What Happened with the Bees?

This isn't going to be much of a post, but I thought I'd bring you up to date about the bees in the kitchen wall/floor/whatever.

The link below is, I think, the last thing I shared about them. The story just got worse and worse last year.

There were always a bunch of live bees in the house, primarily in the kitchen and in my bedroom. Lots of dead ones on the floor. I tried to give them a way to get out by taking one of the screens off a window, but they simply couldn't figure that out. It only gave them another way to get in. Stopped that nonsense.

The closest places that deal with bees in your home construction are in Traverse City and Grand Rapids- both an hour-and-a-half away, in opposite directions. The Traverse City one wouldn't return my calls. I finally got the Grand Rapids guy, and he would do everything we needed, including reconstruction of whatever he had to rip out (think $$$). But he wasn't willing to come in the fall because the bees are more aggressive then. "Call me in April."

One bee expert said there was an 85% chance they would live through the winter. One said there was an 85% chance they would die over the winter and the honey would start oozing out of the wall or ceiling or whatever, depending on where they were. But since no one would come, it didn't seem to make much difference. I guess if we found honey we'd at least know where they were.

At the onset of really cold weather, I sprayed the heck out of the hole where they had been getting in. I mean, I sort of hated to do it, but living with bees in the house forever isn't really an option. I got stung about 5 times last year. And I'm supposed to avoid that so I don't get re-sensitized.

Then, I bought some insecticidal spray foam and filled the crack. And all the cracks nearby where they might find access.

Come spring of 2025... no bees.

Come July of 2025... they're back. But not very many of them. What a dummy. I didn't check the other side of the door.

There was one episode of a bunch of them getting in the house. I got stung twice in just a few minutes. I sprayed them and hightailed it to Sunny and slept in my trailer that night!

Only got stung once more this year when my worst fear came true- I stepped on a bee that wasn't dead when I was barefoot. But it was at bedtime and an icepack all night kept it from swelling.

I've been spraying the hole every night at dusk since then. The population seems to be very small now, but they just don't give up and move somewhere else. I'll do the same this fall- spray deep in the hole and then seal it with the same foam stuff.

But you can see in this picture taken today that there are still live bees using that crack.

Hopefully, one more winter, and more sealing will get this under control.

In other news, I was so good today the house smells like gold stars! Actually, it smells like pumpkin spice because I'm making some pumpkin custard, but that's about the same thing.

See Bees!

500 Species of Plants

Some of you know that one of my never-will-be-finished projects is to build a database of my photos so I might actually be able to find things. I keep working on it, usually a little bit each day.

One of the categories of pictures is, of course, plants. So yesterday, I hit 500 different species entered. This is out of a total of over 3000 photos entered so far. There will be lots more than 500 ultimately. I thought for today, I'd just pick some of my favorite plant pictures from the photos that are, so far, in the database.

I'll start with this bromeliad from the 2010 Philadelphia Flower Show. Of course, these are used in displays a lot because they are so colorful and showy, but that doesn't keep me from liking them. Genus Aechmea variety 'Blue Tango.'

Not all of the favorite plant pictures are going to be exotic things. For example, here is a large white oak tree, Quercus alba, that is found along the Finger Lakes/North Country Trails. It's named for the family that owns the property it's on, the Yorski Oak. With few of the leaves out yet, you can see the great bones of this tree that is probably 200 years old. Picture taken in May 2010 on the hike on which I finished all of the NCT in New York.

This one is last fall in my rock garden. This is the Sedum 'Dazzleberry' making a large bumblebee very happy. See the full pollen baskets?

This is also last fall with late afternoon sunlight on Ostrich Ferns, Matteuccia struthiopteris, Near Round Lake.

This one is a little more exotic in that it's not commonly found, but I did find some very near my house in 2010. This is a Grape Fern, sometimes this group is called Moonworts. But those are both just names for a whole group of ferns. The Genus is Botrychium, and I think this is matricariifolium, or the Daisyleaf Moonwort. It's one of the more common ones in the group. That said, I've only ever seen two of species in real life. I'm pretty pleased that I found this one on my own. You can see why they are called "grape ferns" because the fertile leaves look like a small cluster of grapes getting ready to ripen. This whole plant is maybe an inch-and-a-half tall.

