Carrie Barre-LiBaire's Gardening Column

Down to Earth Gardening

This time of year we get many calls to the Extension Office about "bees" and what to do about them. As with most things we experience, correctly identifying the problem is the first step we must take to come to the correct solution. So, having said that, I find that "bees" are not the culprit, it's actually yellowjacket wasps that are the issue, and I'm tired of them giving bees a bad name!

Yellowjacket wasps look like honeybees in the fact that they are yellow and black and buzz around. Yellowjackets are shiny, narrow and relatively large when compared to honeybees. They are also carnivorous, feeding on insects most of the year. But in autumn, their tastes turn to carbohydrates when the queen stops laying eggs and the nest declines. That's when they tend to aggravate people, seeming to attack as they search for sweets. Yellowjackets, excluding new queens, die after the first freeze.

If you have a nest near your home you can wait until freezing weather takes care of them. They do not return to old nests, either. If they do pose an immediate threat, like near an entry way or they are entering your home, there are many products available to eliminate wasps' nests. One important tip is that any attempt you make on a nest should happen at night. And it's also helpful if the temperature is below 50°, as wasps have trouble flying when it's that cool.

Honey bees on the other hand, are small, stocky, extremely hairy insects that collect pollen and nectar. Honeybees are not aggressive, with most stings occurring when you accidentally step on them or are trying to pick their food supply. Honeybees also have flat back feet, if you ever get close enough to notice. There has been a massive reduction of the Honeybees due to mites and disease, so please don't smash one unless there is a danger of an allergic reaction. Honeybees are only able to sting once, as the stinger is attached to their intestines, which is fatal to them. Honeybees live in mostly manufactured hives and survive our winters by clustering together and surviving on honey.

Another bee we have around here is the Bumble Bee. These big, robust, fuzzy balls are mostly black and pollinate native prairie plants. I think their loud buzzing sound must sound ominous to people, but they are not aggressive, though unlike the honeybee they can sting more than once and they die off every year.

One perfect day last spring my sons and I spent hours standing under our three crabapple trees just listening to the buzz of honeybees covering the blossoms. We were able to get so close to them we could see the swollen yellow pollen sacks on their back legs. They didn't pay us any attention and just went about their business. I think if we practiced a little "live and let live" around honeybees or yellowjackets we would find that they really aren't that much of a problem after all.

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