Pretty creepy pictures, huh? Did I take them? Yes I did, this afternoon, and I believe my camera lens could have been actually touching this creature. Did I risk life and limb? Well, that would make a good story, but actually I did not. In fact, I suspected this was a Carpenter Bee, and I was right. I didn't learn about Carpenter Bees till this spring, and my knowledge sure came in handy today. It can BEE hard to tell the difference between this bee and a bumblebee, but I found this comparison picture on the web to show you the difference. They are extremly docile and will amost never sting, even if you touch them. If they want to scare you away, they may just bump up against you. They are also very curious. If you throw a small pebble past one, he will try to fly after it and chase it. Another thing I like about them is that they are clumsy, just like me! They frequently crash into the sides of walls, trees, and plants. They are also called Wood Bees, because they bore a perfectly round hole in wood and lay their eggs and live there. They like to live in house walls and barn walls. One of the main ways people get rid of them is to caulk up their holes. I don't like to think of these clumsy, gentle giants inside the wall smothering. They may be ugly looking, but their clumsiness and gentleness is rather endearing to me. In fact, these bees seem to have some of the same qualities that make us endearing to God.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all." Philippians 4:4,5
18 comments:
His creation is awesome!
so..there are a few types of bees.. now i know there are carpenter bees, wood bees, clumsy bees.. lol...
any bee, i m scared.. cos i heard of stories that they can "kill" too..
yes, your shots are beautiful, Ginny!
Hi there Ginny..your bees aren't creepy at all! I love these shots- They are such hard workers huh?! I'm kind of clumsy myself and I'm not the only one who thinks so (lol)! We have a black male and orange/gold female (she comes out maybe only a couple times a year)..they are very big (you may of seen some I posted (on my last header in fact). Anyway, they are known as wood bees here. The holes they burrow into are large too.
~
On a different subject.. did you ever hear about Keith Richard's rehab he went through with a couple Christians he stayed with and assisted him) others like Pete Townsend too? (Meg was the doctor) Here is a link I thought you might like to check out for fun-
(Picture gallery below with link back to home site)
http://www.drmeg.net/PictureAlbums/index.htm
You can read about in this link- http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=3778
Have a good day tomorrow-
Wow - never heard of a Carpenter Bee. Pretty BIG bees..... I'd still rather leave their presence than stick around and see which one will sting and which one will not!! ;o)
Not at all creepy Ginny, you know I love bees. I haven't seen any carpenter bees here and rarely see bumblebees in this area. Your photos are great and I enjoyed learning more about the gentle giants.
Love you header, I have some of the yellow petunias too.
Wow to those photos! You've informed me on something that I didn't know and I like that. I had to smile at the idea of "playing fetch" with the carpenter bees by throwing a stone for them to chase!!
Best,
Bonnie
I wonder if American bumble bees are more aggressive than ours. I'm not especially afraid of bumble bees, whereas I'm a lot more sceptical towards regular bees, and dead scared of wasps. My impression of bumble bees is that they're a bit clumsy too, often bumping into things, but really not interested in people, only in flowers. And I don't think they are carpenter bees, I never heard of those.
great shots and interesting info about the Carpenter Bee.Thank you for commenting on my posts while i was away.
I can't beleive you got this close to the bee, i would never had done that, bees are one of my fears, bumble or any other kind. this is all news to me, but I will not be getting close enough to see the difference. the photos are super duper good. did you know how to tell a poison snake from non posison. the eyes are round NON eyes are slited like cat eyes STOP so would you get close enough to tell what the eyes look like? ha ha NOT ME on bees or snakes. great post Ginny
No, these aren't creepy. Just the opposite, in fact. Since they don't sting, seem quite harmless and help the garden why would anyone try to get rid of them?
Here we actually build houses for Mason Bees and bring them into our gardens. Too many bees are losing habitat...we need all the pollinators we can get.
Bees have never really bothered me, Ginny, except that I got stung by one one time it was on the back of my chair and I leaned back and squashed him... He did sting me...
The only bees I am afraid of are Yellow Jackets... They scare me when they buzz around me. But--I've learned not to swat at them....
Great post.
Hugs,
Betsy
I was very impressed with your macro photos before reading about Carpenter Bees. Now that I've read your information I'm still impressed with your photos. Thanks for the great pictures and good information.
I don't like bees.... yuck!
Great pics! I love bees. They are so interesting! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by.... I had carpenter bees when I lived in Mississippi and they really can do some damage to your outside trim. And if that trim is over a window they drop tons of yellow dropping.. don't know if it is a secretion they use to digest the wood or not. I just sprayed a little off stuff and they left the holes... then covered them in before they came back.
I planted some hyssop in the beds this year and they have really attracted the bumble bees... sometimes five or six bees on the one plant at the same time. It is next to the deck and hot tub... perhaps I should have thought this out better....;).
Beautiful photos, Ginny and what a great post! I have never actually known this difference, but in observing the bumbly bees, I can see that there is one.
There are some big chubby bees, that also don't seem to look for people to sting, who burrow in the ground.
This, I learned just a few weeks ago as I watched them scurrying through the berry flowers and returning under our deck...into the ground. I couldn't believe my eyes. In all of the years I've been aware of bumble bees, I never knew that these beautiful chubby creatures lived underground.
I really like bumble bees...wasps, well...not so much - they scare me.
Last night, the boys and I were in the pool swimming when I baby monarch came flying through and around us, landing on our heads and on the pool ladder. It just sat watching us for lengths of time and then would fly about again, only to return and do the same. Such a blessing to my heart, it was.
I couldn't resist but follow you, Ginny. So glad that you found your way to my blog.
I like bees but I do think about getting stung whenever I am trying to get a picture of one. I didn't know that about carpenter bees. they do seem like sort of a sweet little creature. But, do they destroy their host homes? That would not be so sweet at all.
I'm so glad you visited SRP at Melange. Isn't she outstanding? I'll tell you all about our meeting when I see you in August.
I love to read her posts. I remember when I first found her blog, I went back and read post after post of hers.
What a beautiful post. I would love to encounter one of these gentle giants. I always have a soft spot for clumsy and docile critters. :o)
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