Important topic.......

[Robbie]

Well, maybe not that important.......... :lol:

Anyone else seen flies on their wood ?

Weird........the first one I saw last week scared the crap out of me, I thought it was a black widow because it crawled off the wood onto my hand, I dropped the wood and screamed..........then saw it was a fly. (I did not have my reading glasses on, I don't wear them when I get wood). %-P

For the last week, I've noticed these flies hanging on underneath my wood splits.

It's been much colder here so I guess they are hiding in the warmth of the wood.




Robbie

 

[Harley]

actually, never seen a fly in the wood pile, but my guess would be that there might be a few hanging out looking for a warm spot, but I wouldn't worry about them

 

[Gooserider]

Like I tell the kids when they freak over a bug in the classroom - I'm not that hungry, you can have my share... %-P I agree, probably looking for a warm spot, and nothing to worry about unless you've been spraying chit on your log pile...

Gooserider

 

[jabush]

I occasionally have a fly appear from a split that I have brought in from the cold. I've also had a couple bees show up (presumably from the wood).

 

[Gooserider]

I occasionally have a fly appear from a split that I have brought in from the cold. I've also had a couple bees show up (presumably from the wood).

Honeybees or wasps / yellow-jackets? There is a BIG difference, both in the kind of insect and the level of concern required.

A honeybee tends to be more dully colored, with gold and brown or black bands, while a wasp or yellow jacket will have more intense and glossy bright colors. Also the honeybee is fuzzier, particularly on the back between the wings - a wasp or yellow-jacket has a smooth glossy shell with minimal fuzz.

A honeybee is a vegitarian, and very non-aggressive - unless you are disturbing her hive, or step on her, she wants nothing more than to leave you alone as long as you don't put her in a position where she feels trapped. (the only honeybees that CAN sting are female) This is because if a honeybee stings, it dies, so it stings only to protect the hive or as a last resort.

A wasp, hornet or yellow-jacket is a carnivore, however, that uses it's sting as a hunting weapon. It can sting as many times as it wants to, so it tends to have the "Dirty Harry" attitude - "Go Ahead - Make My Day!!" and will sting on any provocation.

Thus if it's a honeybee, you can leave it alone, it won't bother you. It also probably won't live long as a honeybee that gets separated from it's hive is fairly helpless, and can't reproduce. Wasps are more aggressive, and probably you are best off eliminating them (carefully) as soon as practical....

Gooserider

 

[jabush]

I occasionally have a fly appear from a split that I have brought in from the cold. I've also had a couple bees show up (presumably from the wood).

Honeybees or wasps / yellow-jackets? There is a BIG difference, both in the kind of insect and the level of concern required.

A honeybee tends to be more dully colored, with gold and brown or black bands, while a wasp or yellow jacket will have more intense and glossy bright colors. Also the honeybee is fuzzier, particularly on the back between the wings - a wasp or yellow-jacket has a smooth glossy shell with minimal fuzz.

A honeybee is a vegitarian, and very non-aggressive - unless you are disturbing her hive, or step on her, she wants nothing more than to leave you alone as long as you don't put her in a position where she feels trapped. (the only honeybees that CAN sting are female) This is because if a honeybee stings, it dies, so it stings only to protect the hive or as a last resort.

A wasp, hornet or yellow-jacket is a carnivore, however, that uses it's sting as a hunting weapon. It can sting as many times as it wants to, so it tends to have the "Dirty Harry" attitude - "Go Ahead - Make My Day!!" and will sting on any provocation.

Thus if it's a honeybee, you can leave it alone, it won't bother you. It also probably won't live long as a honeybee that gets separated from it's hive is fairly helpless, and can't reproduce. Wasps are more aggressive, and probably you are best off eliminating them (carefully) as soon as practical....

Gooserider

That makes sense...the first was a smallish, honeybee looking thing that kind of flew around until I could swat it. Pretty docile. The second was one of those BIG suckers! You know...about 1.5 inches long, black & yellow thorax, mean look on its face. The second I went after him, it was on!! Took me a few minutes to nail him, but finally got him knocked down.

I also get an occassional moth flying out from a split. Don't mind those...

 

[GVA]

I'm trying to envision the mean look on that 2nd one----------> :snake:

---------------------- ;-P ------------------

 

[Gooserider]

I occasionally have a fly appear from a split that I have brought in from the cold. I've also had a couple bees show up (presumably from the wood).

Honeybees or wasps / yellow-jackets? There is a BIG difference, both in the kind of insect and the level of concern required.

