How to Deal with Wood Bees
Wood bees, sometimes also called carpenter bees can cause damage to your house and any wooden structure. The damage is usually not serious and is only cosmetic, however there is a possibility of serious damage to a structure is wood bees have been repeatedly using the house as a nesting ground for a long time.
The problem is usually a nuisance as it is not pleasant to have unsightly holes, usually around a half-inch wide. Usually wood bees prefer old, weathered wood but any home with a lot of wooden fixtures can become a target.
Favorite Woods
There are certain types of wood that wood bees love to use for their tunnels that eventually become nests. Most eastern species will be attracted to softwoods, as the wood is easier to tunnel through. Woods that can become the nesting grounds of wood bees are cedar, fir, redwood, cypress, and pine. Oak and eucalyptus are also the favorites of western wood bees.
Almost any structural timber can be the nesting ground of these bees. Fence posts and lawn furniture is not spared though more commonly porch ceilings, roof eaves, shingles and railings are a target. Wood that is painted is usually avoided, as are woods that have bark. Smooth unfinished woods make the best homes for these bees.
Hidden Problem
The tunnels of wood bees can be extensive and are hidden. On the surface all you will see are the entry holes that are a half-inch wide. Inside the wood however there are tunnels that can extend ten feet. If a colony of these bees continually uses the tunnels then the wood can be damaged very badly and require replacement.
Besides structural damage and the unsightliness of the holes the bees can also be a nuisance in other ways. The loud buzzing can be disturbing and the male bees often fly at people that they perceive are a threat. However the male bee has no stinger and can do no harm. Killing adult bees is not the answer as the larvae inside the tunnels will eventually hatch and continue the problem.
Non-Chemical Approach
The problem of these types of bees can be easily dealt with. There is no need to use chemicals to get rid of these bees. Simply plugging the holes to the tunnels is sufficient to get rid of the problem. You can use caulk and the bees will not tunnel out. Do this in the evening and wear protective clothing. You can also fill the tunnels with sealant. As a preventative measure you can paint wooden surfaces with oil-based paint to keep bees away.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
types of bees
Types of Bees in a Colony
Bees are the little farmers that help farmers with their crops. Almost all bees have something to do with propagating some species of plants which in turn help us increase our food sources. There is a hierarchy on the colony that classifies what types of bees are there and what they do.
Queen Bee
The queen bee is usually the only female bee in the colony that is capable of reproduction. Although the queen bee has a limited life span of only one to three years, these types of bees are the most important to the colony. Their importance is measured in relation to their effort of laying eggs to supply the colony with more workers bees and more drones. This ensures that the colony will be bigger and stronger and there are more food gatherers as well as those who take care of the larvae.
The queen bee is considerably larger than all other types of bees in the colony. She lacks the basic food gathering tools that are present with the worker bees. She also has stinger that she can use several times without any danger of dying unlike the other types of bees that die immediately after stinging.
Drones
These types of bees are the most disposable of all the types of bees in the colony. Their only purpose in their short life is to mate with the queen, after which they die. Drones are the types of bees that have no stingers and cannot fend for themselves. Worker bees feed them until the time that they are needed by the queen bee. The effect of mating with the drones can last for the entire lifetime of the queen since the sperm that they give remain viable in her abdomen even after such a long time.
Worker Bees
These types of bees are the most prevalent in any colony. Workers bees are the epitome of workers that work almost endlessly. These types of bees bear the brunt of maintaining the health and well being of all other bees in the colony. They gather the food, ventilate the hive, construct cells, take care of the larvae and the queen, protect the hive and many other endless tasks.
These types of bees have an average life span of six to seven weeks. They are extremely busy and initially start the first three weeks of their lives in the hive fixing cells and feeding the larvae.
These three types of bees are the more common in any colony. Some different kinds of bees may have other types of bees outside of the three mentioned above.
Bees are the little farmers that help farmers with their crops. Almost all bees have something to do with propagating some species of plants which in turn help us increase our food sources. There is a hierarchy on the colony that classifies what types of bees are there and what they do.
