I was up on a ladder looking at the hole I made for my AC drainhose, for
the portable AC, and I noticed that in the townhouse next to mine, a
bumblebee was going inside, in an empty space in whatever the builder
had used at the bottom of the 2nd floor-overhang, between it and t he
brick wall that is the facing of the first floor.

And his daughter was right there so I pointed it out, but later I began
to have doubts about how much that would be a problem, since it's just
an empty area between the bottom of the overhang and the floor of the
second floor, and between the joists, which is only 8"H by 14 or 16"
wide, by about 15" deep.

But then it started to seem serious again when I thought that that empty
space is deeper than that and extends 1/3"" the lenth of the house, and
maybe sideways too if there are holes drilled for heating ducts or wires
or pipes.

So what is his remedy? To patch the hole and let the bees stuck inside
at the time fend for themselves? A euphemism, but I cant think of any
other remedy, and even though my flowers could use more bees, he can't
afford to have an open door policy for his sub-floor, right?

When is the best time of day so that the fewest number of bees will be
trapped inside? 10 to 4? When the sun is out, no rain? Not even
overcast?


**IIRC the house is about 40 feet long, and the joists above most oif
the laundry room are about 14 feet long, and in the basement, the joists
rest on an I-beam. Right next to the end of one is the start of
another, which goes to the next I-beam, and I'm sure there starts
another of about the same length (The other room has a finished ceiling)

In a townhouse built in Baltimore in 1979, would they have used steel
I-beams above the first floor to support the second floor? I've always
assumed since the weight supported is just a little more than half
(because the attic and bathtub are supported too, but the refrigerator
isn't.) that there is no need for steel above the first floor.
Right?

But the length of the joists would be the same, right? Resting on studs
that rest on the steel I-beams

hey rest on a so how long would the

On 7/24/2015 7:36 PM, micky wrote:
I was up on a ladder looking at the hole I made for my AC drainhose, for
the portable AC, and I noticed that in the townhouse next to mine, a
bumblebee was going inside, in an empty space in whatever the builder
had used at the bottom of the 2nd floor-overhang, between it and t he
brick wall that is the facing of the first floor.

And his daughter was right there so I pointed it out, but later I began
to have doubts about how much that would be a problem, since it's just
an empty area between the bottom of the overhang and the floor of the
second floor, and between the joists, which is only 8"H by 14 or 16"
wide, by about 15" deep.

But then it started to seem serious again when I thought that that empty
space is deeper than that and extends 1/3"" the lenth of the house, and
maybe sideways too if there are holes drilled for heating ducts or wires
or pipes.

So what is his remedy? To patch the hole and let the bees stuck inside
at the time fend for themselves? A euphemism, but I cant think of any
other remedy, and even though my flowers could use more bees, he can't
afford to have an open door policy for his sub-floor, right?

When is the best time of day so that the fewest number of bees will be
trapped inside? 10 to 4? When the sun is out, no rain? Not even
overcast?


**IIRC the house is about 40 feet long, and the joists above most oif
the laundry room are about 14 feet long, and in the basement, the joists
rest on an I-beam. Right next to the end of one is the start of
another, which goes to the next I-beam, and I'm sure there starts
another of about the same length (The other room has a finished ceiling)

In a townhouse built in Baltimore in 1979, would they have used steel
I-beams above the first floor to support the second floor? I've always
assumed since the weight supported is just a little more than half
(because the attic and bathtub are supported too, but the refrigerator
isn't.) that there is no need for steel above the first floor.
Right?

But the length of the joists would be the same, right? Resting on studs
that rest on the steel I-beams

hey rest on a so how long would the


They are carpenter bees and can cause wood damage. I spray them, spray
in the hole and plug the hole. Better to trap them in the hole as if
loose they will come back and bore in again. They do not eat the wood
but build nests there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_bee

micky wrote:
I was up on a ladder looking at the hole I made for my AC drainhose,
for the portable AC, and I noticed that in the townhouse next to
mine, a bumblebee was going inside, in an empty space in whatever the
builder had used at the bottom of the 2nd floor-overhang, between it
and t he brick wall that is the facing of the first floor.

