Best Bee Brothers Bee Blog
Reproduction Cycle of Wasps
How Do Wasps Reproduce? When Is It Too Cold for Them? Ahh, the birds and the bees talk…this time about WASPS! What’s a Wasp’s Life Cycle? Since there are many different types of wasps, 30,000 identified species, in fact, let’s focus on one, the Eastern yellow jacket – Vespula maculifrons. This easy-to-identify black-and-yellow-striped social wasp has pestered many picnics and backyard BBQs, since it loves sweet, sugary foods. The yellow jacket life cycle begins with a fertile queen, who builds a nest and uses stored sperm to create worker wasps. These workers continue building the colony, and die off at...
How to Create a DIY Carpenter Bee Trap
If you are a hands-on kind of person, building a carpenter bee trap might be the perfect project for you! In a few steps, you can create your own DIY version of a carpenter bee trap. We have provided step-by-step carpenter bee trap plans that you can follow along with. But first, here is a helpful video: Make Your Own Wood Bee Trap First, you’ll want to gather all your materials. For this homemade carpenter bee catcher you will need: 4x4 cedar or pine post anywhere from 5” to 8” in height. Untreated wood works best! Standard mason jar 6” wide...
Natural Enemies of Carpenter Bees
While nature rarely bestows a vengeful disposition on any of its creatures, you might be surprised to find that there are a few natural predators of the carpenter bee, if not exactly outright enemies. Carpenter Bee Predators If you thought carpenter bee damage was limited to the proportion of how much chomping they can do boring their tunnels and nests into the wood siding of your home (among other places), think again! Though not necessarily their fault, carpenter bees invite even more structural damage to your home by their mere presence. Let’s explore why... Carpenter bees attract pesky woodpeckers which...
Hornets' and Other Wasps' Natural Predators
Despite their imposing size and capacity for swift, repeated stings, hornets and other wasps are not the top predators in their ecosystem. While these winged defenders of the nest are not to be taken lightly, there are myriad insects and animals that will gladly make a meal out of them given the chance. Let’s take a closer look at the hidden helpers keeping your backyard free of hornets and other wasps. What Eats Hornets and Other Wasps? You might be surprised to find that despite the creatures’ fierce reputation, the list of natural predators for wasps is actually quite long....
Queen Carpenter Bee - Is There Such a Thing?
The Queen Carpenter Bee: Mating and lifestyle differences between honeybees and carpenter bees. When someone mentions bees, the image of a large honeycomb bee hive with a big queen bee probably comes to mind. It’s no wonder then that honey bees are probably the most talked about and most popular of all the bee species. And for good reason - we love the honey and wax they produce and have been studying their intricate colonies for ages. In recent years, the growing research validating the vast importance of the honey bee in pollinating our crops to make more food has...