Queen Bee
The queen bee is usually the only female bee in the colony that is capable of reproduction. Although the queen bee has a limited life span of only one to three years, these types of bees are the most important to the colony. Their importance is measured in relation to their effort of laying eggs to supply the colony with more workers bees and more drones. This ensures that the colony will be bigger and stronger and there are more food gatherers as well as those who take care of the larvae.
The queen bee is considerably larger than all other types of bees in the colony. She lacks the basic food gathering tools that are present with the worker bees. She also has stinger that she can use several times without any danger of dying unlike the other types of bees that die immediately after stinging.
Drones
These types of bees are the most disposable of all the types of bees in the colony. Their only purpose in their short life is to mate with the queen, after which they die. Drones are the types of bees that have no stingers and cannot fend for themselves. Worker bees feed them until the time that they are needed by the queen bee. The effect of mating with the drones can last for the entire lifetime of the queen since the sperm that they give remain viable in her abdomen even after such a long time.
Worker Bees
These types of bees are the most prevalent in any colony. Workers bees are the epitome of workers that work almost endlessly. These types of bees bear the brunt of maintaining the health and well being of all other bees in the colony. They gather the food, ventilate the hive, construct cells, take care of the larvae and the queen, protect the hive and many other endless tasks.
These types of bees have an average life span of six to seven weeks. They are extremely busy and initially start the first three weeks of their lives in the hive fixing cells and feeding the larvae.
These three types of bees are the more common in any colony. Some different kinds of bees may have other types of bees outside of the three mentioned above.
secret life of bees
A Review Of The Secret Life Of Bees
The Secret Life of Bees is a best selling novel by author Sue Monk Kidd. This article is going to take a look at The Secret Life of Bees and give you a basic plot summary and review.
The Secret Life of Bees – Summary and Review
The book opens in South Carolina in the mid 60s. Our story revolves around Lily Ownes. Her mother was killed and she is abused by her father on a daily basis. Lily does not remember much about her Mom and when she asks her Dad about it he leads her to believe that it was her fault she died.
T. Ray – here dad – often mistreats he by making her kneel on dry grits for hours at a time. In the beginning of the book Rosaleen, Lily’s nanny, is arrested for pouring snuff juice on the shoes of three racist men after a verbal assault. Rosaleen is then beaten in her cell and hospitalized. In addition to that T. Ray tells Lily that day that her mother never loved her and in fact left her behind when she was little.
Distraught Lily decides to break Rosaleen out of jail and head to Tiburon, South Carolina. This is the only place she knows that her mother may have lived and wants to go there to find out as much as she can.
When she gets to Tiburon Lily spots a black lady on a jar of honey and goes to the beekeepers house. Lily then becomes an apprentice beekeeper under the watch of August. During this period Lily goes through a lot because she wants to know about her mom, but does not want to rock the boat.
While working as an assistant with August Lily meets Zach Taylor. Zach gets arrested for throwing a bottle at a racist. May, when of the sisters that Lily is staying with, becomes so distraught over this that she kills herself.
In the end Lily does end up asking about her Mom and finds out the most of what her Dad told her was true, but while the facts are correct her Mom’s reasoning behind her actions is not told truthfully by her father.
After this her father learns of her whereabouts and confronts her. Her and her dad fight, but eventually he sees the light and decides that her staying with the beekeepers is probably for the best.
Overall The Secret Life of Bees a decent book. I found it to be a bit sappy for my tastes, but if you like that kind of stuff than this one is for you. Overall I give The Secret Life of Bees three and a half out of five stars.
The Secret Life of Bees is a best selling novel by author Sue Monk Kidd. This article is going to take a look at The Secret Life of Bees and give you a basic plot summary and review.
The Secret Life of Bees – Summary and Review
The book opens in South Carolina in the mid 60s. Our story revolves around Lily Ownes. Her mother was killed and she is abused by her father on a daily basis. Lily does not remember much about her Mom and when she asks her Dad about it he leads her to believe that it was her fault she died.
T. Ray – here dad – often mistreats he by making her kneel on dry grits for hours at a time. In the beginning of the book Rosaleen, Lily’s nanny, is arrested for pouring snuff juice on the shoes of three racist men after a verbal assault. Rosaleen is then beaten in her cell and hospitalized. In addition to that T. Ray tells Lily that day that her mother never loved her and in fact left her behind when she was little.