And his daughter was right there so I pointed it out, but later I
began to have doubts about how much that would be a problem, since
it's just an empty area between the bottom of the overhang and the
floor of the second floor, and between the joists, which is only 8"H
by 14 or 16" wide, by about 15" deep.

But then it started to seem serious again when I thought that that
empty space is deeper than that and extends 1/3"" the lenth of the
house, and maybe sideways too if there are holes drilled for heating
ducts or wires or pipes.

So what is his remedy? To patch the hole and let the bees stuck
inside at the time fend for themselves? A euphemism, but I cant
think of any other remedy, and even though my flowers could use more
bees, he can't afford to have an open door policy for his sub-floor,
right?

When is the best time of day so that the fewest number of bees will be
trapped inside? 10 to 4? When the sun is out, no rain? Not even
overcast?


**IIRC the house is about 40 feet long, and the joists above most oif
the laundry room are about 14 feet long, and in the basement, the
joists rest on an I-beam. Right next to the end of one is the start
of another, which goes to the next I-beam, and I'm sure there starts
another of about the same length (The other room has a finished
ceiling)

In a townhouse built in Baltimore in 1979, would they have used steel
I-beams above the first floor to support the second floor? I've
always assumed since the weight supported is just a little more than
half (because the attic and bathtub are supported too, but the
refrigerator isn't.) that there is no need for steel above the first
floor.
Right?

But the length of the joists would be the same, right? Resting on
studs that rest on the steel I-beams

hey rest on a so how long would the

Don't worry about it right now . Bumblebee colonies are rarely more than
150-200 beess , and come winter they'll condense to just a handful . Plug
the hole this winter . They don't store honey and the few left will not make
much of a stink as they rot next spring .

--
Snag
Hobby beekeeper , 4 hives

In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 24 Jul 2015 19:05:46 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:


Don't worry about it right now . Bumblebee colonies are rarely more than

Maybe I was wrong and Frank is right. I thought it was too fat to be
anything but a bumble bee, but it didn't have an orange band like,
checking google images, it seems they all do. I saw it mostly from
the side and it was awful fat, as fat as it was wide.

If not a bumble bee, what else could it be? Much bigger than a honey
bee. I had a few carpenter bees but that was 10 years ago, and they
made their homes by tunneling into a litlte board on the second floor
eave in front of the house, the north side.

This bee went in through a one-inch wide slot, bigger than what he
needed, and probably made by 35 years of weather, on the south side of
the house and no way to tell if there is any wood eaten inside. Why
tunnel into wood when they're already safe inside, in the dark? So was
it even a carpenter bee?

150-200 beess , and come winter they'll condense to just a handful . Plug
the hole this winter . They don't store honey and the few left will not make
much of a stink as they rot next spring .

Very interesting,

--
Snag
Hobby beekeeper , 4 hives

On 7/24/15 10:36 PM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 24 Jul 2015 19:05:46 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:


Don't worry about it right now . Bumblebee colonies are rarely more than

Maybe I was wrong and Frank is right. I thought it was too fat to be
anything but a bumble bee, but it didn't have an orange band like,
checking google images, it seems they all do. I saw it mostly from
the side and it was awful fat, as fat as it was wide.

If not a bumble bee, what else could it be? Much bigger than a honey
bee. I had a few carpenter bees but that was 10 years ago, and they
made their homes by tunneling into a litlte board on the second floor
eave in front of the house, the north side.

This bee went in through a one-inch wide slot, bigger than what he
needed, and probably made by 35 years of weather, on the south side of
the house and no way to tell if there is any wood eaten inside. Why
tunnel into wood when they're already safe inside, in the dark? So was
it even a carpenter bee?