A honeybee tends to be more dully colored, with gold and brown or black bands, while a wasp or yellow jacket will have more intense and glossy bright colors. Also the honeybee is fuzzier, particularly on the back between the wings - a wasp or yellow-jacket has a smooth glossy shell with minimal fuzz.

A honeybee is a vegitarian, and very non-aggressive - unless you are disturbing her hive, or step on her, she wants nothing more than to leave you alone as long as you don't put her in a position where she feels trapped. (the only honeybees that CAN sting are female) This is because if a honeybee stings, it dies, so it stings only to protect the hive or as a last resort.

A wasp, hornet or yellow-jacket is a carnivore, however, that uses it's sting as a hunting weapon. It can sting as many times as it wants to, so it tends to have the "Dirty Harry" attitude - "Go Ahead - Make My Day!!" and will sting on any provocation.

Thus if it's a honeybee, you can leave it alone, it won't bother you. It also probably won't live long as a honeybee that gets separated from it's hive is fairly helpless, and can't reproduce. Wasps are more aggressive, and probably you are best off eliminating them (carefully) as soon as practical....

Gooserider

That makes sense...the first was a smallish, honeybee looking thing that kind of flew around until I could swat it. Pretty docile. The second was one of those BIG suckers! You know...about 1.5 inches long, black & yellow thorax, mean look on its face. The second I went after him, it was on!! Took me a few minutes to nail him, but finally got him knocked down.

I also get an occassional moth flying out from a split. Don't mind those...

Yeah, the moths are not a big deal, but the wasps can be a problem - it is one of our minor peeves as beekeepers when people call anything that stings a "bee" - wasps and so forth are nasty and a pain and the honeybee gets hit with the bad rap for that. The shop I deal with had a lady that had a major problem over that a few years back. She lived next to a school and the town insisted that she move her hives "because they were concerned for the children" even though none had ever been stung or bothered. They didn't do anything about the swarms of wasps and yellowjackets raiding the dumpster for all the sugary stuff the kids throw away....

There are no regulations prohibiting beekeeping, but her town gov't essentially told her that if she didn't find another location for the hives, they would hit her with every other regulatory and taxing authority they could use to make her life difficult....

As a practical matter, if you stay 20 feet away from a honey bee hive, you will probably not be bothered. If you don't get into the active flight pattern, you can probably walk up to a hive and stand next to it with little risk.
Don't try that with a wasp nest...

Gooserider

 

[nshif]

I get Black Widows in my wood pile. Not a big deal if I notice them before I bring the wood in.
Out here we have things we call Meat Bees. Probably some sort of wasp or jacket but look very similar to honey bees. We place 1 gallon mayo jars with a domed top arouund and hang pieces of chicken or other meat inside ( highly salted ) And they fly in but cant fly out. Ive seen half full gallon jars of dead "bees "

 

[Gooserider]

I get Black Widows in my wood pile. Not a big deal if I notice them before I bring the wood in.
Out here we have things we call Meat Bees. Probably some sort of wasp or jacket but look very similar to honey bees. We place 1 gallon mayo jars with a domed top arouund and hang pieces of chicken or other meat inside ( highly salted ) And they fly in but cant fly out. Ive seen half full gallon jars of dead "bees "

Ouch, that would have me wearing good gloves for sure, and definitely slow down my wood picking. Fortuneately we don't have anything to nasty to worry about up here. All of our bugs are fairly harmless.

I also try to trap as many of the wasps and yellow jackets as I can, as they will sometimes prey on my honeybees. It's fairly easy as anything the wasps are into doesn't interest the honeybees. Even soft drinks don't really attract honeybees because they prefer the more complex sugars found in nectar. They will take syrup made with table sugar, but they really don't like it.

Gooserider

 

[kevinmoelk]

I haven't seen anything nasty in my woodpile, but we've got lots of nasty critters where I live. Rattlesnakes, sage rats (harmless beyond tearing up your yard), black widows, horse flies, and lots of wasps.

The rattlers, unless you outright step on them, usually aren't an issue because humans aren't small enough to eat. They are only interested in protecting themselves, and can be easily dispatched with a shovel if necessary.

The wasps are my least favorite, because they are aggressive, and I'm allergic to them. The best way to deal with them is to use a chemical spray, and do it early in the morning when they are less active and the weather is cold. I had a nest in one of my trucks last year, they made a nest inside the rear quarter panel. I literally had to wait until it was freezing until I could combat them. When it's frozen outside they can barely move and are easy to kill.

-Kevin

 

[Gooserider]

I haven't seen anything nasty in my woodpile, but we've got lots of nasty critters where I live. Rattlesnakes, sage rats (harmless beyond tearing up your yard), black widows, horse flies, and lots of wasps.