Distraught Lily decides to break Rosaleen out of jail and head to Tiburon, South Carolina. This is the only place she knows that her mother may have lived and wants to go there to find out as much as she can.
When she gets to Tiburon Lily spots a black lady on a jar of honey and goes to the beekeepers house. Lily then becomes an apprentice beekeeper under the watch of August. During this period Lily goes through a lot because she wants to know about her mom, but does not want to rock the boat.
While working as an assistant with August Lily meets Zach Taylor. Zach gets arrested for throwing a bottle at a racist. May, when of the sisters that Lily is staying with, becomes so distraught over this that she kills herself.
In the end Lily does end up asking about her Mom and finds out the most of what her Dad told her was true, but while the facts are correct her Mom’s reasoning behind her actions is not told truthfully by her father.
After this her father learns of her whereabouts and confronts her. Her and her dad fight, but eventually he sees the light and decides that her staying with the beekeepers is probably for the best.
Overall The Secret Life of Bees a decent book. I found it to be a bit sappy for my tastes, but if you like that kind of stuff than this one is for you. Overall I give The Secret Life of Bees three and a half out of five stars.
Salt Lake City Bees
Diminishing Salt Lake City Bees
The honeybee is Utah's official insect. It is admired for its immense ability for hard work. The home of the Salt Lake City Bees has been made the state's symbol. Unfortunately the beloved honeybee is being threatened by the Varroa mite, and the bee hives may be wiped out from not only Utah, but from across the country.
Going Downhill
In addition to the mite and other bee-born diseases, the Salt Lake City Bees industry has been sidetracked due to an invasion of cheaper foreign honey into the country, mostly Asia. Beekeepers are still trying to keep their business going by rebuilding their hives. They have split existing hives in order to start new ones. It has however not been very effective for the breeders of Salt Lake City Bees, as the system of splitting leaves hives that produce less honey.
There has been a growing shortage of hives for Salt Lake City Bees. Hence the leasing of hives has witnessed a price hike. This trend could be devastating for Utah fruit growers, as farmers in California and other states take hives of the Salt Lake City Bees to their orchards.
Concern For Farmers
The shortage of the Salt Lake City Bees is a cause for worry for farmers who grow the sweet cherry. Cherries like almonds pollinate best with honeybees. It seems that the honeybees seem weaker as of late, as if they are burned out. Over the years, the Salt Lake City Bees don't seem to work as hard and are diminishing drastically.
The drastic reduction of Salt Lake City Bees is a great concern for all farmers. Bees are an important factor in growing fruit, and if they are not there, the whole effect will be damaging. Other bee species have arrived in Utah and have shown some promise as effective pollinators.
Maybe a lot of people do not understand that bees are an important factor in growing fruit. That is why the beekeepers are indeed proud to have the symbol of the beehive on the state flag, but the beekeepers need help to keep the Salt Lake City Bees buzzing away.
Beekeeping Supplies
There are many suppliers and dealers in Salt Lake City who keep beekeeper's supplies, and there are shops which have been doing it for the last forty years. Such shops keep all the supplies ranging from books to kits for beekeeping.
For all beekeeping adventures and especially considering the Salt Lake City Bees, there is a lot of basic information available on beekeeping. This information includes hives, beekeeping equipments and how the beekeeper can protect himself. It still remains a business in Utah, and agriculture experts are working on an improvement of the situation.
The honeybee is Utah's official insect. It is admired for its immense ability for hard work. The home of the Salt Lake City Bees has been made the state's symbol. Unfortunately the beloved honeybee is being threatened by the Varroa mite, and the bee hives may be wiped out from not only Utah, but from across the country.
Going Downhill
In addition to the mite and other bee-born diseases, the Salt Lake City Bees industry has been sidetracked due to an invasion of cheaper foreign honey into the country, mostly Asia. Beekeepers are still trying to keep their business going by rebuilding their hives. They have split existing hives in order to start new ones. It has however not been very effective for the breeders of Salt Lake City Bees, as the system of splitting leaves hives that produce less honey.
There has been a growing shortage of hives for Salt Lake City Bees. Hence the leasing of hives has witnessed a price hike. This trend could be devastating for Utah fruit growers, as farmers in California and other states take hives of the Salt Lake City Bees to their orchards.
