Sept. 24, 2026
Plain Talk: Other Stinging Insects (302)
Apple Podcasts 
YouTube 
Spotify 
Amazon Music 
Overcast 
Castro 
RSS Feed Fall has arrived, and Dr. Jim Tew is taking listeners on another walk through his bee yard. But this week, the conversation wanders beyond honey bees. It begins at the county fair, where yellow jackets hovering around food and garbage cans are routinely called “bees.” Jim reflects on how quickly a beekeeper becomes known as the neighborhood “bee person”—and how that inevitably leads to calls about insects that aren't honey bees at all.
Along the way, Jim recalls helping a neighbor with a wasp nest in a mailbox and tells the memorable story of removing a large hornet nest from a tree while standing on a ladder, carefully holding the entire nest inside a garbage bag. The nest survived the adventure. Jim mostly did, too.
He also looks back at growing up around paper wasps in Alabama and considers bumblebees, carpenter bees, yellow jackets, and the other stinging insects beekeepers are often expected to understand.
The lesson isn't that every beekeeper needs to become an expert in wasps and hornets. But knowing enough to recognize what's actually causing a problem—and when simply leaving an insect alone may be the best choice—comes with being the person everyone knows keeps bees.
______________________
Thanks to Betterbee for sponsoring today's episode. Betterbee’s mission is to support every beekeeper with excellent customer service, continued education and quality equipment. From their colorful and informative catalog to their support of beekeeper educational activities, including this podcast series, Betterbee truly is Beekeepers Serving Beekeepers. See for yourself at www.betterbee.com
We’d like to thank Vita Bee Health for supporting the podcast. Vita provides proven tools for controlling Varroa—from Apistan and Apiguard to the new VarroxSan extended-release oxalic acid strips—helping beekeepers keep stronger, healthier colonies.
Thanks to Bee Culture, the Magazine of American Beekeeping, for their support of Honey Bee Obscura. Available in print and digital at www.beeculture.com
______________________
Honey Bee Obscura is brought to you by Growing Planet Media, LLC, the home of Beekeeping Today Podcast.
Music: Heart & Soul by Gyom, All We Know by Midway Music; Christmas Avenue by Immersive Music; original guitar music by Jeffrey Ott
Cartoons by: John Martin (Beezwax Comics)
Copyright © 2026 by Growing Planet Media, LLC
WEBVTT
00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:08.320
Hey, listeners.
00:00:08.580 --> 00:00:12.820
Just like that, almost overnight.
00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:13.780
It was fall.
00:00:13.780 --> 00:00:15.300
It was autumn.
00:00:15.540 --> 00:00:18.260
You know, I always give you a weather report when we start.
00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:20.820
It's just a beautiful early fall day
00:00:21.439 --> 00:00:23.680
Blue skies.
00:00:23.680 --> 00:00:24.800
Bees are out.
00:00:24.880 --> 00:00:25.039
Then
00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:26.960
we're going to go back and check on them.
00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:28.880
Before I do that though, I know this is a
00:00:29.119 --> 00:00:35.760
bee podcast, but can we just talk about another insect just for a few minutes before we do that?
00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:44.440
Listeners, I'm Jim Tew, and I come to you here once a week at Honey Bee Obscura where I try to talk about something to do
00:00:44.760 --> 00:00:48.199
with plain talk beekeeping, but today for just a minute
00:00:48.440 --> 00:00:50.040
I want to talk about insects
00:00:50.199 --> 00:00:50.600
other than
00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:53.920
Welcome to Honey Bee
00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:58.960
Obscura, brought to you by Growing Planet Media, the producers
00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:00.480
of the Beekeeping Today
00:01:00.720 --> 00:01:02.079
podcast.
00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:05.680
Join Jew Tew, your guide through the complexity.
00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:11.240
The beauty, the fun, and the challenges of managing honey bees.
00:01:11.240 --> 00:01:18.040
Jim hosts fun and interesting guests who take a deep dive into the intricate world of honey bees.
00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:20.680
Whether you're a seasoned beekeeper or just getting started,
00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:21.600
Started.
00:01:21.600 --> 00:01:26.320
Get ready for some plain talk that'll delve into all things honey bees.
00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:28.560
Years ago, under Kim
00:01:28.720 --> 00:01:29.200
's
00:01:29.520 --> 00:01:33.680
supervision, I tried to put out a wildflower garden.
00:01:34.080 --> 00:01:40.720
The bigger garden just turned kind of into a weed garden which had a lot of native plants in it.
00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:43.360
But one of the ones right here in front of my shop, it's
00:01:43.520 --> 00:01:44.799
I bet it's not
00:01:45.360 --> 00:01:46.720
30 inches
00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:47.560
By
00:01:47.960 --> 00:01:48.120
ten
00:01:48.440 --> 00:01:50.600
feet.
00:01:50.600 --> 00:01:56.200
And through the years it's really become mostly milkweed and a and a a few other flowers.
00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:59.240
Most of the diversity has gone.
00:01:58.939 --> 00:01:59.500
And I
00:01:59.820 --> 00:02:00.460
I gotta
00:02:00.619 --> 00:02:02.060
make this short.
00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:05.020
The milkweed was completely unexciting.
00:02:05.020 --> 00:02:05.979
Nothing happened.
00:02:05.979 --> 00:02:09.259
And last year I had several monarch larvae on it
00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:19.720
But listeners, about the middle of the summer, all of a sudden, the butterflies went crazy for that milk weight and at one time on that spot about two feet
00:02:19.880 --> 00:02:20.519
by about ten
00:02:20.760 --> 00:02:21.319
feet
00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:22.160
I had
00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:23.680
20 monarch
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:24.800
larvae
00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:25.440
on
00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.959
about 10 or 15 milkweed plants.
00:02:28.959 --> 00:02:30.000
And through the summer
00:02:30.160 --> 00:02:30.880
they maintain
00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:31.599
that number.
00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:32.959
I don't know where they go.
00:02:32.959 --> 00:02:34.800
There's a few hanging off the shop here
00:02:34.959 --> 00:02:35.440
where they
00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:36.180
where
00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:37.379
they tried to you know
00:02:37.540 --> 00:02:39.540
build a chrysalis.
00:02:39.540 --> 00:02:42.739
I don't know where they're going, but
00:02:44.340 --> 00:02:44.500
that
00:02:44.660 --> 00:02:47.700
was just amazing and they absolutely stripped
00:02:48.440 --> 00:02:52.440
Right down to the stem, those milkweed plants.
00:02:52.440 --> 00:02:57.560
So if it matters to you, I had a bumper crop
00:02:58.379 --> 00:02:58.540
of
00:02:58.860 --> 00:03:03.579
milkweed butterflies this year on just a minimum number
00:03:04.220 --> 00:03:06.140
of milkweed plants
00:03:08.260 --> 00:03:12.900
I'm gonna take the 75 yard walk back to the shop.
00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:15.700
But I'm gonna stop by this hibiscus plant.