The rattlers, unless you outright step on them, usually aren't an issue because humans aren't small enough to eat. They are only interested in protecting themselves, and can be easily dispatched with a shovel if necessary.

The wasps are my least favorite, because they are aggressive, and I'm allergic to them. The best way to deal with them is to use a chemical spray, and do it early in the morning when they are less active and the weather is cold. I had a nest in one of my trucks last year, they made a nest inside the rear quarter panel. I literally had to wait until it was freezing until I could combat them. When it's frozen outside they can barely move and are easy to kill.

-Kevin

Well they claim there may be timber rattlers and copperheads still in MA somewhere, but AFAIK there hasn't been a confirmed encounter with one in years. I do encounter an occasional garter snake or other harmless snake of that sort, but so far not in the wood pile :coolsmile:

We do get fair numbers of wasps and yellowjackets, mostly they aren't a problem, but sometimes they are in the wrong place, and I've found the "jet spray" bombs are the best way to deal with them. Make friends with you local utility guys, they tend to have better stuff than you can get at the local store.

The neighbors have four cats, three of them are outdoor cats that like either animated playtoys or fresh dinner (depends on the cat) - between them they keep the mice mostly under control, but we still have plenty of squirrells (mostly grey fortunately) skunks and other such medium sized critters. There are lots of bambi-rats in the area, but none right around us.

For the most part the wildlife isn't a big problem, though we had a while where we were getting invaded by flying squirrells, I found they were getting in right at the end of the ridge vent on the roof - haven't seen any since I filled the vent with spray foam. I've also had a few times when critters have tried to move into the walls of the garage, but I was able to discourage them after a bit.

Gooserider

 

[JMF1]

I had a battle this summer with those big "bumble bees", not sure exactly what they're called. The really big ones that bore into wood. They liked the trim on my shed for dinner I guess, but I eventually won the battle! Goose, any info you can give me on these things since you seem to know your bees? I've heard they can't sting you but haven;t tested the theory yet!

 

[Gooserider]

I had a battle this summer with those big "bumble bees", not sure exactly what they're called. The really big ones that bore into wood. They liked the trim on my shed for dinner I guess, but I eventually won the battle! Goose, any info you can give me on these things since you seem to know your bees? I've heard they can't sting you but haven;t tested the theory yet!

Around here at least they are called "carpenter bees" - makes sense I guess... They CAN sting, but are very docile by nature, so they generally don't. My understanding is that they do fairly small colonies of no more than a few dozen individuals each (as comparison, honeybees will have upwards of 50,000 in a good hive) all of whom are fertile. As with carpenter ants, they really can't attack dry wood very well, so if you are having a problem with carpenter bees you should look for any underlying problems that would be keeping the wood moist. They are mostly nectar feeders, and do their wood boring number primarily to make nesting shelters, so they aren't quite as destructive as termites or carpenter ants, but it is still not a good thing to have them.

Best treatment is to remove and replace the infested wood. Next best is to spray (the jet spray bombs work well) trying to work as much spray into their holes as possible, then fill the entrances with spray foam or calking compound. However they do tend to be persistent and will keep trying to come back, which is why removing the infested wood is a better option.

One caution about nests in the walls of your house (an occasional problem with honeybees as well as other insects) is that it is often not a smart idea to do the "Spray and seal the hole" approach, especially if it is a large colony. Insects are full of protein just like other critters and a large colony can rot and stink just like a dead animal - if the decomposition juices get into the building structure, it can cause you to need very major repair efforts to remove the contaminated material and get rid of the stink... If it is a honeybee colony, the honeycomb will break down and cause you to have a serious problem with ants and other critters attracted to the spoiled honey. It is more of a challenge, and the guys that do it are not cheap, but you are better off to have the structure openned as necessary to remove the entire colony and any nest structure. The removal people typically will open stuff up as needed, take out the nest and go away. It will be your job to close up the hole and put things back together. It is also worth noting that most homeowners insurance defines insect colonies as "acts of god" and will not cover the remediation.

Gooserider

 

[wg_bent]

I found a huge pile of chipmunk poop today yesterday.

 

[Gooserider]

I found a huge pile of chipmunk poop today yesterday.

Well other threads have established that other sorts of chit will burn, I don't see why chipmunk poop would be any different. I'm not terribly surpised either - given the way chipmunks like lots of little nooks and crannys, I'd think they would really love hanging out in a wood pile.

However as long as they stay outside, they aren't particularly harmful.