Concern For Farmers
The shortage of the Salt Lake City Bees is a cause for worry for farmers who grow the sweet cherry. Cherries like almonds pollinate best with honeybees. It seems that the honeybees seem weaker as of late, as if they are burned out. Over the years, the Salt Lake City Bees don't seem to work as hard and are diminishing drastically.
The drastic reduction of Salt Lake City Bees is a great concern for all farmers. Bees are an important factor in growing fruit, and if they are not there, the whole effect will be damaging. Other bee species have arrived in Utah and have shown some promise as effective pollinators.
Maybe a lot of people do not understand that bees are an important factor in growing fruit. That is why the beekeepers are indeed proud to have the symbol of the beehive on the state flag, but the beekeepers need help to keep the Salt Lake City Bees buzzing away.
Beekeeping Supplies
There are many suppliers and dealers in Salt Lake City who keep beekeeper's supplies, and there are shops which have been doing it for the last forty years. Such shops keep all the supplies ranging from books to kits for beekeeping.
For all beekeeping adventures and especially considering the Salt Lake City Bees, there is a lot of basic information available on beekeeping. This information includes hives, beekeeping equipments and how the beekeeper can protect himself. It still remains a business in Utah, and agriculture experts are working on an improvement of the situation.
queen bee
Importance of the Queen Bee to your Hive
Fledgling practicing bee keepers should understand that the queen bee is the most important thing that keeps the hive alive and flourishing because without her, the hive would die. The queen bee is the only member of the hive which lays eggs, an obvious skill which is needed to keep the hive alive and thriving. This supreme bee is not any mystical creature but just uses her clout and skills to overpower other virgin bees during her royal reign, usually lasting up to two years.
Defining the Royal Role
There is a different development process for the queen that is set apart from the bee colony's population of drone bees. Before the egg containing the queen bee hatches, she forms inside what is known as a queen cell and she is fed with royal jelly, a special oozing discharge created from the heads of younger bees. The queen bee alone is fed this special jelly which imparts particular sexual characteristics that are not found in other bees, particularly the working drone bees.
While most bees all look the same within a hive, you can tell the different between them and the queen bee because she has a longer shaped body and does not leave the colony hive except for mating. In fact, the queen will mate with multiple drones and then return to the hive to produce thousands of eggs a day to perpetuate the colony. Without those thousands of eggs a day laid and the loss of the queen bee, the hive would quickly die off.
Other Royal Information
The bees in the hive put themselves in great peril on a daily basis to ensure the survival of the queen bee, particularly when she leaves the hive to mate with some drones. Without the mating process, she cannot lay the many eggs needed for hive survival and unfortunately, things like foul weather can interrupt the mating.
One of the ways that the queen bee asserts her dominant authority is to exude a special substance which prompts other bees to lick off her. The problem for the other bees lies in the fact that this special substance inhibits their growth so they do not become mature in a sexual way. Of course, there is a problem when more than one queen bee exists in a hive at any given time. Typically, the weaker queen will depart the colony hive and fly away to find another one in which she can exert her dominance for her remaining time.
A queen bee may lose her authority in the hive either by dying (obviously) or when a younger queen bee challenges her and imparts a killing sting. Being a royal in a buzzing, busy hive has its downside for the queen bee but it is the call of nature to perpetuate the species.
Fledgling practicing bee keepers should understand that the queen bee is the most important thing that keeps the hive alive and flourishing because without her, the hive would die. The queen bee is the only member of the hive which lays eggs, an obvious skill which is needed to keep the hive alive and thriving. This supreme bee is not any mystical creature but just uses her clout and skills to overpower other virgin bees during her royal reign, usually lasting up to two years.
Defining the Royal Role
There is a different development process for the queen that is set apart from the bee colony's population of drone bees. Before the egg containing the queen bee hatches, she forms inside what is known as a queen cell and she is fed with royal jelly, a special oozing discharge created from the heads of younger bees. The queen bee alone is fed this special jelly which imparts particular sexual characteristics that are not found in other bees, particularly the working drone bees.
While most bees all look the same within a hive, you can tell the different between them and the queen bee because she has a longer shaped body and does not leave the colony hive except for mating. In fact, the queen will mate with multiple drones and then return to the hive to produce thousands of eggs a day to perpetuate the colony. Without those thousands of eggs a day laid and the loss of the queen bee, the hive would quickly die off.