00:03:15.700 --> 00:03:16.340
They've all
00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:20.420
they've all flowered and are gone
00:03:22.220 --> 00:03:22.700
Golden
00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:24.860
rods up in the field.
00:03:24.860 --> 00:03:28.060
We'll check that out later.
00:03:28.060 --> 00:03:32.620
The main thing I want to talk to you about today is the county fair
00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.800
With some friends I went to the county fair, which
00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:40.800
usually one time's enough for me, just look at the chickens and
00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:42.080
the big draft
00:03:42.239 --> 00:03:44.080
horses and whatever.
00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:46.800
And as I was eating a barbecued
00:03:47.440 --> 00:03:52.000
chicken, I noticed that there were yellow jackets all around
00:03:52.160 --> 00:03:53.840
wanting to eat with me there
00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:55.040
too.
00:03:55.860 --> 00:03:57.220
Let me get through the barn
00:03:57.540 --> 00:03:59.939
here.
00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:01.220
And one of my
00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:02.420
co
00:04:03.540 --> 00:04:04.819
diners.
00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:05.440
And
00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:07.040
didn't know him from anyone.
00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:10.560
It was just sitting there and he said, I don't know what was all these bees.
00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:12.640
It used to be flies.
00:04:12.640 --> 00:04:14.400
Now it's just bees.
00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:15.600
I'm in the bee yard
00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:16.160
now
00:04:17.340 --> 00:04:19.660
Many years ago, a young Jim Too
00:04:19.820 --> 00:04:21.180
would have taken him on
00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:23.980
and explained that that in fact
00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:26.380
was not honey bees, that that was yellow
00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:27.740
jackets.
00:04:28.340 --> 00:04:30.020
But I just let it go.
00:04:30.020 --> 00:04:31.780
I didn't say a word.
00:04:31.780 --> 00:04:33.060
But I did note
00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:34.740
again
00:04:35.940 --> 00:04:39.940
that honey bees, honey bees get the blame.
00:04:40.080 --> 00:04:44.400
for all of the bees that are around the garbage bins and
00:04:44.880 --> 00:04:49.280
trying to get to the sweetness that you're having at the county fair.
00:04:49.280 --> 00:04:50.400
And it's always a
00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:52.080
major issue
00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:54.440
At those events.
00:04:54.440 --> 00:04:57.800
And our bees get the blame for it.
00:04:57.800 --> 00:04:59.560
So the ones we have to watch for
00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:01.160
primarily.
00:05:01.380 --> 00:05:01.460
are
00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:02.900
are yellow jackets
00:05:03.139 --> 00:05:04.740
because they're the one that really
00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:05.940
blindsides
00:05:06.180 --> 00:05:09.060
people, surprises them, s
00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:10.100
scares them.
00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:11.940
I mean how many stories do you want?
00:05:11.940 --> 00:05:12.100
I
00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:17.680
was on my tractor years ago, not too many years ago, but years ago cutting grass
00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:23.040
and I noticed my neighbor across the street walk out to her mailbox
00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:27.360
and as I was turning the tractor around I was going to speak to her.
00:05:26.940 --> 00:05:29.820
And she went into all this jumping frenzy
00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:31.500
responsive mode
00:05:31.980 --> 00:05:33.980
and was slapping herself
00:05:34.780 --> 00:05:35.260
and as
00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:37.660
after a bit she came over and she said that
00:05:37.820 --> 00:05:39.660
a waf's nest
00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:40.280
had
00:05:40.520 --> 00:05:44.120
built in her mailbox and she didn't know it and that the bee
00:05:44.280 --> 00:05:46.120
just stung her.
00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.599
And could I help her with it?
00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:49.320
So
00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:50.280
yeah, I
00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.360
took up some bee gloves and went over and tore down the little
00:05:54.840 --> 00:05:56.120
the little nest
00:05:56.520 --> 00:05:56.840
and
00:05:57.980 --> 00:05:59.260
It was gone.
00:05:59.260 --> 00:06:02.060
But I was intrigued at that point.
00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.220
Clearly, a single-tier
00:06:04.460 --> 00:06:08.380
wasp's nest, and she said that it was a bee that stung
00:06:08.620 --> 00:06:09.580
her.
00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:10.840
Just because they
00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:13.000
've you got bees on the street.
00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:14.600
The most interesting situation
00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:17.240
I noticed the guy at the end of the street
00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:17.880
was
00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:18.520
really
00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:18.840
go
00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:21.000
going crazy splitting wood.
00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.919
I mean he's got enough wood to
00:06:23.320 --> 00:06:25.960
To be drawing out there for about three seasons.
00:06:25.960 --> 00:06:27.400
Maybe that was his intent.
00:06:27.400 --> 00:06:29.240
I don't know.
00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:31.800
I stopped by one day to ask
00:06:32.039 --> 00:06:36.759
if he was selling that or what he was doing with it and he explained that no it was all for him.
00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:38.599
That he would probably let some go if I
00:06:38.840 --> 00:06:40.199
if I needed a few pieces.
00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:41.000
And I told him mine
00:06:41.159 --> 00:06:41.240
was
00:06:41.400 --> 00:06:42.840
just a burn outside
00:06:43.039 --> 00:06:43.840
And then I'd stop
00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:45.039
back by and talk to him.
00:06:45.039 --> 00:06:45.680
He said, Well I
00:06:45.919 --> 00:06:47.039
where do you live down there?
00:06:47.039 --> 00:06:50.240
There's some guy down there who has bees.
00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:52.080
Uh I think it's right by that lane.
00:06:52.080 --> 00:06:53.360
Are you anywhere near him?
00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:54.080
And I said, Well
00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:56.479
actually I am that guy down there
00:06:56.820 --> 00:06:58.660
Who has bees.
00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:00.020
I didn't know this guy.
00:07:00.020 --> 00:07:01.460
I still don't know his last name.
00:07:01.460 --> 00:07:02.900
His first name was Josh.
00:07:02.900 --> 00:07:05.700
I don't think he would mind me telling you that.
00:07:06.140 --> 00:07:12.140
And before Josh even knew who I was, somebody had told him that I've got bees down here.
00:07:12.780 --> 00:07:14.220
With that in mind
00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:15.180
,
00:07:15.380 --> 00:07:17.220
You're gonna get cold a lot.
00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:21.620
If you're new to this, let's take a walk.
00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:23.220
If you're new to this
00:07:24.340 --> 00:07:27.300
And people bee begin to understand that you're the B
00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:30.660
person, you're going to get calls for B
00:07:30.820 --> 00:07:30.900
s
00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:34.340
for bee stuff that's not bee stuff at all.
00:07:34.940 --> 00:07:36.780
Let's take a break.
00:07:36.780 --> 00:07:39.020
Hear from our sponsor while I reposition
00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:41.659
myself.
00:07:41.659 --> 00:07:44.300
For more than 45 years, Better
00:07:44.460 --> 00:07:48.940
Bee has proudly supported beekeepers by offering high-quality, innovative
00:07:49.539 --> 00:07:56.740
Products, providing outstanding customer service, many of our staff are beekeepers themselves, and
00:07:56.900 --> 00:08:00.659
sharing education to help beekeepers succeed.
