Saw that carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea) again today …

#photography #nature #wildlife #insects #bees #CarpenterBees #Göttingen #Fujifilm #FujifilmXT2 #Fujinon #XF90mm

(photo: @kernpanik | license: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

A violet carpenter bee (Xylocopa violacea), spotted in #Goettingen, Germany.

#photography #nature #wildlife #insects #bees #CarpenterBees #Göttingen #Fujifilm #FujifilmXT2 #Fujinon #XF90mm

(photos: @kernpanik | license: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

The carpenter bees in our yard have plenty of wood to nest in, and are *not* in our house. But good to know what to do if they decide to take up residence.

Simple Ways to Get Carpenter Bees to Stop Remodeling Your Home

None of these tips involve extermination.
Popular Science

by Julia Rittenberg

Excerpt: "How to safely remove carpenter bees

"Despite the issues carpenter bees can cause, they are extremely effective pollinators. Nick Hoefly, a beekeeper at Astor Apiaries in Queens, New York, says that thanks to their size, these hefty bugs are excellent “buzz” pollinators. “This is a type of pollination where the insect vibrates the blossom to dislodge pollen, allowing it to fall onto the female parts of the plant,” he says. “Many vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes and some berries, rely on this type of pollination.”

"That’s why it’s best to get carpenter bees to leave without hurting them. Hoefly recommends applying a drop of almond or citrus oil inside any nest holes you find. Since they don’t like the smell, they will most likely vacate and search elsewhere for a less-stinky place to build a nest. After they leave, you’ll need to fill the holes with wood putty or steel wool. If you have wood the bees haven’t found yet, take some time to sand it down, wipe away any excess sawdust with a wet sponge, and then paint it. Carpenter bees are attracted to unfinished wood.

"If you have no interest in keeping these pollinators around, Hoefly suggests using wind chimes. The bees don’t like the noise and the constant jangling might convince them to seek other accommodations.

"But if you do want them to stay, you can provide homes specifically for them. This will keep them around, pollinating your garden and local plants. You can place simple blocks of wood around that you wouldn’t mind them burrowing into, but Bruce Shriver, a beekeeper at the Gowanus Apiary in Brooklyn, New York, prefers “insect hotel-style habitats.”

"You can find these at any home goods or hardware store or even make them yourself out of scrap wood and naturally hollow material. “As long as the habitat includes a block of soft wood in addition to the reeds, bamboo, straw, and other materials… it should serve well as a decent carpenter bee habitat,” Shriver says. You’ll have all the benefits of these super-pollinators without them hovering around and burrowing into your fences. "

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/simple-ways-to-get-carpenter-bees-to-stop-remodeling-your-home?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#SolarPunkSunday #NoInsecticides #Pollinators #CarpenterBees #Bees

Bloody Carpenter bees have been busy in the decorative wood above the porch. Now thoroughly poisoned and filled with wood filler. The noise they made when I pumped the sleep juice in was intense. Propofol for Bees. #milk #carpenterbees #nc #upaladder #HomeInvasion

I'm excited. Our little carpenter bee house has occupants!

I imagine them standing out on the edge of their tube in the morning, drinking some nectar and anticipating a glorious day of buzzing.

#CarpenterBees #bees

Holzbiene 🐝 🌸🐝 #bienen #bee #carpenterbees

Did you know carpenter bees can live up to 3 years? In comparison, a honey bee queen only lives 1-2 years and her workers live only 15 - 38 days in the summer.

https://iris-richardson.pixels.com/featured/carpenter-bee-on-milkweed-iris-richardson.html

#art #artist #Artistlife #artshop #contempoaryart #fediart #mastroart #fediartshop #artbooster #buyintoart #SpringForArt #AYearForArt #FallForArt #SouthJerseyArtist #GermanArtist #CreativeToots #insects #carpenterbees

#carpenterbees #bees #wildlife #florida #nativeplants

So, sighted some bees that were smaller than #CarpenterBees. They *might* be Queen Bumblebees, who are out before the workers and males. According to the #MaineBumbleBeeAtlas, workers and males sometimes don't emerge until the first week in June, so maybe they are late. I thought I saw a couple during an early spring thaw -- hopefully, not all of them emerged back then. I also saw a lot of smaller bees -- sweat bees, miner bees, a few honey bees -- and, of course, the humingbird moth (not a bee, but a pollinator).