Other Royal Information
The bees in the hive put themselves in great peril on a daily basis to ensure the survival of the queen bee, particularly when she leaves the hive to mate with some drones. Without the mating process, she cannot lay the many eggs needed for hive survival and unfortunately, things like foul weather can interrupt the mating.
One of the ways that the queen bee asserts her dominant authority is to exude a special substance which prompts other bees to lick off her. The problem for the other bees lies in the fact that this special substance inhibits their growth so they do not become mature in a sexual way. Of course, there is a problem when more than one queen bee exists in a hive at any given time. Typically, the weaker queen will depart the colony hive and fly away to find another one in which she can exert her dominance for her remaining time.
A queen bee may lose her authority in the hive either by dying (obviously) or when a younger queen bee challenges her and imparts a killing sting. Being a royal in a buzzing, busy hive has its downside for the queen bee but it is the call of nature to perpetuate the species.
National Geographic Bee
The Challenging National Geographic Bee
Thousands of schools in North America participate in the national geographic bee. The material that is used by children is prepared by the National Geographical Society. The main aim of the contest is to encourage teachers to include geography as one of the subjects in school. In this way it can spark an interest in geography in the students and also increase public awareness about geography.
The eligibility for participation is for schools with students from grade four to eight. It is indeed an entertaining and challenging test of knowledge in geography, and the final round of the national geographic bee is going to be aired nationally on the National Geographic Channel on May 21 and later on public television stations.
The Process
The competition of the national geographic bee is conducted in three phases. It begins at the school level. The schools which register for the competition receive materials to carry out their competitions. There is one winner from each school, and that student has to take a written test. The top hundred scorers in each state and territory then compete at the state level.
In spring the state-level national geographic bee is held and the winner of each state competition is then eligible for the national competition. This is held in Washington D, C, where 55 state and territory winners meet at the National Geographic Society headquarters.
At the end there are ten finalists and they compete for a college scholarship. The second and third winners also receive college scholarships. It is indeed a prestigious scholarship, both for the student and the school where the student was trained.
Tips for Students
There is a national geographic bee Official Study Guide to give tips to students so that they can prepare for the competition. The students should be provided with the necessary study tools like a good, up-to-date world map, an atlas, and a good geography reference book. With the help of blank outline maps they can practice how to locate places.
The students should also learn Map Terminology so that they can understand what they are looking at. It is important to read labels and coordinates correctly on a map. The students should understand the interconnectedness of geography to compete in the national geographic bee. Geography has several subdivisions like physical features, climate and culture and all are connected with each other.
Any competition and especially the national geographic bee demand that all competitors are up-to-date with current events. Bee questions can be about political upheavals, international agreements and discoveries. Students should learn how to analyze questions, because that is the best way to learn by looking for clues.
After all, learning is fun and learning for the national geographic bee should also be fun, especially learning geography. Students can even play games to help study for the Bee, so that the learning process is enjoyed by the students.
Thousands of schools in North America participate in the national geographic bee. The material that is used by children is prepared by the National Geographical Society. The main aim of the contest is to encourage teachers to include geography as one of the subjects in school. In this way it can spark an interest in geography in the students and also increase public awareness about geography.
The eligibility for participation is for schools with students from grade four to eight. It is indeed an entertaining and challenging test of knowledge in geography, and the final round of the national geographic bee is going to be aired nationally on the National Geographic Channel on May 21 and later on public television stations.
The Process
The competition of the national geographic bee is conducted in three phases. It begins at the school level. The schools which register for the competition receive materials to carry out their competitions. There is one winner from each school, and that student has to take a written test. The top hundred scorers in each state and territory then compete at the state level.
In spring the state-level national geographic bee is held and the winner of each state competition is then eligible for the national competition. This is held in Washington D, C, where 55 state and territory winners meet at the National Geographic Society headquarters.
At the end there are ten finalists and they compete for a college scholarship. The second and third winners also receive college scholarships. It is indeed a prestigious scholarship, both for the student and the school where the student was trained.