00:08:00.659 --> 00:08:04.180
Based in Greenwich, New York, Betterbee serves beekeepers.
00:08:04.539 --> 00:08:07.419
Keepers all across the United States.
00:08:07.419 --> 00:08:15.419
Whether you're just getting started or a seasoned pro, Betterbee has the products and experience to help you
00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:17.979
and your bees succeed.
00:08:17.979 --> 00:08:19.099
Visit betterbee.
00:08:19.099 --> 00:08:19.259
com
00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:21.460
Or call
00:08:21.620 --> 00:08:24.099
1-800-632
00:08:24.259 --> 00:08:26.500
-3379.
00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:27.620
Better Be, your
00:08:27.780 --> 00:08:29.139
partners in Better Be
00:08:29.300 --> 00:08:30.419
Keeping.
00:08:30.419 --> 00:08:33.060
It's a great day for a walk.
00:08:33.460 --> 00:08:38.420
The leaves are just starting to fall, they're just beginning to turn.
00:08:38.420 --> 00:08:38.740
And
00:08:38.900 --> 00:08:41.300
it's that time of the year.
00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:42.260
where
00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:45.140
a hornet nest will turn up.
00:08:45.140 --> 00:08:47.300
That's been there pretty much all summer
00:08:47.459 --> 00:08:49.060
and nobody knew it
00:08:49.380 --> 00:08:51.140
until the leaves drop
00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.040
And a neighbor down the street
00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:56.680
called me and said that they had
00:08:56.920 --> 00:08:58.120
a big hornet
00:08:58.360 --> 00:08:58.920
nest
00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:02.040
That's right on the edge of
00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:04.200
the tree limb
00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:07.480
and it's grown so much that it's sagging down and
00:09:07.640 --> 00:09:08.840
they're afraid
00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:11.720
that they're gonna hit it with their head
00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:14.640
as they mow grass.
00:09:14.640 --> 00:09:16.800
Well, you know, what do I know about hornets?
00:09:17.040 --> 00:09:18.000
I know as much as
00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:21.760
as anybody else, you know, I know they're not bees.
00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:23.420
And I went down
00:09:24.060 --> 00:09:25.580
after dark
00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:28.140
and this was my plan.
00:09:28.140 --> 00:09:29.420
It was on a
00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:33.260
on a springy, low-hanging limb.
00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:35.000
But it was about eight feet up.
00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.240
They were never gonna hit it with their head.
00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:40.760
And the nests had been there all summer and had done nothing.
00:09:40.760 --> 00:09:46.520
When I looked at the nest, it was just a beautiful, beautiful piece of artwork that the insects had made, but nope
00:09:46.920 --> 00:09:50.920
It's dangerous and it's gotta come down.
00:09:50.920 --> 00:09:51.079
So
00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:52.279
with my wife there
00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:54.440
standing a safe distance back
00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:56.120
to call 911
00:09:56.680 --> 00:09:59.720
if I had to, I went up a ladder
00:10:00.380 --> 00:10:01.980
And I gently
00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:05.260
put a black garbage bag
00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:06.540
over
00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:07.820
the nest
00:10:09.680 --> 00:10:10.320
And then
00:10:10.640 --> 00:10:15.040
I crushed the bag in my hand, you know, around the limb.
00:10:15.040 --> 00:10:16.880
I'm showing you now what what I was doing.
00:10:16.880 --> 00:10:21.279
I was holding the limb with the bag crushed in my hand.
00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:29.140
And then without holding on with either hand, I reached up and clipped off the limb.
00:10:29.140 --> 00:10:31.220
And there was an ominous
00:10:31.860 --> 00:10:32.820
vibrational
00:10:33.140 --> 00:10:35.620
buzz.
00:10:35.340 --> 00:10:36.620
In that bag
00:10:37.900 --> 00:10:38.860
that can only
00:10:39.020 --> 00:10:41.900
be described as intimidating.
00:10:41.900 --> 00:10:45.740
I need to be clear, I did have my bee gloves on and I had my bee suit
00:10:46.060 --> 00:10:46.380
on
00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:47.380
And I
00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:50.580
admonished everybody else to step away.
00:10:51.060 --> 00:10:54.340
Nobody was out there, I was doing it dark, just my wife.
00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:58.660
And like I said, she was my emergency contact because this was the first hornet
00:10:58.820 --> 00:11:00.020
's nest.
00:10:59.920 --> 00:11:02.800
that I had ever taken down.
00:11:02.800 --> 00:11:11.040
Coming down the ladder, I thought that I was just one step off the ground, and in fact I was three steps off the ground.
00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:15.540
Boom, I dropped right to the ground from about 30 inches up
00:11:15.860 --> 00:11:17.940
and fell right flat on my back
00:11:18.580 --> 00:11:21.300
and the entire time I was falling
00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:22.940
My thought was
00:11:23.180 --> 00:11:23.820
do not
00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:26.860
do not let go of that bug.
00:11:26.860 --> 00:11:28.700
And I didn't.
00:11:28.780 --> 00:11:29.980
I wasn't hurt.
00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:31.660
I was kind of banged up
00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:33.660
But I held on to the bag
00:11:33.900 --> 00:11:35.900
and the story basically ends there.
00:11:35.900 --> 00:11:38.380
I've got the nest hanging in my shop.
00:11:38.380 --> 00:11:38.860
It was
00:11:39.020 --> 00:11:39.900
perfect nest.
00:11:40.140 --> 00:11:41.500
I didn't damage it.
00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:43.340
It didn't need to come down.
00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:46.460
I'm sitting here in my front yard.
00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:46.760
And
00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:47.800
my neighbors
00:11:48.040 --> 00:11:49.800
finally got to the age where
00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:53.800
she can't stay home alone anymore, so her house is vacant
00:11:55.040 --> 00:11:56.000
Five years ago
00:11:56.160 --> 00:11:57.520
they had six hornet
00:11:57.680 --> 00:11:58.400
nests
00:11:58.720 --> 00:11:59.280
in their
00:11:59.520 --> 00:12:01.680
front apple trees, the uh
00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:02.960
the small apples.
00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:03.600
What are they called?
00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:04.320
The dwarf apples
00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:04.560
have
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:06.240
momentarily gone blank
00:12:06.820 --> 00:12:10.660
They're just decorative trees with a lot of blooms in the spring and
00:12:11.300 --> 00:12:11.940
not much
00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:14.100
fruit.
00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:15.860
And I was surprised at my neighbor.
00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:16.260
He was a
00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:16.820
he was a
00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:18.900
tough guy, an outdoorsman, but
00:12:19.140 --> 00:12:24.020
He wouldn't have those things hanging there, so he carefully destroyed every one of them.
00:12:24.020 --> 00:12:26.340
I don't know why they won't nest on my property.
00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:27.700
I would leave them here
00:12:28.140 --> 00:12:28.300
So
00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:30.940
ball-faced hornets are going to be
00:12:31.180 --> 00:12:32.780
a challenge for
00:12:33.100 --> 00:12:33.260
you
00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:34.700
too.