Gooserider

 

[MrGriz]

We have plenty of chipmunks around the house. They are more of a nuisance than a problem. They tend to just dig holes in the beds and yard; at least the holes are small enough that you can't turn an ankle in one.

Not too many dangerous nastys in the wood piles around here, we do have our share of bees though. I don't know what kind they are, but they build the round paper nests attached to tree branches. I have been lucky enough to find hives with my head on two occasions while mowing under one of our crab apple trees. I guess that's using your head.

 

[Gooserider]

We have plenty of chipmunks around the house. They are more of a nuisance than a problem. They tend to just dig holes in the beds and yard; at least the holes are small enough that you can't turn an ankle in one.

Not too many dangerous nastys in the wood piles around here, we do have our share of bees though. I don't know what kind they are, but they build the round paper nests attached to tree branches. I have been lucky enough to find hives with my head on two occasions while mowing under one of our crab apple trees. I guess that's using your head.

Round paper nests are wasps or hornets...

Honeybees go for pre-existing hollow places with solid walls, traditionally the hollow tree. They are also known to move into the walls or roofs of buildings if they can find a suitable openning. However feral honeybee colonies are extremely rare these days, as there are some serious diseases and pests that have become problems in the last few years and keep wild colonies from being able to survive overwintering. What people get these days are new colonies that get started when a hive swarms. However if a swarm moves into a space and sets up housekeeping, then dies, the area is prime real estate for the next swarm to come along, so it isn't uncommon for a person to get a succession of swarms in the same place.

When a removal service takes a colony out of a building, they usually make some effort to move them into a commercial "Langstroth" hive, but this is not always succesful, as the queen is frequently damaged in the removal process. They will also remove all the wax and honey, which they will attempt to process and use, but the value of such is limited, so you will still have to pay quite a bit for the service. You may be able to make a better deal with a local beekeeper, but it still is not a huge value to him.

A loose swarm is of great interest, but it is something that should only be tackled by a beekeeper - a swarm is usually quite mellow, but does contain a LOT of bees (20-50,000) so you want to have the right gear when you are handling it. Typically if you spot a swarm you should call the local police / fire dept. who will usually have a list of local beekeepers that will be happy to come and deal with the swarm.

If you are scrounging and do find a bee-tree, please call a beekeeper - honeybees are incredibly important insects to have around, and shouldn't be eliminated except as a last resort.

Gooserider

 

[MrGriz]

I don't think these were honeybees. I'm pretty sure they were hornets, based on the nest and the picture I just found on google.

When I found the nest, by smacking into it with my head, it was about the size of a softball. I waited for a cool evening, when they were fairly dormant, and sprayed the nest with some hornet spray from Cheapo Depot. The next day, I cut the branch the nest was on off the tree and tossed it into the burn pile.

 

[Gooserider]

I don't think these were honeybees. I'm pretty sure they were hornets, based on the nest and the picture I just found on google.

When I found the nest, by smacking into it with my head, it was about the size of a softball. I waited for a cool evening, when they were fairly dormant, and sprayed the nest with some hornet spray from Cheapo Depot. The next day, I cut the branch the nest was on off the tree and tossed it into the burn pile.

If it was a paper nest, they were NOT honeybees! Honeybees don't build paper nests, or any kind of weather exposed nest, they look for an enclosed structure, as I noted earlier... The wooden box hives that you see beekeepers use are essentially an experimentally derived method of building the bee's favorite style home. In essence the beekeeper is a landlord - he provides housing, and collects his rent in honey.

Your description does sound like some hornet varieties, and your disposal method was exactly what I would have done with them.

Gooserider

 

[MrGriz]

Goose,
They have nested in just about the same spot in the same tree two years in a row. Is there any way to discourage them from building there? Could I Raise taxes, re-zone, etc... Seriously, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Gooserider]

Goose,
They have nested in just about the same spot in the same tree two years in a row. Is there any way to discourage them from building there? Could I Raise taxes, re-zone, etc... Seriously, any advice would be appreciated.

Not that I know of, but I'm mostly a honeybee person, I pick up what I know about the other varieties as side information. The only way I know of to discourage them is to "nuke early and often". It might also help to put up a couple of traps and see if you can catch the early queens before they get a chance to start the nest. They also get alot of their signals through pheromes, so it can sometimes be helpful to make sure that all traces of the earlier nests are removed so there isn't anything saying "build here"...

With honeybees that move into a structure, or some of the ground dwelling wasps, you can discourage them by closing up the entrances, but its kind of hard to do that when they are building on a tree branch.

You might try googling for some better info, but I'm not sure just what to search on.

Gooserider