Carpenter bees around here make their holes where there's daylight. In a
garage-door header but not the rafters inside. In the rafters of a
neighbors patio roof, where it's light, but not the rafters of the
adjacent carport, which is darker.

Sawdust and loitering males tip me off. I seem to have killed them all
by using a stethoscope.

Bumblebees like to build a nest where the sun won't overheat it. A bee
flying into a dark space sounds like a bumblebee.

On 7/25/2015 2:30 AM, J Burns wrote:

Sawdust and loitering males tip me off. I seem to have killed them all
by using a stethoscope.


How does one kill bees with a stethoscope?

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 7/25/2015 2:30 AM, J Burns wrote:

Sawdust and loitering males tip me off. I seem to have killed them all
by using a stethoscope.


How does one kill bees with a stethoscope?


They can't stand the cold.

On Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 8:22:18 AM UTC-5, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 7/25/2015 2:30 AM, J Burns wrote:

Sawdust and loitering males tip me off. I seem to have killed them all
by using a stethoscope.


How does one kill bees with a stethoscope?

--
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.

When you check for a heartbeat you crush their thorax...

Where I live, carpenter bees are sort of "balding".
Much of their topside is black, while bumblebees
are furry. For reasons unknown, the former seems
to have nearly replaced the latter here.

Carpenter bees will dig holes, but they're harmless.
The holes don't go inside. The hole itself is the nest.
I've never seen such a hole in a place where weather
could get at it. They tend to look for protected areas.

The only thing I know of that's a threat to houses
is termites. (And powder post beetles, to some
extent, but I've never actually seen those in house
timber.)

I've never understood the attitude many people have
that insects are trespassers and should be annihilated.
It seems to be a sort of suburban ninnyism. Like using
"air fresheners" made of noxious chemicals. People see
it on TV and just do it without thinking.

People often ask me about carpenter ants, having
heard they're destructive. I regard carpenter ants as
a helpful early warning system. They only chew wet,
rotted wood, so if they're around it's a warning that
something needs to be fixed. When it's fixed they'll
leave. There's no need to go to war with them.

I have sugar ants right now in my kitchen.
Last week it was in the 2nd floor shower. (!) I don't
know why. Maybe it's a bad Summer for them. But
they're doing no harm to me, and they'll undoubtedly
be gone next week. So what would be the sense in
trying to torture/kill as many as possible?

On Saturday, July 25, 2015 at 8:31:32 AM UTC-5, Mayayana wrote:
Where I live, carpenter bees are sort of "balding".
Much of their topside is black, while bumblebees
are furry. For reasons unknown, the former seems
to have nearly replaced the latter here.

Carpenter bees will dig holes, but they're harmless.
The holes don't go inside. The hole itself is the nest.
I've never seen such a hole in a place where weather
could get at it. They tend to look for protected areas.

The only thing I know of that's a threat to houses
is termites. (And powder post beetles, to some
extent, but I've never actually seen those in house
timber.)

I've never understood the attitude many people have
that insects are trespassers and should be annihilated.
It seems to be a sort of suburban ninnyism. Like using
"air fresheners" made of noxious chemicals. People see
it on TV and just do it without thinking.

People often ask me about carpenter ants, having
heard they're destructive. I regard carpenter ants as
a helpful early warning system. They only chew wet,
rotted wood, so if they're around it's a warning that
something needs to be fixed. When it's fixed they'll
leave. There's no need to go to war with them.

I have sugar ants right now in my kitchen.
Last week it was in the 2nd floor shower. (!) I don't
know why. Maybe it's a bad Summer for them. But
they're doing no harm to me, and they'll undoubtedly
be gone next week. So what would be the sense in
trying to torture/kill as many as possible?

+1 on that...poisoning children, and killing beneficial bugs also.

On 07/25/2015 08:32 AM, Mayayana wrote:
Where I live, carpenter bees are sort of "balding".

Spray them with Propecia

On 7/25/2015 9:26 AM, taxed and spent wrote:
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
On 7/25/2015 2:30 AM, J Burns wrote:

Sawdust and loitering males tip me off. I seem to have killed them all
by using a stethoscope.