00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:37.020
They're going to have to learn to live with.
00:12:37.020 --> 00:12:41.020
They're not our bees, but we're going to be given credit for them.
00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:41.279
The
00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:46.880
wasp that I've talked about early on, they were the stinging insects of my life.
00:12:46.880 --> 00:12:49.440
They were ultra, ultra common
00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:51.839
in southeast Alabama
00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:52.720
hot
00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:53.600
climate
00:12:53.920 --> 00:12:54.240
under
00:12:54.400 --> 00:12:55.040
every
00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:55.920
barn
00:12:56.160 --> 00:13:00.000
eve, under every old truck fender
00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:02.960
that sat still for a while, that would be
00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:04.899
either a yellow
00:13:05.220 --> 00:13:06.180
Pallistes
00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.899
nest or a what we called at that time
00:13:09.140 --> 00:13:10.500
red wasp.
00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:12.180
They were bigger.
00:13:12.140 --> 00:13:18.620
They were bigger insects, had fewer populations, but they were always more intimidating.
00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:20.220
I grew up with those things.
00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:22.620
And somewhere I read as a kid that that wasps
00:13:22.780 --> 00:13:23.820
primarily sting
00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:25.260
movement.
00:13:25.540 --> 00:13:28.340
So I would climb up in the loft of the barn
00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:30.980
with a pen full of stones
00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:35.140
and lie flat on my back and throw stones at a wasp
00:13:35.300 --> 00:13:37.060
nest just to antagonize
00:13:37.380 --> 00:13:38.020
it.
00:13:38.180 --> 00:13:41.060
and then lay perfectly still.
00:13:41.060 --> 00:13:43.620
But that was not one of the smartest things I ever did.
00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:48.500
Even though it worked, I'm sure they respond to to sight and to odors.
00:13:48.520 --> 00:13:48.760
not
00:13:48.920 --> 00:13:55.000
just a movement, but I thought I had some sophisticated science there that I could use.
00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:56.520
So I've had a long
00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:03.740
combated relationship with stinging insects throughout my outdoor life.
00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:07.819
And I went into to beekeeping with a bit of trepidation because
00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:11.540
Those things were, you know, they meant a lot to me.
00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:13.780
They were meaningful.
00:14:13.780 --> 00:14:15.460
And the pain of it.
00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:16.840
wasn't
00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:18.440
was always omnipresent.
00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:21.720
When you start keeping bees, you were going to be stung sooner or later.
00:14:21.880 --> 00:14:23.560
Ironically, I was stung
00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:25.160
the very first day of B
00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:28.200
class at at Auburn, the very first day, the very first
00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:29.240
eleventh
00:14:29.420 --> 00:14:32.540
I was stung, so I got that over with.
00:14:32.699 --> 00:14:32.860
Can
00:14:33.100 --> 00:14:35.100
almost tell you a story about it, but I'll
00:14:35.420 --> 00:14:37.100
I won't go into it
00:14:36.900 --> 00:14:41.860
The last thing we need to mention is bumblebees, those big furry bumblebees and they're look
00:14:42.020 --> 00:14:42.500
alike
00:14:42.660 --> 00:14:46.340
but not the same insect at all, carpenter bees.
00:14:46.660 --> 00:14:53.540
Those bees are much smaller in number and though those stings are remarkably painful and sometimes you'll get a call
00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:55.540
to eliminate them too.
00:14:55.540 --> 00:14:58.660
I don't know what to tell you to do, listeners.
00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:00.140
You can be a good Samaritan
00:15:00.459 --> 00:15:02.140
and try.
00:15:02.140 --> 00:15:08.540
But then once you start putting out chemicals, seven or something on someone else's yard, I don't I don't know.
00:15:08.540 --> 00:15:11.420
I don't know what we're incurring or what we should do
00:15:12.020 --> 00:15:12.180
So
00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:14.740
I just always play each one
00:15:15.060 --> 00:15:15.380
as
00:15:15.540 --> 00:15:17.860
an individual case.
00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:20.580
I don't advertise it, I don't promote it.
00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:23.860
If I can get out of it, I probably will.
00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:24.560
and
00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:28.079
I'd hope that they can find something else to do.
00:15:28.079 --> 00:15:28.480
I'd
00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:29.839
usually tell them
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:31.440
if they can just hang on
00:15:32.079 --> 00:15:36.639
and coexist with whatever the insect is, especially yellow jackets
00:15:37.260 --> 00:15:41.580
By the second killing frost, they're going to be gone.
00:15:42.140 --> 00:15:45.020
These insects get lumped in
00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:45.980
with us
00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:47.580
as beekeepers
00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:49.020
And
00:15:49.660 --> 00:15:51.900
I know just enough about them to
00:15:52.140 --> 00:15:56.060
be up slightly above average, but I've never wanted to be.
00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:56.640
uh
00:15:56.880 --> 00:15:57.760
yellow jacket
00:15:58.160 --> 00:15:58.480
uh
00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:00.640
expert or
00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:05.760
bumblebee whatever I've I wanted to work with honey bees but you have to know
00:16:05.920 --> 00:16:07.520
I think you have to know
00:16:07.820 --> 00:16:11.020
Just enough about these other insects that sting
00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:11.820
because
00:16:12.060 --> 00:16:14.380
people are not going to differentiate them.
00:16:14.380 --> 00:16:17.740
At the county fair, at a picnic.
00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:17.960
on
00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:26.200
a walks or Saturday afternoon on a paved path, there's going to be wasp and yellow jackets all over that golden
00:16:26.520 --> 00:16:27.480
ride.
00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:30.720
And people are going to refer to them, but more often than not
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:33.120
as bees.
00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:34.400
So I'll close on this.
00:16:34.400 --> 00:16:37.120
I don't have any advice other than just expect
00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:44.000
that somewhere if you keep bees long enough and you become known for it well enough, you're going to have to ex
00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:44.480
uh
00:16:44.640 --> 00:16:46.400
help out a neighbor.
00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:48.640
a family member, someone
00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:52.320
with a bee issue that is not honey bees.
00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:54.320
And it's interesting because
00:16:54.640 --> 00:16:56.880
I'm a little bit fearful when I go work
00:16:57.040 --> 00:16:58.560
insects that sting
00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:00.960
that are not my insects.
00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:04.600
But I feel invincible in my bee guard.
00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:05.160
That helps
00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:06.839
a lot.
00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:07.720
That's enough.
00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:08.760
It's a beautiful day.
00:17:08.760 --> 00:17:12.360
I'm gonna sit here for a while longer and just enjoy life.
00:17:12.360 --> 00:17:14.839
I'll talk to you again this time next week.
00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:15.959
I'm Jim.
00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:16.800
Telling your
00:17:16.959 --> 00:17:17.680
bye.
00:00:06.320 --> 00:00:08.320
Hey, listeners.
00:00:08.580 --> 00:00:12.820
Just like that, almost overnight.