Tips for Students
There is a national geographic bee Official Study Guide to give tips to students so that they can prepare for the competition. The students should be provided with the necessary study tools like a good, up-to-date world map, an atlas, and a good geography reference book. With the help of blank outline maps they can practice how to locate places.
The students should also learn Map Terminology so that they can understand what they are looking at. It is important to read labels and coordinates correctly on a map. The students should understand the interconnectedness of geography to compete in the national geographic bee. Geography has several subdivisions like physical features, climate and culture and all are connected with each other.
Any competition and especially the national geographic bee demand that all competitors are up-to-date with current events. Bee questions can be about political upheavals, international agreements and discoveries. Students should learn how to analyze questions, because that is the best way to learn by looking for clues.
After all, learning is fun and learning for the national geographic bee should also be fun, especially learning geography. Students can even play games to help study for the Bee, so that the learning process is enjoyed by the students.
missing bees
The Case of Missing Bees
Whenever we hear that there is a case of missing bees going on, the first thing we experience is obviously fear. If we were a farmer we may think of other aspects, such as the financial trauma that would incur with a case of missing bees.
What Happened?
Back in January a few years ago there was a case of missing bees, which took place in New Brusnwick, Canada. The beekeepers there were trying to figure out what was going on, what was killing their bees.
There was actually even a study performed as a result of this, because bees are widely used for farmers in this area to help pollinate the crops. Some industry experts blamed the long harsh Canadian winter as being the reason for why the bees were killed off and some missing.
This absence of bees greatly affected the wellbeing of the beekeepers, because many of them lost over 50% of their bees, which is a serious loss.
The Importance of Bees
This is certainly not the only case of missing bees, but it is important for all people to be aware of just how many benefits bees offer us and how important they are to life in general. There are many reasons for this – for one, bees are responsible for pollinating plants that provide much of our food, and so if bees were extinct then we as humans would have a lot fewer food sources.
Bees are of inestimable valuable as agents of cross-pollination and many plants are entirely dependent on particular kinds of bees for their reproduction. In many cases the use of insecticide for agricultural pest control has left some very unwelcome side effects on bees, by killing them off or driving them away from the area.
If you ever hear about any missing bees, you should definitely get more involved and see if there is anything that you can do. The basic fact is that most people do not care about bees and definitely do not realize the importance that they play in our world.
So next time a bee is buzzing around you, rather than swatting at it and trying to kill it, just leave it alone because it probably is just looking for the next flower and really has no concern with you at all. This of course excludes killer bees, which actually attack humans and pets and have no mercy as they will follow for blocks and can end up stinging the person or animal to death.
Whenever we hear that there is a case of missing bees going on, the first thing we experience is obviously fear. If we were a farmer we may think of other aspects, such as the financial trauma that would incur with a case of missing bees.
What Happened?
Back in January a few years ago there was a case of missing bees, which took place in New Brusnwick, Canada. The beekeepers there were trying to figure out what was going on, what was killing their bees.
There was actually even a study performed as a result of this, because bees are widely used for farmers in this area to help pollinate the crops. Some industry experts blamed the long harsh Canadian winter as being the reason for why the bees were killed off and some missing.
This absence of bees greatly affected the wellbeing of the beekeepers, because many of them lost over 50% of their bees, which is a serious loss.
The Importance of Bees
This is certainly not the only case of missing bees, but it is important for all people to be aware of just how many benefits bees offer us and how important they are to life in general. There are many reasons for this – for one, bees are responsible for pollinating plants that provide much of our food, and so if bees were extinct then we as humans would have a lot fewer food sources.
Bees are of inestimable valuable as agents of cross-pollination and many plants are entirely dependent on particular kinds of bees for their reproduction. In many cases the use of insecticide for agricultural pest control has left some very unwelcome side effects on bees, by killing them off or driving them away from the area.
If you ever hear about any missing bees, you should definitely get more involved and see if there is anything that you can do. The basic fact is that most people do not care about bees and definitely do not realize the importance that they play in our world.
So next time a bee is buzzing around you, rather than swatting at it and trying to kill it, just leave it alone because it probably is just looking for the next flower and really has no concern with you at all. This of course excludes killer bees, which actually attack humans and pets and have no mercy as they will follow for blocks and can end up stinging the person or animal to death.
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