How does one kill bees with a stethoscope?


They can't stand the cold.



I hear that, doc.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On 7/24/2015 10:36 PM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 24 Jul 2015 19:05:46 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:


Don't worry about it right now . Bumblebee colonies are rarely more than

Maybe I was wrong and Frank is right. I thought it was too fat to be
anything but a bumble bee, but it didn't have an orange band like,
checking google images, it seems they all do. I saw it mostly from
the side and it was awful fat, as fat as it was wide.

If not a bumble bee, what else could it be? Much bigger than a honey
bee. I had a few carpenter bees but that was 10 years ago, and they
made their homes by tunneling into a litlte board on the second floor
eave in front of the house, the north side.

This bee went in through a one-inch wide slot, bigger than what he
needed, and probably made by 35 years of weather, on the south side of
the house and no way to tell if there is any wood eaten inside. Why
tunnel into wood when they're already safe inside, in the dark? So was
it even a carpenter bee?

150-200 beess , and come winter they'll condense to just a handful . Plug
the hole this winter . They don't store honey and the few left will not make
much of a stink as they rot next spring .

Very interesting,

--
Snag
Hobby beekeeper , 4 hives


I see bumble bees and carpenter bees are different. Maybe like hard to
differentiate between regular bees and yellow jackets.

Guess if you go after the nesting area, you will not be mistaking the two.

In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 25 Jul 2015 09:32:25 -0400, "Mayayana"
wrote:

Where I live, carpenter bees are sort of "balding".
Much of their topside is black, while bumblebees

That was true of what I saw.

are furry. For reasons unknown, the former seems
to have nearly replaced the latter here.

Carpenter bees will dig holes, but they're harmless.
The holes don't go inside. The hole itself is the nest.
I've never seen such a hole in a place where weather
could get at it. They tend to look for protected areas.

The only thing I know of that's a threat to houses
is termites. (And powder post beetles, to some

Like the rest of you who have bought a house, I had a termite inspection
before I bought this one. I was disappointed to learn they only
inspect the parts where the frame shows. If the laundry room were
finished, and some are, there would have been nothing to inspect.

OTOH, I'm glad he didnt' make holes in my walls.

extent, but I've never actually seen those in house
timber.)

I've never understood the attitude many people have
that insects are trespassers and should be annihilated.
It seems to be a sort of suburban ninnyism. Like using
"air fresheners" made of noxious chemicals. People see
it on TV and just do it without thinking.

You make a couple good points here. And your view here seems
consistent with your views on personal computers. It's wierd, that I
probably know you and a few other people on the net better than some of
my personal friends.

People often ask me about carpenter ants, having
heard they're destructive. I regard carpenter ants as
a helpful early warning system. They only chew wet,
rotted wood, so if they're around it's a warning that
something needs to be fixed. When it's fixed they'll
leave. There's no need to go to war with them.

I have sugar ants right now in my kitchen.
Last week it was in the 2nd floor shower. (!) I don't
know why. Maybe it's a bad Summer for them. But
they're doing no harm to me, and they'll undoubtedly
be gone next week. So what would be the sense in
trying to torture/kill as many as possible?

I treat the ants that way, pretty much. Ants come in three basic
sizes, small, medium, and large, though sometimes the large one refers
to themselves as husky.

The two smaller sizes are relatively cute (relative to the large ones,
which are ugly.) When I'm lying in the grass and one or two walk on
me, it tickles and feels good. When a large one walks on me, it would
probably feel good if I didn't know how ugly it was. It's like kissing
an ugly girl. If your eyes were closed from the beginning it would
probably be as good as kissing a pretty girl, because you couldn't tell
the difference.

And in bed sometimes there are little flying things walking on me, and
that tickles too, but if I think it's a stink bug, it's disgusting and I
wake up trayig to swat it away. (No stink bugs this year. Very few
last year.)