00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:13.780
It was fall.
00:00:13.780 --> 00:00:15.300
It was autumn.
00:00:15.540 --> 00:00:18.260
You know, I always give you a weather report when we start.
00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:20.820
It's just a beautiful early fall day
00:00:21.439 --> 00:00:23.680
Blue skies.
00:00:23.680 --> 00:00:24.800
Bees are out.
00:00:24.880 --> 00:00:25.039
Then
00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:26.960
we're going to go back and check on them.
00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:28.880
Before I do that though, I know this is a
00:00:29.119 --> 00:00:35.760
bee podcast, but can we just talk about another insect just for a few minutes before we do that?
00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:44.440
Listeners, I'm Jim Tew, and I come to you here once a week at Honey Bee Obscura where I try to talk about something to do
00:00:44.760 --> 00:00:48.199
with plain talk beekeeping, but today for just a minute
00:00:48.440 --> 00:00:50.040
I want to talk about insects
00:00:50.199 --> 00:00:50.600
other than
00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:53.920
Welcome to Honey Bee
00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:58.960
Obscura, brought to you by Growing Planet Media, the producers
00:00:59.120 --> 00:01:00.480
of the Beekeeping Today
00:01:00.720 --> 00:01:02.079
podcast.
00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:05.680
Join Jew Tew, your guide through the complexity.
00:01:06.360 --> 00:01:11.240
The beauty, the fun, and the challenges of managing honey bees.
00:01:11.240 --> 00:01:18.040
Jim hosts fun and interesting guests who take a deep dive into the intricate world of honey bees.
00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:20.680
Whether you're a seasoned beekeeper or just getting started,
00:01:21.040 --> 00:01:21.600
Started.
00:01:21.600 --> 00:01:26.320
Get ready for some plain talk that'll delve into all things honey bees.
00:01:26.720 --> 00:01:28.560
Years ago, under Kim
00:01:28.720 --> 00:01:29.200
's
00:01:29.520 --> 00:01:33.680
supervision, I tried to put out a wildflower garden.
00:01:34.080 --> 00:01:40.720
The bigger garden just turned kind of into a weed garden which had a lot of native plants in it.
00:01:40.720 --> 00:01:43.360
But one of the ones right here in front of my shop, it's
00:01:43.520 --> 00:01:44.799
I bet it's not
00:01:45.360 --> 00:01:46.720
30 inches
00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:47.560
By
00:01:47.960 --> 00:01:48.120
ten
00:01:48.440 --> 00:01:50.600
feet.
00:01:50.600 --> 00:01:56.200
And through the years it's really become mostly milkweed and a and a a few other flowers.
00:01:56.200 --> 00:01:59.240
Most of the diversity has gone.
00:01:58.939 --> 00:01:59.500
And I
00:01:59.820 --> 00:02:00.460
I gotta
00:02:00.619 --> 00:02:02.060
make this short.
00:02:02.060 --> 00:02:05.020
The milkweed was completely unexciting.
00:02:05.020 --> 00:02:05.979
Nothing happened.
00:02:05.979 --> 00:02:09.259
And last year I had several monarch larvae on it
00:02:10.200 --> 00:02:19.720
But listeners, about the middle of the summer, all of a sudden, the butterflies went crazy for that milk weight and at one time on that spot about two feet
00:02:19.880 --> 00:02:20.519
by about ten
00:02:20.760 --> 00:02:21.319
feet
00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:22.160
I had
00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:23.680
20 monarch
00:02:23.840 --> 00:02:24.800
larvae
00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:25.440
on
00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.959
about 10 or 15 milkweed plants.
00:02:28.959 --> 00:02:30.000
And through the summer
00:02:30.160 --> 00:02:30.880
they maintain
00:02:31.040 --> 00:02:31.599
that number.
00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:32.959
I don't know where they go.
00:02:32.959 --> 00:02:34.800
There's a few hanging off the shop here
00:02:34.959 --> 00:02:35.440
where they
00:02:36.020 --> 00:02:36.180
where
00:02:36.340 --> 00:02:37.379
they tried to you know
00:02:37.540 --> 00:02:39.540
build a chrysalis.
00:02:39.540 --> 00:02:42.739
I don't know where they're going, but
00:02:44.340 --> 00:02:44.500
that
00:02:44.660 --> 00:02:47.700
was just amazing and they absolutely stripped
00:02:48.440 --> 00:02:52.440
Right down to the stem, those milkweed plants.
00:02:52.440 --> 00:02:57.560
So if it matters to you, I had a bumper crop
00:02:58.379 --> 00:02:58.540
of
00:02:58.860 --> 00:03:03.579
milkweed butterflies this year on just a minimum number
00:03:04.220 --> 00:03:06.140
of milkweed plants
00:03:08.260 --> 00:03:12.900
I'm gonna take the 75 yard walk back to the shop.
00:03:12.900 --> 00:03:15.700
But I'm gonna stop by this hibiscus plant.
00:03:15.700 --> 00:03:16.340
They've all
00:03:17.860 --> 00:03:20.420
they've all flowered and are gone
00:03:22.220 --> 00:03:22.700
Golden
00:03:22.860 --> 00:03:24.860
rods up in the field.
00:03:24.860 --> 00:03:28.060
We'll check that out later.
00:03:28.060 --> 00:03:32.620
The main thing I want to talk to you about today is the county fair
00:03:34.080 --> 00:03:36.800
With some friends I went to the county fair, which
00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:40.800
usually one time's enough for me, just look at the chickens and
00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:42.080
the big draft
00:03:42.239 --> 00:03:44.080
horses and whatever.
00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:46.800
And as I was eating a barbecued
00:03:47.440 --> 00:03:52.000
chicken, I noticed that there were yellow jackets all around
00:03:52.160 --> 00:03:53.840
wanting to eat with me there
00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:55.040
too.
00:03:55.860 --> 00:03:57.220
Let me get through the barn
00:03:57.540 --> 00:03:59.939
here.
00:03:59.939 --> 00:04:01.220
And one of my
00:04:02.180 --> 00:04:02.420
co
00:04:03.540 --> 00:04:04.819
diners.
00:04:05.120 --> 00:04:05.440
And
00:04:05.680 --> 00:04:07.040
didn't know him from anyone.
00:04:07.040 --> 00:04:10.560
It was just sitting there and he said, I don't know what was all these bees.
00:04:10.960 --> 00:04:12.640
It used to be flies.
00:04:12.640 --> 00:04:14.400
Now it's just bees.
00:04:14.400 --> 00:04:15.600
I'm in the bee yard
00:04:15.840 --> 00:04:16.160
now
00:04:17.340 --> 00:04:19.660
Many years ago, a young Jim Too
00:04:19.820 --> 00:04:21.180
would have taken him on
00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:23.980
and explained that that in fact
00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:26.380
was not honey bees, that that was yellow
00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:27.740
jackets.
00:04:28.340 --> 00:04:30.020
But I just let it go.
00:04:30.020 --> 00:04:31.780
I didn't say a word.
