How do you normally handle bees?

[roadrunner]

I feel compelled to come to the defense of the Yellow Jackets and their cousins Bald face Hornets, which btw is actually a Wasp (not a true hornet) and is related to the Yellow Jacket, which of course is also a wasp. Actually, of the two species the most aggressive is the yellow jacket, despite that the bald face hornet looks more menacing.

The reason why the Yellow Jackets are so aggressive is because their ground-dwelling nests are very much sought after by various animals, such as Bears, badgers, raccoons, skunks... So in other words, that aggressiveness is caused by nature, kind of in the same way as the aggressiveness of Africanized bees, which otherwise are indistinguishable from European honeybees.

So in my view they are not aggressive, they are just very defensive. I've seen plenty of Yellow Jackets and Bald faced hornets in my garden and my observations bare this out, that they don't want to attack you when away from their nests. They will not chase you around your garden.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

So in my view they are not aggressive, they are just very defensive. I've seen plenty of Yellow Jackets and Bald faced hornets in my garden and my observations bare this out, that they don't want to attack you when away from their nests. They will not chase you around your garden.

I disagree. Yellowjackets are known for being aggressive in Autumn, more aggressive than other wasp species. Some say it's because they're drunk from fermented fruit that time of year. They will sting unprovoked, away from their colony, and while not being threatened. I also disagree because I personally get chased by Yellowjackets every Autumn. They're persistent, too. They don't seem to act that way during any other time of year. In fact, I was hiking in the middle of Summer a few years ago, stopped to take a photo, and just happened to look off to my side and find a highly active yellowjacket nest in the ground a few feet away. They didn't sting or bother me.


Bald-faced Hornets, on the other hand, seem to only get aggressive if you get near them. They don't fly to you the way Yellowjackets do.
BfH usually seem too preoccupied with whatever they're doing to care that I'm around, but I've watched them fight with Monarchs and Swallowtails that try to share the same plant, so I don't intend on getting close to them myself.

They are very fast nest builders

.

A few Autumns ago when the leaves fell off the trees, I saw a Bald-faced Hornets nest in one of my younger trees at face-level. The scary thing is that my head had to be within a foot every time I'd cut the grass and I never realized it was there.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

Revenge of Bee:
2nd ,sept 2016
This is a drone I guess, poor thing some how got into study room area was lying on floor, I unknowingly stepped on it(mistake 1), it sounded like cookie crushed. I picked it up and put it in one corner of the room, to let it die in peace(mistake 2). About half an hour later, while I was reading, felt something on my elbow, at that time I was wearing a full arm sweatshirt. Instead of checking what was it , I rubbed my elbow against the back of the chair( mistake 3).
It was the drone again, that I thought was dead, stung me on elbow.

Thank God I had those local anesthetic cream at home, I caught it in one of those small gift box, to my surprise it flew away when I released it outside.

1) watch your steps, keep floor clean.

2)if you find insect lying pick it up and throw it outside immediately.

3) Never itch or rub if something creeping on you. Check before acting.

 

[marlingardener]

Rajesh, drones don't have stingers. They also don't gather nectar or pollen. They just hang around the hive and only serve to pollinate the queen. When winter is on the horizon, the worker bees kick the drones out to freeze. The workers don't want to spend time and energy feeding and grooming non-working drones.

 

[Rajesh Sethi]

Rajesh, drones don't have stingers. They also don't gather nectar or pollen. They just hang around the hive and only serve to pollinate the queen. When winter is on the horizon, the worker bees kick the drones out to freeze. The workers don't want to spend time and energy feeding and grooming non-working drones.

Oh! I am sorry, here we had a misconcept . I used to think it was a drone (big, black, shiny, making loud buzzing noise) of honey bee commonly found. But I was wrong, it's an eastern carpenter bee. Some different variety.

Thank you for bringing that out.

Males are harmless, Females are warriors.

It's quite amusing isn't it.

 

[Fernsdaddy]

For those who are fearful of bees you might want to add a few Mason bees to your garden, they don't sting you and if they do it more like a mosquito bite than your average bee sting. Its some thing the whole family can do together building a bee house and watching them build their nest. I'm getting ready to put out the 2 houses that I made for them last year, I'll hang the out around the last week in April so the can hatch and the young bees have time to grow before flying off to play in your garden.

 

[marlingardener]

Males are harmless, Females are warriors.
Oh Rajesh, truer words were never spoken! And thank you for bringing that out!

 

[Esther Knapicius]

are we talking, honey bees or yellow jackets or hornets, or wasps, or bumble bees? Simply saying bee's is unclear. So in general. All the ones I said with the exception of the honey bees I will work on finding their nest and burn them out. I might just leave the bumble bee alone as usually the nest is not big. In any event I am not scared of the honey bee, or the bumble bee, but give both respect .

 

[roadrunner]

They do love the broccoli

 

[Larisa]

Bees are peaceful creatures here.

Only hornets can be dangerous. Sometimes huge hornets arrive in the garden. They choose a tree and begin to gnaw it around in a circle. After that, the tree may dry out. It is very difficult to get rid of them. In addition, hornets behave aggressively. A flock of hornets buzzing over a tree from early morning until late at night.

Some hornet flies to the neighbors. Once we tied to a tree plastic bottles with beer and syrup. We expected the hornets to drown and reduce the population. But at first the hornets stopped coming to the neighbors. All came to us for free beer. Neighbors rejoiced, of course.

But in a few days we threw out a lot of bottles with hornets. Hornets really became smaller and they stopped coming.
Although the top of the tree still fell on me when the wind blew.

 

[MaryMary]

All came to us for free beer.

And who could blame them?

 

[Larisa]

Well, it worked like free cheese in a mousetrap. Sometimes it's better to rely on yourself.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

weeding this morning, a yellow jacket hive is in a hole in my garden. tonight, pour the gas in the hold and light it. boom. and done.

 

[mg guy]

ground nesting yellow jackets seem to be the worst in our area-run over an unseen nest with the mower and your in for trouble. Sevin powder, dusted at night at the entry usually vanishes them.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

ground nesting yellow jackets seem to be the worst in our area-run over an unseen nest with the mower and your in for trouble. Sevin powder, dusted at night at the entry usually vanishes them.

honey, I do not fool, its GAS and a match, and its done.