I'll end this collection with another from last fall. In the database, I've been alternating entering more recent months with older pictures, so the dates are all over the place. This is just Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, in full autumn color, with berries, and contrasted with some ash leaves.

Aren't plants great?

Today I found out that I can get the dental work I need started tomorrow! And that I have to only eat very soft food for two weeks. So, I went shopping because I don't want to have to face that if I feel really bad when I get home tomorrow.

Worked on all the usual projects. Vacation from DMS is up to 41,630 words.

See Best Photos of 2020

Of Bees, Bugs, and Bites

 I got obsessed with one of my personal pet projects today. If you know me, you know that means I did very little else all day. No walking. The only other thing I did was edit for an hour this morning.

So I thought I'd take this chance to tell you my latest theory on the "bug bites." I don't think they are bug bites. This may be TMI for some of you.

After all that cleaning and spraying and heating and washing of everything that seemed pertinent to the problem... I got in bed that night and within 10 minutes I had two big welts on my butt. OK, no bugs of any kind could navigate from anywhere through a mattress cover, a fitted sheet and pajamas (all washed in 140 degree water) that fast.

I got up and did some more reading. The only other vermin candidate that might be living in some body orifice would be pinworms, and they cause seriously localized itching. Not like what I was experiencing.

However, hives can manifest in ways other than the small rashy red bumps we usually think of. And they can even be caused by pressure.

Here's what I think is going on. The bees and I have been living in a state of uneasy truce. At least it's uneasy on my part.

As a child I was highly allergic to bee stings, to the point where I went through a two-year series of shots to reduce the allergy. I've been stung a few times as an adult, but haven't yet had a bad reaction beyond the usual type swelling and serious itching. However, one can always become resensitized to an allergy, which is why I've felt a little uneasy.

I have no idea how the bees feel about me in general. But specifically, three bees felt quite violent toward me. That's how many times I've been stung since August 4. Granted, they were each aggravated because I "grabbed" them by accident when they were sitting on something I picked up. I was also stung during this same time period by something unidentified that swelled up very badly.

I think my body is generally on high alert with the histamine reactions. An imflammatory response to anything my skin doesn't like is probably being hyperactive. My best guess is heat and pressure. We already know I don't like to be hot. All of these welts have been on my butt or the backs of my legs which are probably the warmest locations at night, and also subject to the most pressure from my weight.

This is my current theory until disproven by something else.

Sitting all day also increases the itchy spots. Guess what I've been doing all day today. Hmm. Oh, my obsession? Well it involves playing with a database. I'm thoroughly happy, but I suppose I'll have to do some things tomorrow that also keep others happy.

Meanwhile, the warm weather has resulted in a huge hatch of houseflies. Buzzy green ones. They don't bite, but they love to fly around my face and drive me insane.

There's a good chance I'll break out of obsession mode, since I really need to get some groceries.

See The Vermin Inspire a Personal Record

What's Blooming Today

 The late-season sedums are looking very nice. I won't do comparison pictures because the post would get very long, but I think most of what I'm showing you are at the peak of bloom.

First is the 'Dazzleberry' sedum. This has spread decently, and the color is rich and vibrant.

This is the sedum from Betty, which I think might be S. seiboldi 'October Daphne.' Much brighter than 3 weeks ago when I showed you.

This is the tall sedum from Margaret. It's not yet in full bloom, but it's going to have pale lavender flowers. I think this is the only flower I have with this color, especially at this time of year. It's probably some variety of Hylotelephium spectabile. (Formerly a sedum)

Here is the CoralJade sedum. This feels like a magical find to me. I stumbled on one plant at one nursery. I'd never heard of it, but it does a lovely job of filling the space. I think some of the flowers are past prime, but I like how it always seems to have a variety of soft, dusty colors going at the same time. The foliage is that way too.