00:04:31.780 --> 00:04:33.060
But I did note
00:04:34.100 --> 00:04:34.740
again
00:04:35.940 --> 00:04:39.940
that honey bees, honey bees get the blame.
00:04:40.080 --> 00:04:44.400
for all of the bees that are around the garbage bins and
00:04:44.880 --> 00:04:49.280
trying to get to the sweetness that you're having at the county fair.
00:04:49.280 --> 00:04:50.400
And it's always a
00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:52.080
major issue
00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:54.440
At those events.
00:04:54.440 --> 00:04:57.800
And our bees get the blame for it.
00:04:57.800 --> 00:04:59.560
So the ones we have to watch for
00:04:59.720 --> 00:05:01.160
primarily.
00:05:01.380 --> 00:05:01.460
are
00:05:01.699 --> 00:05:02.900
are yellow jackets
00:05:03.139 --> 00:05:04.740
because they're the one that really
00:05:05.060 --> 00:05:05.940
blindsides
00:05:06.180 --> 00:05:09.060
people, surprises them, s
00:05:09.300 --> 00:05:10.100
scares them.
00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:11.940
I mean how many stories do you want?
00:05:11.940 --> 00:05:12.100
I
00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:17.680
was on my tractor years ago, not too many years ago, but years ago cutting grass
00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:23.040
and I noticed my neighbor across the street walk out to her mailbox
00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:27.360
and as I was turning the tractor around I was going to speak to her.
00:05:26.940 --> 00:05:29.820
And she went into all this jumping frenzy
00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:31.500
responsive mode
00:05:31.980 --> 00:05:33.980
and was slapping herself
00:05:34.780 --> 00:05:35.260
and as
00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:37.660
after a bit she came over and she said that
00:05:37.820 --> 00:05:39.660
a waf's nest
00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:40.280
had
00:05:40.520 --> 00:05:44.120
built in her mailbox and she didn't know it and that the bee
00:05:44.280 --> 00:05:46.120
just stung her.
00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:48.599
And could I help her with it?
00:05:49.080 --> 00:05:49.320
So
00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:50.280
yeah, I
00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.360
took up some bee gloves and went over and tore down the little
00:05:54.840 --> 00:05:56.120
the little nest
00:05:56.520 --> 00:05:56.840
and
00:05:57.980 --> 00:05:59.260
It was gone.
00:05:59.260 --> 00:06:02.060
But I was intrigued at that point.
00:06:02.060 --> 00:06:04.220
Clearly, a single-tier
00:06:04.460 --> 00:06:08.380
wasp's nest, and she said that it was a bee that stung
00:06:08.620 --> 00:06:09.580
her.
00:06:10.040 --> 00:06:10.840
Just because they
00:06:11.160 --> 00:06:13.000
've you got bees on the street.
00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:14.600
The most interesting situation
00:06:14.759 --> 00:06:17.240
I noticed the guy at the end of the street
00:06:17.560 --> 00:06:17.880
was
00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:18.520
really
00:06:18.680 --> 00:06:18.840
go
00:06:19.080 --> 00:06:21.000
going crazy splitting wood.
00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:22.919
I mean he's got enough wood to
00:06:23.320 --> 00:06:25.960
To be drawing out there for about three seasons.
00:06:25.960 --> 00:06:27.400
Maybe that was his intent.
00:06:27.400 --> 00:06:29.240
I don't know.
00:06:29.240 --> 00:06:31.800
I stopped by one day to ask
00:06:32.039 --> 00:06:36.759
if he was selling that or what he was doing with it and he explained that no it was all for him.
00:06:36.759 --> 00:06:38.599
That he would probably let some go if I
00:06:38.840 --> 00:06:40.199
if I needed a few pieces.
00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:41.000
And I told him mine
00:06:41.159 --> 00:06:41.240
was
00:06:41.400 --> 00:06:42.840
just a burn outside
00:06:43.039 --> 00:06:43.840
And then I'd stop
00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:45.039
back by and talk to him.
00:06:45.039 --> 00:06:45.680
He said, Well I
00:06:45.919 --> 00:06:47.039
where do you live down there?
00:06:47.039 --> 00:06:50.240
There's some guy down there who has bees.
00:06:50.240 --> 00:06:52.080
Uh I think it's right by that lane.
00:06:52.080 --> 00:06:53.360
Are you anywhere near him?
00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:54.080
And I said, Well
00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:56.479
actually I am that guy down there
00:06:56.820 --> 00:06:58.660
Who has bees.
00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:00.020
I didn't know this guy.
00:07:00.020 --> 00:07:01.460
I still don't know his last name.
00:07:01.460 --> 00:07:02.900
His first name was Josh.
00:07:02.900 --> 00:07:05.700
I don't think he would mind me telling you that.
00:07:06.140 --> 00:07:12.140
And before Josh even knew who I was, somebody had told him that I've got bees down here.
00:07:12.780 --> 00:07:14.220
With that in mind
00:07:14.860 --> 00:07:15.180
,
00:07:15.380 --> 00:07:17.220
You're gonna get cold a lot.
00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:21.620
If you're new to this, let's take a walk.
00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:23.220
If you're new to this
00:07:24.340 --> 00:07:27.300
And people bee begin to understand that you're the B
00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:30.660
person, you're going to get calls for B
00:07:30.820 --> 00:07:30.900
s
00:07:31.060 --> 00:07:34.340
for bee stuff that's not bee stuff at all.
00:07:34.940 --> 00:07:36.780
Let's take a break.
00:07:36.780 --> 00:07:39.020
Hear from our sponsor while I reposition
00:07:39.180 --> 00:07:41.659
myself.
00:07:41.659 --> 00:07:44.300
For more than 45 years, Better
00:07:44.460 --> 00:07:48.940
Bee has proudly supported beekeepers by offering high-quality, innovative
00:07:49.539 --> 00:07:56.740
Products, providing outstanding customer service, many of our staff are beekeepers themselves, and
00:07:56.900 --> 00:08:00.659
sharing education to help beekeepers succeed.
00:08:00.659 --> 00:08:04.180
Based in Greenwich, New York, Betterbee serves beekeepers.
00:08:04.539 --> 00:08:07.419
Keepers all across the United States.
00:08:07.419 --> 00:08:15.419
Whether you're just getting started or a seasoned pro, Betterbee has the products and experience to help you
00:08:15.740 --> 00:08:17.979
and your bees succeed.
00:08:17.979 --> 00:08:19.099
Visit betterbee.
00:08:19.099 --> 00:08:19.259
com
00:08:20.500 --> 00:08:21.460
Or call
00:08:21.620 --> 00:08:24.099
1-800-632
00:08:24.259 --> 00:08:26.500
-3379.
00:08:26.500 --> 00:08:27.620
Better Be, your
00:08:27.780 --> 00:08:29.139
partners in Better Be
00:08:29.300 --> 00:08:30.419
Keeping.
00:08:30.419 --> 00:08:33.060
It's a great day for a walk.
00:08:33.460 --> 00:08:38.420
The leaves are just starting to fall, they're just beginning to turn.
