weekend. It was really pretty. I wish I'd had some California poppy seeds to toss out. Wouldn't that be pretty? Orange and blue?

Ya oughtta pack some seed capsules to keep in your purse, Kathy. I usually keep some in my truck and my purse (when I remember to refill my bottle after flinging them all)

That would be my front door, soferdig, and the nest is yellow jackets. I've heard that they get a little more onery in the fall, but there is no way to get to the nest. It's way back in an area that is inaccessible to a human.

I'm fairly certain the these big spiders I see don't live in the house all year round. I see them only in August when they are looking for mates. If they are living inside, they are keeping a very low profile.

Don't go to the nest get one of those Safer Yellow Jacket Traps, I have filled one in a few days that lived at the top of a neighbor's arborvitae. And the are specific to YJ and will not even interest any bee as the pheromone is different.

I'm letting them live, Rob, not wanting to trap them. So far, they have not been a problem at all and have actually been helpful in combating undesirable bugs in the garden. I think Steve was just warning me that they might get more aggressive as fall approaches. I understand that nests are not used for more than one year, so next year I may prevent nesting in this area.

Well, the bees appear fine in the Methow Valley. I just got stung by two at the same time - must have disturbed a nest somehow. Didn't see either bee, so not sure what got me. My left hand looks like a catcher's mitt still (2 days after sting) and the back of my head is swollen as well. I took benedryl for the 1st time ever (that I can recall) and that was a horrible experience - got my whole body shaking. Very odd indeed. My sister thinks it was likely either a bald-faced or some segmented bee known locally as Twisp bees. I just know that my lovely early morning walk along the river ended rather abruptly.

Ah, a fine idea. I just defend the deck table for dinner, where they are not wanted. Especially by Ty. Good for you, if it was up to me, I could problably leave them too, but with a family my vote is only 1/3 if that.

Beautiful picture bonehead.

Eeekkk Bonehead - hope those nasty stings are getting better.

Judi, It's taken a couple days, but my hand looks semi-normal today (3 days later). Whatever it was that got me was potent - the hand sting kept going in cycles of puffy inflamed swelling to horrible itching, but the sting on the back of my head was pretty uneventful, just an occasional ache and tender to the touch. Weird.

Bonehead, what a rotten way to cut a walk short! Glad your stings are better. I hate benedryl because it absolutely knocks me out, but I have resorted to it the last few times that I have been stung and it seemS to have helped.

I saw several bees in the garden this weekend as well.. seems like more than I had seen during the warmest weather this summer. They are loving the salvias and the sedums.

I was pleasantly surprised to find my Joe Pye absolutely covered with bees (the friendly ones, honey and bumbles) and butterflies today. I didn't know it was such an attractant - I think I will let it colonize behind my raspberries to create yet another 'visual barrier' between my odd neighbor and myself.

Joe Pye is a host for several kinds of moths and butterflies, too, I believe.

Bonehead, hands have lots of little joints in them that get swollen and it is difficult for the swelling to go down because the blood vessels are small can carry only so much fluid away. It is also easy to get cellulitis around those joints so it's best to keep it elevated until the swelling goes away.

A few days ago I started to pull out lots of Joe Pye and there were so many honey and bumble bees on it that I left it alone. but still not as many bees as last year.

Good info to remember, Judi. Thanks!

I think the critters are going through their somewhat disgruntled Fall phase. I was out weeding last Sunday morning (before heading out to sing with a little church choir I have joined) when I noticed a ground-dwelling wasp hole, 2 inches in diameter. I slowly backed away, though it didn't appear any of them were the least bit interested in me. Then I felt the sting on my upper thigh and realized one had crawled up my pants leg. I swattled it, only to be stung again on the knee. At that point, kicked off my boots and headed for the kitchen door while simulataneously stripping off the pants, not knowing for sure how many wasps were actually in there. Thankfully, no neighbors were out thaty early on a Sunday morning. I plastered the stings with baking soda slurry for an hour before attending my choir practice, but keeping time with my right foot was somewhat painful. The little grouchy wasp had gotten me pretty good.

Ow, Holly, that doesn't sound good at all.

Seems like they are meanest this time of year. And the stings itch horribly for a long time. My DH killed one of my tame wasps while we were standing together looking at the tomatoes. I yelled at him for it. ----Well, one day later, one stung me on the neck. Ouch! Do you think it was getting even? LOL

It should have stung him, not you, in that case.

Maybe the one that stung you was a male and the one your DH killed was his DW. So he stung the wife of the human.

OMG Judi. Now I am even sorrier about the kill. Of course, the adults die after summer is over anyway, but still....
I noticed there are fewer and fewer adults in the nest now with each passing day. They probably think it is winter today and they missed fall. LOL
Have a good one in spite of the wintry weather.