Hey everyone,
It seems some bees have taken a liking to my trees this year. Iām not talking a few, like over 100+
So many of them that I have to time my watering for when they have all gone home for the night.
They are stopping in on their way home for a drink. Especially on the hot days.
Iāve never experienced this before, any concerns I need to worry about? Iām happy to have them and work around them.
I am experiencing some fungal issues in some of my trees. Will the bees be spreading spores?
Hmmm, Iāve usually taken the āI donāt bother you, you donāt bother meā approach with bees, but Iāve never had to deal with that many. I wouldnāt worry too much about them spreading fungal issues. Those spores are everywhere. Theyāll grow when they find a hospitable situation.
Iād try to see if you have a nest nearby and whether or not itās legal to have a local bee keeper come and move it for you.
Coolā¦ I encourage them. Most honeybees will not sting youā¦ unless you obviously try to kill em or accidently attack a hiveā¦ they do let you know beforehand if they are upestā¦
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Almost winter solstice here in USA.
Last summer I had crazy amounts of honeybees sucking water off my bonsai. I tried leaving dishes of water for them, they ignored entirely. I DO NOT use pesticides, except in a survive basisā¦ The next door neighbor (2000 feet away) supposedly has a hive or three. Iām OK with that. They do suck off of the leaves and soil, I assume they need the dissolved salts.
Also, I am amazed at the high number of native bumblebees here now. Way more than in past years. Found a ground nest and watched them hatch new bbs.
I do nuke any black faced hornet and yellow jacket nests I see. Got tired of being face straiffed, and forhead stung onceā¦
Cant wait for the chinese killer hornets to get here from western Washington. 3" with crazy stingersā¦
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Also, have had several praying mantice make themselves known. One pinched my earlobe. I gently caught it and placed on a leafy bonsai.
.And, we already(elsewhere in chatā¦) discussed the spider situationā¦ I leave them be. Except the poisonous onesā¦ I brick thoseā¦
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Enjoy your summer there! Im not jealous. Im enjoying the winter slow time!
Bonsai On!
I agree with Kurt. Leave them alone, they are āgood guysā. Pollinators of fruit and crops etc. I have lots of flowering cotoneasters and the bees love them, which is a bonus as the berries look good over the drab winter. I did have to get a pest controller in to get a wasps nest this year and his words were āWow! Thatās an angry one!ā I only did it as each time I watered I was dive bombed by the evil littleā¦
I keep several Honeybee hives. When itās Hot and dry and thereās not much water to be found elsewhere my bees will definitely congregate on soil and under pots my to drink the water. I never have any issues with them. My hives are about 60 yards away, But Bees can go even a couple miles for pollen and water as well. As long as youāre not allergic to honeybees I wouldnāt worry about it. I would actually take it is a good sign,I know honey bees donāt like foul water or chlorinated water.
And for those of us that are allergic we just give the bees their space and move slowly when they are around. However, I have found certain ground bees to be aggressive so I have had to take out one of their hives - it was small.
Donāt know what a āground beeā is, maybe a yellow jacket?
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This summer I have been inendated by bumblebees. Not agressive at allā¦
Even found a nest ā¦ on the ground . Watched them raise babies most of the summer. Recognized there more than two types here. Pacifin N W.
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This is the biggestā¦ Anybody recognise the species?
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Iām hopeless at recognizing them but I understand the native bees tend to be smaller and more anonymous - more like small house flies. They tend to nest in dry patches of earth in small nests rather than large hives - and apparently there are hundreds of varieties. And thatās not counting the Mason Bees.
Yes, Don. Full marks. These are the size of your thumb ( to the first nuckleā¦) These had a nest under a small pile of tree limbes.
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Iāve identified the local mason beeās. Their mud nests CAN get anoying. Great polinaters, though. I encourage them.
I have some very very small black flying ant looking polinaters, too. Look more like a mini black wasp. Too small to easily photoā¦
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Here is a photo of the smaller local Bumblebee.
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They had a nest under some paving bricks next to a black current bush. They love the sweet yellow blossoms early in the springā¦
They all love my globe thistle and volunteer chivesā¦
Alarmingly low number of European beeās here this summerā¦
Even with several hives across the street.!
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Slow bonsai time.
Bonsai On!
Tried to do a bumblebee deap dive. Who knew there were SO many different bumblebee speciesā¦
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The larger APPEARS to be a worker Boombas sylvicol or B. huntiiā¦
The smaller has eluded me. It could be a male B. flavifrons.
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Watched the latest Mirai Live ponderosa video. Put my trees into storage last week. Should have worked my pondy harderā¦
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It was 60F yesterdayā¦ Supposed to snow on saturday, Dec. 4thā¦30F tonightā¦
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Oooommmmā¦
Bonsai On!
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