00:08:38.420 --> 00:08:38.740
And
00:08:38.900 --> 00:08:41.300
it's that time of the year.
00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:42.260
where
00:08:42.419 --> 00:08:45.140
a hornet nest will turn up.
00:08:45.140 --> 00:08:47.300
That's been there pretty much all summer
00:08:47.459 --> 00:08:49.060
and nobody knew it
00:08:49.380 --> 00:08:51.140
until the leaves drop
00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:54.040
And a neighbor down the street
00:08:54.360 --> 00:08:56.680
called me and said that they had
00:08:56.920 --> 00:08:58.120
a big hornet
00:08:58.360 --> 00:08:58.920
nest
00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:02.040
That's right on the edge of
00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:04.200
the tree limb
00:09:04.440 --> 00:09:07.480
and it's grown so much that it's sagging down and
00:09:07.640 --> 00:09:08.840
they're afraid
00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:11.720
that they're gonna hit it with their head
00:09:12.320 --> 00:09:14.640
as they mow grass.
00:09:14.640 --> 00:09:16.800
Well, you know, what do I know about hornets?
00:09:17.040 --> 00:09:18.000
I know as much as
00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:21.760
as anybody else, you know, I know they're not bees.
00:09:21.980 --> 00:09:23.420
And I went down
00:09:24.060 --> 00:09:25.580
after dark
00:09:25.980 --> 00:09:28.140
and this was my plan.
00:09:28.140 --> 00:09:29.420
It was on a
00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:33.260
on a springy, low-hanging limb.
00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:35.000
But it was about eight feet up.
00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:37.240
They were never gonna hit it with their head.
00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:40.760
And the nests had been there all summer and had done nothing.
00:09:40.760 --> 00:09:46.520
When I looked at the nest, it was just a beautiful, beautiful piece of artwork that the insects had made, but nope
00:09:46.920 --> 00:09:50.920
It's dangerous and it's gotta come down.
00:09:50.920 --> 00:09:51.079
So
00:09:51.240 --> 00:09:52.279
with my wife there
00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:54.440
standing a safe distance back
00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:56.120
to call 911
00:09:56.680 --> 00:09:59.720
if I had to, I went up a ladder
00:10:00.380 --> 00:10:01.980
And I gently
00:10:02.620 --> 00:10:05.260
put a black garbage bag
00:10:06.220 --> 00:10:06.540
over
00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:07.820
the nest
00:10:09.680 --> 00:10:10.320
And then
00:10:10.640 --> 00:10:15.040
I crushed the bag in my hand, you know, around the limb.
00:10:15.040 --> 00:10:16.880
I'm showing you now what what I was doing.
00:10:16.880 --> 00:10:21.279
I was holding the limb with the bag crushed in my hand.
00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:29.140
And then without holding on with either hand, I reached up and clipped off the limb.
00:10:29.140 --> 00:10:31.220
And there was an ominous
00:10:31.860 --> 00:10:32.820
vibrational
00:10:33.140 --> 00:10:35.620
buzz.
00:10:35.340 --> 00:10:36.620
In that bag
00:10:37.900 --> 00:10:38.860
that can only
00:10:39.020 --> 00:10:41.900
be described as intimidating.
00:10:41.900 --> 00:10:45.740
I need to be clear, I did have my bee gloves on and I had my bee suit
00:10:46.060 --> 00:10:46.380
on
00:10:46.980 --> 00:10:47.380
And I
00:10:47.700 --> 00:10:50.580
admonished everybody else to step away.
00:10:51.060 --> 00:10:54.340
Nobody was out there, I was doing it dark, just my wife.
00:10:54.340 --> 00:10:58.660
And like I said, she was my emergency contact because this was the first hornet
00:10:58.820 --> 00:11:00.020
's nest.
00:10:59.920 --> 00:11:02.800
that I had ever taken down.
00:11:02.800 --> 00:11:11.040
Coming down the ladder, I thought that I was just one step off the ground, and in fact I was three steps off the ground.
00:11:11.860 --> 00:11:15.540
Boom, I dropped right to the ground from about 30 inches up
00:11:15.860 --> 00:11:17.940
and fell right flat on my back
00:11:18.580 --> 00:11:21.300
and the entire time I was falling
00:11:21.980 --> 00:11:22.940
My thought was
00:11:23.180 --> 00:11:23.820
do not
00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:26.860
do not let go of that bug.
00:11:26.860 --> 00:11:28.700
And I didn't.
00:11:28.780 --> 00:11:29.980
I wasn't hurt.
00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:31.660
I was kind of banged up
00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:33.660
But I held on to the bag
00:11:33.900 --> 00:11:35.900
and the story basically ends there.
00:11:35.900 --> 00:11:38.380
I've got the nest hanging in my shop.
00:11:38.380 --> 00:11:38.860
It was
00:11:39.020 --> 00:11:39.900
perfect nest.
00:11:40.140 --> 00:11:41.500
I didn't damage it.
00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:43.340
It didn't need to come down.
00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:46.460
I'm sitting here in my front yard.
00:11:46.440 --> 00:11:46.760
And
00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:47.800
my neighbors
00:11:48.040 --> 00:11:49.800
finally got to the age where
00:11:50.120 --> 00:11:53.800
she can't stay home alone anymore, so her house is vacant
00:11:55.040 --> 00:11:56.000
Five years ago
00:11:56.160 --> 00:11:57.520
they had six hornet
00:11:57.680 --> 00:11:58.400
nests
00:11:58.720 --> 00:11:59.280
in their
00:11:59.520 --> 00:12:01.680
front apple trees, the uh
00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:02.960
the small apples.
00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:03.600
What are they called?
00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:04.320
The dwarf apples
00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:04.560
have
00:12:04.720 --> 00:12:06.240
momentarily gone blank
00:12:06.820 --> 00:12:10.660
They're just decorative trees with a lot of blooms in the spring and
00:12:11.300 --> 00:12:11.940
not much
00:12:12.100 --> 00:12:14.100
fruit.
00:12:14.100 --> 00:12:15.860
And I was surprised at my neighbor.
00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:16.260
He was a
00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:16.820
he was a
00:12:16.980 --> 00:12:18.900
tough guy, an outdoorsman, but
00:12:19.140 --> 00:12:24.020
He wouldn't have those things hanging there, so he carefully destroyed every one of them.
00:12:24.020 --> 00:12:26.340
I don't know why they won't nest on my property.
00:12:26.340 --> 00:12:27.700
I would leave them here
00:12:28.140 --> 00:12:28.300
So
00:12:28.460 --> 00:12:30.940
ball-faced hornets are going to be
00:12:31.180 --> 00:12:32.780
a challenge for
00:12:33.100 --> 00:12:33.260
you
00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:34.700
too.
00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:37.020
They're going to have to learn to live with.
00:12:37.020 --> 00:12:41.020
They're not our bees, but we're going to be given credit for them.
00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:41.279
The
00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:46.880
wasp that I've talked about early on, they were the stinging insects of my life.