Finding the Bees in Your Yard

"The most likely place to find bees is in the flowers of native plants, when the day is sunny, relatively calm, and the temperature is above 70°F. To be active, fly, and feed, bees need to be warm. A few species are active below 60°, but most prefer temperatures above 72°. Wind makes flying more difficult because it requires more energy.

"Although some species may be active by late February if temperatures are unusually warm, the vernal bee species (those present in the spring) generally become active by mid-April. You may observe them on early blooming flowers, such as willow catkins and dandelions. Some native bee species continue their activities into the autumn until the last asters, dandelions and autumn dandelions die. The greatest diversity and abundance of native bees is in midsummer, unless there is a lack of suitable flowers, perhaps because of drought, heavy rains, or how the landscape is managed.

"Other places to find native bees are where they nest. Look at the soil along bare banks with a sunny southern exposure. Look in bramble canes, beetle borings in snags, and in abandoned birdhouses. If you do search for bee nests, remember to be cautious for yourself and respectful of them!"

https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/7153e/

#Bees #BeeSightings #Maine #CitizenScientist #GardeningForPollinators

So, I have not seen a single #Bumblebee this past month. I know we had a few around as of last Fall (I photographed them, so I know), but lately, I have seen only #CarpenterBees, #HumingbirdMoths, #Honeybees (from a nearby hive), and a few of the smaller bees -- and there is plenty for them to eat. I suspect that maybe the Bumblebees woke up too early and then starved or froze. I know they were becoming rare in #SouthernMaine, but it seems they may be extinct (other parts of Maine still have them, from what I read on the Maine Cooperative Extension website). If my bumblebee friends are gone, that would make me very sad. I've been growing flowers just for them for many years now.
https://mainebumblebeeatlas.umf.maine.edu/
#GardeningForPollinators #RustyPatchBumblebee #Extinction #EndangeredSpecies #Maine

@enog I get so angry when I see #CarpenterBees described as "destructive pests" and not #pollinators. The key is to make sure they have places to live in that aren't one's house. It's not rocket science!

#Pollinator observations from the last few days. No #Bumblebees, but sighted lots of #CarpenterBees (not living in our house -- they have plenty of logs to reside in), #HumingbirdMoths, a few #Honeybees (from neighbor's hives), and some small bees (#Sweatbees). I know we had some Bumblebees as of last October. I hope they make a comeback, though I've noticed their numbers dwindling...

#GardeningForPollinators #BeesInMaine #Maine #Nature #Lilacs

TIL: "While we may associate spring with new beginnings, spring is the last life stage for the adult carpenter bees who overwintered in their nests. These adults spend the spring procreating and preparing nests for the next generation before passing on. This is why you will often find sluggish bees on the ground during the beginning of summer. "

I came out on my patio and found 7 dead or dying large bees. Looked carefully and not bumbles. So. Interesting.

https://cals.ncsu.edu/applied-ecology/news/where-have-all-the-big-bees-gone/

#CarpenterBees #NotSorry

"The hornets have made a nest there and are flying in and out, navigating the splayed wires hanging from the lamp’s tubular neck, which is open to the elements."
My essay about buzzworthy encounters at a writing residency, now at The American Scholar (no paywall).

#writers #readers #CarpenterBees #bees #essay #nonfiction #cnf #CreativeNonfiction #ArtistResidencies #AmericanScholar #Reading #writing #nature #conservation #pollinators

https://theamericanscholar.org/tunneling-for-daylight/

There’s a weekly #invertebrate challenge this year called #InsertAnInvert2024 and January is about insects in and near our homes so I thought I should share my ‘Redbud and the Bees’ #multimedia piece (#linocut #woodcut #printmaking #collage) which I made for a show about urban ecology, climate change and human animal conflict. 🧵1/n

#pollinators #sciart #insects #biodiversity #climateChange #carpenterbees #leafcutterbee #masonbees #Toronto #urbanEcology #MastoArt

I knew tiger bee flies were cool but recently learned that their larva feed on carpenter bee larva. So not only are they cool, they may be allies in defending my wooden structures. #flies #macrophotography #carpenterBees

Any suggestions for publications that might be interested in a short (under 1k words) meditation on carpenter bees?

#CreativeNonfiction #bees #CarpenterBees #WritingCommunity #literaryjournal #litmag

Splay-footed Carpenter Bee, Xylocopa valga Canon 7D EFS 60 2.8 f/4 1/400 iso: 125 Celakovice-Jirina, Czech Republic 9/3/2021 #CarpenterBees #Bees #Hymenoptera #SolitaryBees #Xylocopa #bees #insects #invertebrae #grassland #macro