Late April and May ushers in the emergence of carpenter bees.
By first glance, the carpenter bee looks very much like a bumble bee with a couple major differences. One being that on a carpenter bee there is a dark smooth spot on its back with little yellow covering or hairs. The bumble bee has more yellow on its body and is quite aggressive packing repeated stings from males and females.
Carpenter bees seem very aggressive but most likely the aggressive behavior is to divert an intruder from areas where they are working. In fact, carpenter bee males do not have the ability to sting however, the females are glad to use their stinging ability as a protection if touched or bothered.
Carpenter bees are wood destroying insects while bumble bees are not. A carpenter bee drills about a one-half-inch hole in wood to tunnel in to lay eggs in a safe place for eggs to develop into adults. The cycle starts all over again from year to year unless a treatment is done.
Carpenter bees do not consume wood for nourishment but instead use the wood as protection to insure the continuance of the species.
Controlling carpenter bees can be achieved by treating each emergence hole in the wood with a pesticide labeled for carpenter bees and untimely sealing the hole.
The most important tip is to don’t procrastinate on treatment. Start as soon as the bees are seen.
Many times, a repeat treatment may need to be done again in August to early September to break the life cycle.
VU announces changes in College of Health Sciences and Human Performance
Unit 20 hires new administrator and fills board vacancy
New IDOC mail policy program protested
Eagle Branch District to host annual meeting
Niemerg Lawrence County satellite office hours set
Select Wings Etc. locations offering free entrée on Veterans Day
FSSA statement on SNAP benefits, one week delay
Illinois transitioning to new emergency fire information system
Bridgeport Township accepting mowing bids
Vincennes announces Sister City partnership with Ovruch, Ukraine
IDOT and IDNR warn of deer-vehicle collisions
Vincennes man pleads guilty to murder of Taylor Hendershot
LCMH Legacy Gala a success
Christmas Nights of Lights returns to the Indiana State Fairgrounds
Tate bid to vacate convictions fails in court
Smith plea hearing rescheduled
Illinois election candidate filing period underway
Vincennes Police announced new Public Information Officer
Southwest Indiana man in custody on multiple sex charges