This is one that Betsy gave me last year. I'm pretty sure it's a hybrid called 'Thundercloud.' Just starting to bloom. I have it in two locations.

I couldn't just call this a sedum update because one thing to show you is the 'Ocean Sunset' Ice Plant. The other one is healthy, but it seems to be done blooming for the year. This one is still going strong.

One more little treat. A happy bumble bee with its pollen baskets filled to the brim! I'm happy to make them happy too.

In other news: I worked on Long Distance Hiker records, some of my own record keeping- including plants, worked in the front garden some more (almost all cleaned up), and took a 3.7 mile walk around Scottville.

Miles hiked in 2024: 388.4

See Sedum Odds and Ends

Travel Adventures

 First things first. I am safely home.

I spent more time in the car today than I have in a long, long time. What is usually an 8-hour drive took 11+. I'm pretty tired, but my back is not screaming too much, just a bit stiff. Can't complain about that.

This is the most heartwarming thing of the day. This car was ahead of me in line to cross from Canada to the USA. Notice the Ontario license plate. Also notice the M-22 sticker. M-22 is the scenic highway that goes up the northwest shore of Michigan. It has its own fan club, and these Ontarians are members!

The very worst thing about the day was that after an easy passage into Canada, and cool temps with a bit of rain across Ontario, the sky cleared, it got hot, and the line of cars and trucks waiting to get back to the US was 4 lanes wide and 1.5 miles long. It took more than 1.5 hours, and I have no air conditioning. Finally got back across the Blue Water Bridge. The water was beautifully blue, but I could not manage a picture.

Once I was back in Michigan, my priorities were a cup of ice, salt, and a restroom in that order. I was soaking wet with sweat. But again, I can't complain. The car did not overheat, I had plenty of gas, I was sweating out all the waste products instead of crossing my legs, I had a book on CD, and I had a cooler full of food thanks to Diane.

Another fortuitous event was that while I was still on I-69, the traffic in the opposite direction was a parking lot, but those traveling west were moving. Hooray! I'd had enough of "parking lot."

While cutting north on I-75 to US 10 I crossed the Zilwaukee Bridge over the Saginaw River. I thought I had blogged about this once long ago, but apparently not. If you are from Michigan, you know this is a rather infamous span. Construction was begun in 1979, but it wasn't completed until 1988. You can read all about its problems on Wikipedia, so I'll just tell you the most famous part of the story. One span of the concrete bridge hung out into space, supported only on one end for several years before construction was resumed. Supposedly, when it was finally finished, only one truck driver was brave enough to drive across it to test it out. There are still a lot of people who will not cross it, due to continued structural issues. It has been plagued with problems throughout its existence. However, it is beautiful. The best pictures can be taken from the river level, but I was NOT stopping once I actually got moving again.

I got home at about 7 pm. The house was closed and stuffy (of course), but I got fans going. The flower beds are in terrible need of cleaning (not today), and remember the bees? Well, some are still finding their way into the house and dying.

I'm giving myself one crash day tomorrow before I get busy. Life is good! Wonderful trip.

See Canalway Trail Again

Bees!

 I said I had bees in my wall. I do. And they are honeybees. They moved into the hole where the German Yellowjackets had residence in 2017. Shame on me for not plugging that hole after I killed those monsters. I pretty much forgot. But 3 days ago I had 25 dead bees on my kitchen floor. I found them just before I went to bed and didn't go hunting until the next day. But as soon as I opened the door, I knew what had happened.

I got ahold of a local person who is considered a bee expert. He came out yesterday, and again today.

Today he brought a thermal imager. He was trying to determine where they are making the hive. The choices are: in the wall behind the refrigerator, in the space between the first floor and the basement, in the wall of the large bedroom downstairs. They are definitely not in the crawl space. That didn't seem likely since it's farther away, but was a possibility.

But he couldn't get a definitive reading. My choices are: start tearing out walls, kill them, ignore them for the summer because without treatment for the mites that kill bees over winter they will almost certainly die. Sheesh! I don't want to kill honeybees.

