Hi. Thank you for joining us again for our podcast, and hey spring has sprung. And we are here to talk about those pesky stinging insects that we all love so much that come with spring and summer. Bees and wasps.
Speaking of bees did I ever tell you the first time I got stung by a bee? I don't know remind me of the story. Well, I was about seven years old; I was at the beach and I was watching kids dig in the sand, and I put my hand down on a picnic table and crushed a bee. And I immediately felt pain in my hand. As I went crying to my mother, she put ice on it and pulled out the stinger. I distinctly remember a throbbing pain for what felt like the rest of the day.
As someone who's never been stung, I can't really quite relate to that, however I do know that those things can be painful, and dangerous to some people. And all in all, they're kind of scary. Speaking of scary I do remember the time that you took me with you to treat a bald-faced hornet's nest. It was a pretty windy day, and the nest was up high, and I recall you extending the duster to put dust in the nest and between the wind and the bulb hitting it- the whole thing kind of collapsed. And before we knew it hornets were everywhere bouncing off of our glasses bouncing, off of our hats, chasing us around the yard.
Now wait a minute you're making us sound like rookies. Let me make this clear it was windy and I had the dust stick up to put it in the hole the hornet's nest where you're supposed to treat, but the wind blew the branch that it was on and it touched the side of the nest so I immediately shoved dust into the hole because I knew they were going to start swarming. Because of it touching the edge of the nest I’m sure Natalie was freaked out when she saw me drop the dust stick and start the run. And then I saw her swatting hornets away from her hair as I was clear across the yard.
So, we're talking about bald-faced hornets in that instance those aren't your everyday bees, and more often than not you're going to have your run-of-the-mill carpenter bees and German yellow jackets. Jason why don't you talk to us a little bit about carpenter bees?
Well carpenter bees usually emerge in the month of May here in Michigan. At that time, they're out trying to forage for a place to lay their eggs. Which is usually untreated wood areas like under deck rails on fascia boards or under soffits or treated wood that's not been treated in a long time.
Jason how long do carpenter bees live? Typically, on average they live about one year. And what is their expected life cycle? Well eggs are laid in the late spring to early summer, and the nests are drilled out as discussed before in untreated areas in dead wood. Usually laying about five to ten eggs, and soon after being laid they'll hatch and feed on pollen for a month or two before pupating into adults in late summer. They'll emerge as adults, and spend the remainder of the year hunting for pollen as fall turns to winter. Both males and females will hibernate to the following spring they'll use pre-existing nests to hibernate, and those nests will remain a house for several bees. Once it's warm enough the following spring, they'll emerge from the nests seeking fresh pollen and to mate. Soon after mating males will begin to die and females will both fill pre-existing nests with new eggs; as well as drill out new nests. Following their instinctive behavior to expand the local population. Females will live long enough to lay their eggs and maybe even most of the summer, but usually not two winters. They'll commonly use the same nest over and over which is why nests on structures need to be dusted and sealed failure to fend them off. When you first see, activity will usually lead to more and more coming around. thanks for that information Jason.
I’m going to take a couple minutes now to talk about another common pest here in Michigan. The German yellow jacket. The German yellow jacket is more of an urban wasp and frequently nests under voids attached to homes. Typically going into a void in brick under siding or in void areas up under flashings. It only appeared in the U.S. in 1975, and has overtaken other bee species in parts of the country as their populations continue to rise.
The dog days of summer: fresh watermelon, ice cream, picnics, barbecue, festivals, and yes, unfortunately this includes Yellow jackets. Yellow jackets are exceptionally troublesome wasps they can get highly aggressive especially when the food is getting low later in the season, and their colonies are getting larger. While it can be annoying when wasps hover around soda cans at picnics and barbecues, these insects can be downright dangerous. They are accountable for most of the singing deaths in the U.S.
These wasps can keep stinging, unlike bees, that die after one sting. Plus, large numbers of them can gang up on people. Yellow jackets do have their uses however they prey on a large number of insects including many that are damaging to agriculture. However, their tendency to bite and sting generally makes them unwelcome residents of a yard or, perish the thought, a house.
Natalie what approaches can people take to minimize the harm that the yellow jackets cause you? Well, be very careful when you're drinking from a soda can that could have a yellow jacket inside. Because stings inside the mouth can be life-threatening.
Some people are avid about destroying the nest during the wasp’s active season; dousing them with gasoline or hose is not a good idea, and it's a good way to get stung multiple times. Avoidance is your best bet you should be very wary of small patches of ground with no vegetation; such areas can harbor underground nests. However, when foraging Yellow jackets are away from their nests, they are much less aggressive. And usually, won't sting unless you provoke them. Stay calm and collected and do not swat at the insect. I have also seen ground bees’ nests in heavy foliage in front of a house or gaps in the mortar on the side of a front porch even just randomly in the middle of a lawn there'll be a hole where they are going in and out of this is usually in August through September, when your German yellow jackets are going to be most active. A couple other type of bees such as mud daubers and bumblebees are not aggressive so they're really not something that we should worry about in Michigan; due to their lack of aggression. But one thing I do worry about is that queen yellow jacket that's been coming outside our office window and our awning the last couple days. Why don't you tell everybody about that Natalie?
So sitting here diligently working on building our pest business I notice that there is a very large bee that keeps coming in and out of a spot right under our awning. Jason has told me “oh it's probably not the same bee” but I’m pretty sure I recognize her. She's a queen. Yes queen. Yeah, she's probably foraging, but no nest has started yet we'll keep an eye on it as the season progresses.
So, in summary while some bees aren't aggressive like the mud dauber and the bumblebee, we want you to call a professional when you're dealing with German yellow jackets, bald-faced hornets and wasps; because these singing invaders can pose a threat to you, your family and your pets.
I’d like to thank everyone for listening and remember have a blessed day.