I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

Bert Byfield wrote:
I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ent...ruct/ef611.htm

R

On Fri, 12 May 2006 18:21:10 GMT, Bert Byfield
wrote:

I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

I've been watching a similar behavior, but I have one single "bumble
bee" (big black one) doing it. He doesn't seem to be nesting, just
flies by "buzzing" away and tags the wall along the patio.


Oren
"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland
and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore
excused from saving Universes."

Bert Byfield wrote:

I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.





Carpenter Bees!

Bert Byfield wrote in message ...
I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.


I believe they are Carpenter Bees and not Bumble Bees from the sound of
it.

Cheri

You have carpenter bees, not bumble bees. They drill holes about 1/2
inch diameter and 4 deep, lay their eggs then fill the hole with leaf
cuttings and seal it up. later the egg hatches and the larve eats the
leaves and emerges to become another bee. They do have a stinger like
the bumble bee. Bumble bees nest in the ground though.
Jack

Male carpenter bees engaging in territorial behavior.
Toss a pebble or bee sized object up and they will zoom in to check
that it is not another male carpenter bee.
The females will drill a hole and lay a few eggs and provision it, no
biggie here but it sure upsets the Biff and Muffin types with natural
wood siding.

On 12 May 2006 15:30:52 -0700, wrote:

Male carpenter bees engaging in territorial behavior.
Toss a pebble or bee sized object up and they will zoom in to check
that it is not another male carpenter bee.
The females will drill a hole and lay a few eggs and provision it, no
biggie here but it sure upsets the Biff and Muffin types with natural
wood siding.

Not a Biff nor Martin here, but we live in a coffee shack (single
wall, and parts of this house are over 50 years old- certainly nothing
fancy) and about those bees...late at night they get irritated with
one another and start buzzing in the wood. Maybe it is the kids
emerging form the pupa but I can hear them on the wood out our window.
When we had our ho sue tented for termites years ago, we found many
dead carpenter bees below the gutter line. We did not know we had so
many. Wish we didn't.

aloha,
thunder
smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

On Fri, 12 May 2006 18:21:10 GMT, Bert Byfield
wrote:

I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.


Possibly carpenter bees. Watch them. They may have already bored
holes into the rafters to lay eggs. I have heard from several sources
that they do not sting, although I'm not sure.

On Fri, 12 May 2006 18:21:10 GMT, Bert Byfield
wrote:

I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.





I use to have the same problem, but with my deck.

It appears you have male Carpenter Bees waiting for a nested female
Carpenter Bee to leave her next. If you have exposed bare wood, you
might have a female boring a hole in it.

Might want to get professional help, since it isn't the males that are
a problem, the females damage wood. I've taken care of my deck, but
it is at ground level. I used a powder I inject in the holes. Kills
the female, and any later investigating female Carpenter Bees.

good luck,

tom @ www.MedJobSite.com

Bert Byfield wrote:
I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

These bees can be quite destructive to wood -- even treated lumber.
They will eventually hollow out the board. I would suggest a thick coat
of paint on the bottom surface of the wood to discourage them as they
always bore holes on the bottom side.

"Dave" wrote in message
oups.com...
Bert Byfield wrote:
I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

These bees can be quite destructive to wood -- even treated lumber.
They will eventually hollow out the board. I would suggest a thick coat
of paint on the bottom surface of the wood to discourage them as they
always bore holes on the bottom side.


They'll bore from the sides and top, too. Any wasp and hornet spray will
kill them, then spray all exposed surfaces with a long lasting insecticide
containing Cyfluthrin, such as Home Advantage at True Value or Demon at the
Co-op. After all the bees have gone, fill the holes with Liquid Nails. Then
paint the wood with an oil based primer and top it off with a final coat of
oil based paint. After buying this house, it took me a year before I
realized what they were and then a couple months to get rid of them. No
problem after doing the above.

Bob

On 12 May 2006 15:30:52 -0700, wrote:
Male carpenter bees engaging in territorial behavior.
Toss a pebble or bee sized object up and they will zoom in to check
that it is not another male carpenter bee.
The females will drill a hole and lay a few eggs and provision it, no
biggie here but it sure upsets the Biff and Muffin types with natural
wood siding.
Its my favorite itme of the year........pass the time away with a good
tennis or bad minton racket swating carpenter bees.......Aluminum
baseballbats work good too, but takes more skill.........sounds like
little rocks getting nailed.