I am not deathly allergic, but if I get stung more than once, I'll probably need to go to the ER for observation. I guess I'm just not going to use that door this summer. Annoying, but doable.

I couldn't get a good answer about whether having 50 pounds of honey in the wall was going to be a problem.

I'm not thrilled, but I'm not going to kill honeybees unless something becomes critical.

See German Yellowjacket- It's What's for Dinner

Bicolored Sweat Bee

  Best find of the day was this little sweat bee that was trying desperately to climb through the screen and get out of the trailer. I helped him safely leave. You can tell how small he is when you realize that's ordinary window screen.

The last time I showed you sweat bees, it was really hoverflies. This one, however, is a real sweat bee. Today I learned that most sweat bees, family Halictidae, have metalic bodies. This one only had a green thorax, and the color didn't show very well in the pictures I took. It flashed bright lime green in the sunlight. The abdomen is yellow striped.

This is probably Agapostemon virescens, the Bicolored Sweat Bee, because there aren't many that have different colored thorax and abdomen.

I'd really like to show you something on the trailer, and believe me, I worked my tail off. I stayed up half the night (and then couldn't sleep most of the rest of it). Worked all day long. Made really good progress on three projects, but nothing is ready to show you yet. And, I managed to do a little bit of editing.

Shower and bed coming up. I'm beat.

See The Sweat Bee's Secret

The Sweat Bee's Secret

 
The defining insect of this hike was the sweat bee. Sure there were cicadas in the trees (but not like the last trip at ALL), and the wonderful cricket, and lots of butterflies, but the sweat bees were an unavoidable nuisance. There are two on my leg and several more on my shoe in this picture.



So, Ester was looking at one rather closely one day, and she said, "It doesn't look like a bee. It has fly eyes and fly mouthparts."

Huh. I'd never looked that closely before. Actually, I haven't seen too many of these since I was a kid, and I'm not a fanatic about insects the way I am about plants.



Anyway, it turns out she is right. These are actually hoverflies. There are lots of kinds of them. It might be Episyrphus balteatus, or maybe not. I didn't collect any for further study (unless I find some dead ones in my gear somewhere). I bet Ester has a few folded in the tent!



They can not bite or sting, but they certainly tickle. They like to just sit on your sweaty body and touch you gently, hoovering up the sweat. Tickly things make me nuts!

However, they are really good. Their larvae eat tons (probably literally) of aphids which damage all kinds of plants.

So, I learned something really interesting. Any my request is that you try not to swat the sweat bees. I think I only killed a couple when I just couldn't stand it any more.

	See Saved by the Clouds, and Ester
if you like this blog, click the +1   or

Three Buttercups

 
I got pictures of three species of buttercup in Alabama. Only one of them is new to me, and we'll do that first. Actually, my best photo of it is actually a small bee on a blossom. The flower is heavily chewed by something. This is hispid buttercup, Ranunculus hispidus.



Do you know what hispid means? It means hairy- actually stiff hairs. And these stems are very hispid. It makes this buttercup easy to identify. You can see them sticking out along the stem.



The other two are common everywhere, and I've seen both before, but now I have a better idea of how to tell them apart. First is kidneyleaf buttercup, Ranunculus abortivus. It's not very showy. You've probably seen it and didn't even bother to look or know it was there.


I'm sure you are now protesting and saying those leaves aren't kidney shaped at all! Right. However, there is a basal leaf that often withers when the plant is full size, that is shaped like a kidney. It's a definitive feature of this species. Also note the seedhead that's round like a little spiked ball.

Here's Cursed Buttercup or Cursed Crowfoot, Ranunculus sceleratus. Looks really similar, right? However, the seedhead is elongated like a thimble. And if you find the basal leaves, they are lobed, not rounded. Now I think I'll be able to remember the difference.


And why is it cursed? Because the sap can cause skin irritation. This one almost always grows in swampy areas, whereas kidneyleaf will grow in lawns, or almost anywhere.

	See A Cup Full of Sunshine for two other buttercups
if you like this blog, click the +1   or