Entomology

[Bandit]

i have some questions on bees. first there is some kind of bee that has been taking over the property here for the last 3 years. i have been here 7 years & have never seen them before (or in my life) & each year they seem to be growing in numbers & swarm size. they are building nests in the ground & they do make honey. the nests are easy to find in the ground because there are so many swarming in & out of the hole at one time. i have killed 5 nests in two years & animals come later & dig up the nest from the ground & eat the honey.

i have been stung more than 8 times in the last two years due to this bee that has appeared out of nowhere. all the other bees & wasps do not bother me but this little bee is a real pest. one sting puts a welt on my leg about the size of a soft ball & they attack without even bothering them. they are white(ish) to almost clear in color. i dont see them pollenating with anything except for it seems they go up high into trees instead of the lower flowers & veggies, then go back into the ground.
i have seen them attack pedestrians & some of the students that use the path here & it is brutal because they seem to attack for no reason.
army bee? african bee? & why are they taking over my property like vigilantes?

i dont know much about bugs, except for the ones important in gardening & was wondering if others have seen this bee & know what i am talking about. it is unlike any bee ever & i did not know they exist until the last 3 summers.

[wil]

First glance sounds like a strain of the killer bees moving north...

Second thought...there has to be a better location for this question...

It just makes me chuckle thinking about going to an insect forum and ask if they think prayers are heard better while kneeling or standing, arms folded or towards the sky?

It is awful bandit I know, but I am now headed to the scuba diving forum to find out help with this variation of the quadratic formula I'm working on.

Again I apologize and I am getting out of here...(but my head is not stopping thinking up more...)

I see you finding a solution....and thank you so much for the chuckle first thing in the morning.

namaste,

[seattlegal]

Have you contacted your County Cooperative Extension Office about this? That's what they are there for....

[wil]

seattlegal,

whether it is s eat tleg al, or seattle gal, or sea tt legal, or whatever...

you are soooooooo much more helpful than I.

namaste,

[Tao_Equus]

Lmao Will, what do u put on your cornflakes....vodka?

But to the question;

I cannot comment really on american species but like to add an observational point of my own.
I have noticed 4 different insects that are now extremely common here in Edinburgh that I never once saw as a child growing up. A flying ant, a kind of wasp and 2 beetles. Seems to me that species migration is well under way due to global temperature rises. But Will is probably right, this is not really the right place to discuss these things.

Hope you find some answers as to your vigilante bees tho .

Regards

Peace

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by wil

First glance sounds like a strain of the killer bees moving north...

Second thought...there has to be a better location for this question...

It just makes me chuckle thinking about going to an insect forum and ask if they think prayers are heard better while kneeling or standing, arms folded or towards the sky?

It is awful bandit I know, but I am now headed to the scuba diving forum to find out help with this variation of the quadratic formula I'm working on.

Again I apologize and I am getting out of here...(but my head is not stopping thinking up more...)

I see you finding a solution....and thank you so much for the chuckle first thing in the morning.

namaste,

what better location than science to study & ask about bees?
i am not joining a bunch of forums every time i have a question. so far, i have found nothing online that completely represents & describes what i am talking about & you wont be chuckling after being stung by these particular bees.
i am taking it pretty serious for the summer of 2006. several other people have been attacked & come screaming through the yard for help & no one is familiar with the bee. yes, it is awful.

thanks for the advice, though i know that some think killer bees are a myth, i dont think so any more. maybe, some wacked out science experiment that escaped the lab.

i did just find this article this morning & i must consider that i have not seen very many regular honey bees in the last two summers.

http://www.insecta-inspecta.com/bees/killer/

The bad temper of the Africanized bee, coupled with its ability to dominate a honey bee region and reduce honey bee production, makes beekeepers anxious. Americans eat about 275 million pounds of honey each year. Beehive products also include wax used in candles, polish, and floor wax. Scientists disagree on the Africanized bee's ability to adapt to new environments nor how widely it will range. Also of concern is the possibility of relocating Africanized bee hives without causing an angry swarm. It seems we have much to learn about the bee with the bad attitude, the Africanized bee.

Originally Posted by seattlegal

Have you contacted your County Cooperative Extension Office about this? That's what they are there for....

that is the best advice i have found so far, where they come out & trap the bees & nest & take it for research. extermination runs about $200 a nest but i have had success doing that myself when i locate a nest. i am thinking there are more nests in the ground than what i am aware of- like when people find monster hives in their walls at home. so i may have to get help from the county.


for others who may have seen this bee- it is about half of the size of a yellow jacket & has a mucky white, almost invisible color.

[Bandit]

Originally Posted by Tao_Equus

Lmao Will, what do u put on your cornflakes....vodka?

But to the question;

I cannot comment really on american species but like to add an observational point of my own.
I have noticed 4 different insects that are now extremely common here in Edinburgh that I never once saw as a child growing up. A flying ant, a kind of wasp and 2 beetles. Seems to me that species migration is well under way due to global temperature rises. But Will is probably right, this is not really the right place to discuss these things.

Hope you find some answers as to your vigilante bees tho .

Regards

Peace

flying ants have been around forever. wasps & beetles dont really bother anyone- they just kind of do their thing and go back into the ground & lay eggs for next year- except the japanese beetle. that one will destroy crops & trees real fast & whole neighborhoods have to work together to keep them under control.

i think it has something to do with species migrations also. but more like people migrating the species instead of just leaving them where they are & trying to create new species in labs.

another one i have noticed a decrease in numbers are lightening bugs in June (Lampyridae).
i think that has to do with strange spring weather.
this year & 2003 there were hardly any. but last year there were a lot of fire flies.