What's remarkable is that this year I have had the window in the front,
2nd floor of the house open 10 or 12 inches since April or early
May**, and I haven't seen a single insect on the second floor. in
prior years, even with the screen in place, I'd get insects. Maybe the
screens attract insects, or when they see them they break in because of
spite?

**The screen came out last fall when I was pulling the ivy off of it,
and I bent the frame in the process, but it would still fit fine if
there were more room. There are four channels in the sliding window
frame, and the window is two panes wide, so there are windows in each
of two channels and storm windows in each of two others, and that means
the screen has to be inserted next to a storm window, where it's not
really wide enough to accept it, without bending the frame a little bit.
Normally I don't take the screen out so it's not an issue. .

| I've never understood the attitude many people have
| that insects are trespassers and should be annihilated.
| It seems to be a sort of suburban ninnyism. Like using
| "air fresheners" made of noxious chemicals. People see
| it on TV and just do it without thinking.
|
| You make a couple good points here. And your view here seems
| consistent with your views on personal computers. It's wierd, that I
| probably know you and a few other people on the net better than some of
| my personal friends.

Interesting observation. I suppose over
time people do express their personal style
a great deal. Though I sometimes have trouble
remembering who said what.

In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 24 Jul 2015 19:36:46 -0400, micky
wrote:


And his daughter was right there so I pointed it out, but later I began
to have doubts about how much that would be a problem, since it's just
an empty area between the bottom of the overhang and the floor of the
second floor, and between the joists, which is only 8"H by 14 or 16"
wide, by about 15" deep.

One more question:

Is there a queen bee inside their house? One of those things two inches
long with oodles of baby bees coming out of her?

Does it matter if it is carpenter or bumble?

In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 25 Jul 2015 02:30:46 -0400, J Burns
wrote:

On 7/24/15 10:36 PM, micky wrote:
In alt.home.repair, on Fri, 24 Jul 2015 19:05:46 -0500, "Terry Coombs"
wrote:


Don't worry about it right now . Bumblebee colonies are rarely more than

Maybe I was wrong and Frank is right. I thought it was too fat to be
anything but a bumble bee, but it didn't have an orange band like,
checking google images, it seems they all do. I saw it mostly from
the side and it was awful fat, as fat as it was wide.

If not a bumble bee, what else could it be? Much bigger than a honey
bee. I had a few carpenter bees but that was 10 years ago, and they
made their homes by tunneling into a litlte board on the second floor
eave in front of the house, the north side.

This bee went in through a one-inch wide slot, bigger than what he
needed, and probably made by 35 years of weather, on the south side of
the house and no way to tell if there is any wood eaten inside. Why
tunnel into wood when they're already safe inside, in the dark? So was
it even a carpenter bee?

Carpenter bees around here make their holes where there's daylight. In a
garage-door header but not the rafters inside. In the rafters of a
neighbors patio roof, where it's light, but not the rafters of the
adjacent carport, which is darker.

Sawdust and loitering males tip me off. I seem to have killed them all
by using a stethoscope.

How does one do that?

Bumblebees like to build a nest where the sun won't overheat it. A bee
flying into a dark space sounds like a bumblebee.

In alt.home.repair, on Sat, 25 Jul 2015 15:19:57 -0400, "Mayayana"
wrote:

| I've never understood the attitude many people have
| that insects are trespassers and should be annihilated.
| It seems to be a sort of suburban ninnyism. Like using
| "air fresheners" made of noxious chemicals. People see
| it on TV and just do it without thinking.
|
| You make a couple good points here. And your view here seems
| consistent with your views on personal computers. It's wierd, that I
| probably know you and a few other people on the net better than some of
| my personal friends.

Interesting observation. I suppose over
time people do express their personal style
a great deal. Though I sometimes have trouble
remembering who said what.

For sure, I have lots of trouble with that, and in my personal life too.

Frr example, I know one girl broke up with me, but I"m not sure which
one it was!