==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
"The original frugal ponder.."Since my statements are
given freely, take em or leave em, I am entitled to
my opinion none the less. My opinion and $1 is still
only worth $1.....but I am entitled to "MY" opinion...
~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ }(((((o

In article ,
says...
Possibly carpenter bees. Watch them. They may have already bored
holes into the rafters to lay eggs. I have heard from several sources
that they do not sting, although I'm not sure.


The ones hovering about more than likely are males, which have no
stingers, the females can sting.

Lar

On 12 May 2006 11:26:17 -0700, "RicodJour"
wrote:

Bert Byfield wrote:
I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/ent...ruct/ef611.htm

Probably carpenter bees.

See also http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/mod02/01500558.html
http://www.bugspray.com/article/carpenterbees.html
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1056/
http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1056/ANR-1056.pdf


They have a stinger but rarely sting unless provoked.

It's a long url, but roughly what it says is stick a moth ball in the
holes and plug with plastic wood or something.

Unfortunately I iddn't read the url until after I plugged the holes,
so I didn't use moth balls. It still got rid of them for several
years. Some of the adjoinging townhouses have yellow dribbles, and I
think some/all of that from after I had my bees. But my bees haven't
come back, and no other bees have either.

R

On Fri, 12 May 2006 13:18:11 -1000, smithfarms pure kona
wrote:

On 12 May 2006 15:30:52 -0700, wrote:

Male carpenter bees engaging in territorial behavior.
Toss a pebble or bee sized object up and they will zoom in to check
that it is not another male carpenter bee.
The females will drill a hole and lay a few eggs and provision it, no
biggie here but it sure upsets the Biff and Muffin types with natural
wood siding.

Not a Biff nor Martin here, but we live in a coffee shack (single
wall, and parts of this house are over 50 years old- certainly nothing
fancy) and about those bees...late at night they get irritated with
one another and start buzzing in the wood.

Call the police. They shouldn't be making noise after 10PM.

If they are *your* tenants, I'd give them a 30-day notice of eviction.

Maybe it is the kids
emerging form the pupa but I can hear them on the wood out our window.
When we had our ho sue tented for termites years ago, we found many
dead carpenter bees below the gutter line. We did not know we had so
many. Wish we didn't.

aloha,
thunder
smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee

On 12 May 2006 18:24:08 -0700, "Dave" wrote:

Bert Byfield wrote:
I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

These bees can be quite destructive to wood -- even treated lumber.
They will eventually hollow out the board. I would suggest a thick coat
of paint on the bottom surface of the wood to discourage them as they
always bore holes on the bottom side.

No they don't always. In my case and my neighbors' they made the
holes on the side side, that is, the back side, facing the house, of a
2 inch high, 20 foot wide, almost one inch thick, "decorative" piece
of wood that runs in front of the soffitt vents. I guess it's purpose
is to hide the vents to some extent.


I actually never killed any of these things. I filled the holes, and
they left. I had to paint over the drippings they had made. Maybe if
I had gotten to them before they had finished their holes, it would
have been harder to get rid of them.

big and scary, one wanted to own our deck roof rafter a few years ago.
i tried the usual attack with off spray and on another night with wasp
nest spray about an hour after sunset.
but if these are in your home's wall phone for an extermintor, they
usually use nice effective odorless stuff.

On 12 May 2006 18:24:08 -0700, "Dave" wrote:

Bert Byfield wrote:
I've got some big black not-very-fuzzy bees hovering about two fee
off
my rafter edges. Anyone know what that behavior means? They're
quick,
too, they dodge the spray can pretty well.

These bees can be quite destructive to wood -- even treated lumber.
They will eventually hollow out the board. I would suggest a thick
coat
of paint on the bottom surface of the wood to discourage them as they
always bore holes on the bottom side.

Our Hawaiian carpenter bees bore from the sides mainly. I can see
several started holes on the treated & primed & stained wood, and hope
they give that up soon.

aloha,
Thunder
smithfarms.com
Farmers of pure Kona Coffee