BEE Aware! Spring is in the Air. 03-21-16

Copyright 2016 AJ Horton

Hello and happy Monday.  Today, I want you to "BEE" aware!  Spring is in the air and the bee is looking to pollinate.  Bees are essential to our renewal of resources each year.  This particular bee is a carpenter bee.  He like to bore holes and tunnels in wood - even around your house - but doesn't really cause any structural damage because it's all pretty shallow damage.  The males of the Carpenter Bee are unable to sting so that's a plus in their favor.  The females can and will sting but only if highly provoked - so leave them alone and no one gets hurt.  Bumblebees (the ones with the fuzzy abdomen instead of the black, shiny one of the Carpenter Bee) do not like to sting either, but will if provoked.  I guess, all in all, we are all pretty safe around bees; just don't go all crazy around them; let them do their job and we'll all eat better later.

I hope you had a fun and sting free Monday.  Thanks for looking.  Bee happy.  See you tomorrow.

Sunday Wasp Nest

Copyright 2015 AJ Horton

Hello on Sunday.  So, I was sweeping my front porch today and guess what I found - you guessed it - a large wasp nest.  Of course I went inside, got my camera and, well, you know the rest.  These are social wasps.  They build colonies each year begun by the queen that survived the winter by hibernating in a warm place.  All others die in the winter.  I guess I'll have to wait until winter to remove this nest.  If someone disturbs the nest (thank God I didn't do that today), one would be swarmed and stung by these wasps - and they were plentiful - and, these wasps can sting more than once, unlike bees.  I found this out only as I was researching for tonight's blog; otherwise, I may not have approached this nest so closely.  I know you're seeing only a small part of the nest and a few of the wasps, but, that nest is big!  Having a good picture and a little information for you tonight, though, was worth it.

I hope you had a sensational Sunday.  Thank you for looking.  See you tomorrow.