00:12:46.880 --> 00:12:49.440
They were ultra, ultra common
00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:51.839
in southeast Alabama
00:12:52.480 --> 00:12:52.720
hot
00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:53.600
climate
00:12:53.920 --> 00:12:54.240
under
00:12:54.400 --> 00:12:55.040
every
00:12:55.360 --> 00:12:55.920
barn
00:12:56.160 --> 00:13:00.000
eve, under every old truck fender
00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:02.960
that sat still for a while, that would be
00:13:03.620 --> 00:13:04.899
either a yellow
00:13:05.220 --> 00:13:06.180
Pallistes
00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.899
nest or a what we called at that time
00:13:09.140 --> 00:13:10.500
red wasp.
00:13:10.500 --> 00:13:12.180
They were bigger.
00:13:12.140 --> 00:13:18.620
They were bigger insects, had fewer populations, but they were always more intimidating.
00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:20.220
I grew up with those things.
00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:22.620
And somewhere I read as a kid that that wasps
00:13:22.780 --> 00:13:23.820
primarily sting
00:13:23.980 --> 00:13:25.260
movement.
00:13:25.540 --> 00:13:28.340
So I would climb up in the loft of the barn
00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:30.980
with a pen full of stones
00:13:31.460 --> 00:13:35.140
and lie flat on my back and throw stones at a wasp
00:13:35.300 --> 00:13:37.060
nest just to antagonize
00:13:37.380 --> 00:13:38.020
it.
00:13:38.180 --> 00:13:41.060
and then lay perfectly still.
00:13:41.060 --> 00:13:43.620
But that was not one of the smartest things I ever did.
00:13:43.620 --> 00:13:48.500
Even though it worked, I'm sure they respond to to sight and to odors.
00:13:48.520 --> 00:13:48.760
not
00:13:48.920 --> 00:13:55.000
just a movement, but I thought I had some sophisticated science there that I could use.
00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:56.520
So I've had a long
00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:03.740
combated relationship with stinging insects throughout my outdoor life.
00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:07.819
And I went into to beekeeping with a bit of trepidation because
00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:11.540
Those things were, you know, they meant a lot to me.
00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:13.780
They were meaningful.
00:14:13.780 --> 00:14:15.460
And the pain of it.
00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:16.840
wasn't
00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:18.440
was always omnipresent.
00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:21.720
When you start keeping bees, you were going to be stung sooner or later.
00:14:21.880 --> 00:14:23.560
Ironically, I was stung
00:14:23.720 --> 00:14:25.160
the very first day of B
00:14:25.320 --> 00:14:28.200
class at at Auburn, the very first day, the very first
00:14:28.360 --> 00:14:29.240
eleventh
00:14:29.420 --> 00:14:32.540
I was stung, so I got that over with.
00:14:32.699 --> 00:14:32.860
Can
00:14:33.100 --> 00:14:35.100
almost tell you a story about it, but I'll
00:14:35.420 --> 00:14:37.100
I won't go into it
00:14:36.900 --> 00:14:41.860
The last thing we need to mention is bumblebees, those big furry bumblebees and they're look
00:14:42.020 --> 00:14:42.500
alike
00:14:42.660 --> 00:14:46.340
but not the same insect at all, carpenter bees.
00:14:46.660 --> 00:14:53.540
Those bees are much smaller in number and though those stings are remarkably painful and sometimes you'll get a call
00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:55.540
to eliminate them too.
00:14:55.540 --> 00:14:58.660
I don't know what to tell you to do, listeners.
00:14:58.620 --> 00:15:00.140
You can be a good Samaritan
00:15:00.459 --> 00:15:02.140
and try.
00:15:02.140 --> 00:15:08.540
But then once you start putting out chemicals, seven or something on someone else's yard, I don't I don't know.
00:15:08.540 --> 00:15:11.420
I don't know what we're incurring or what we should do
00:15:12.020 --> 00:15:12.180
So
00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:14.740
I just always play each one
00:15:15.060 --> 00:15:15.380
as
00:15:15.540 --> 00:15:17.860
an individual case.
00:15:17.860 --> 00:15:20.580
I don't advertise it, I don't promote it.
00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:23.860
If I can get out of it, I probably will.
00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:24.560
and
00:15:24.720 --> 00:15:28.079
I'd hope that they can find something else to do.
00:15:28.079 --> 00:15:28.480
I'd
00:15:28.800 --> 00:15:29.839
usually tell them
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:31.440
if they can just hang on
00:15:32.079 --> 00:15:36.639
and coexist with whatever the insect is, especially yellow jackets
00:15:37.260 --> 00:15:41.580
By the second killing frost, they're going to be gone.
00:15:42.140 --> 00:15:45.020
These insects get lumped in
00:15:45.340 --> 00:15:45.980
with us
00:15:46.220 --> 00:15:47.580
as beekeepers
00:15:48.700 --> 00:15:49.020
And
00:15:49.660 --> 00:15:51.900
I know just enough about them to
00:15:52.140 --> 00:15:56.060
be up slightly above average, but I've never wanted to be.
00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:56.640
uh
00:15:56.880 --> 00:15:57.760
yellow jacket
00:15:58.160 --> 00:15:58.480
uh
00:15:59.440 --> 00:16:00.640
expert or
00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:05.760
bumblebee whatever I've I wanted to work with honey bees but you have to know
00:16:05.920 --> 00:16:07.520
I think you have to know
00:16:07.820 --> 00:16:11.020
Just enough about these other insects that sting
00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:11.820
because
00:16:12.060 --> 00:16:14.380
people are not going to differentiate them.
00:16:14.380 --> 00:16:17.740
At the county fair, at a picnic.
00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:17.960
on
00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:26.200
a walks or Saturday afternoon on a paved path, there's going to be wasp and yellow jackets all over that golden
00:16:26.520 --> 00:16:27.480
ride.
00:16:27.600 --> 00:16:30.720
And people are going to refer to them, but more often than not
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:33.120
as bees.
00:16:33.120 --> 00:16:34.400
So I'll close on this.
00:16:34.400 --> 00:16:37.120
I don't have any advice other than just expect
00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:44.000
that somewhere if you keep bees long enough and you become known for it well enough, you're going to have to ex
00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:44.480
uh
00:16:44.640 --> 00:16:46.400
help out a neighbor.
00:16:46.240 --> 00:16:48.640
a family member, someone
00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:52.320
with a bee issue that is not honey bees.
00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:54.320
And it's interesting because
00:16:54.640 --> 00:16:56.880
I'm a little bit fearful when I go work
00:16:57.040 --> 00:16:58.560
insects that sting
00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:00.960
that are not my insects.
00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:04.600
But I feel invincible in my bee guard.
00:17:04.680 --> 00:17:05.160
That helps
00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:06.839
a lot.
00:17:06.839 --> 00:17:07.720
That's enough.
00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:08.760
It's a beautiful day.
00:17:08.760 --> 00:17:12.360
I'm gonna sit here for a while longer and just enjoy life.
00:17:12.360 --> 00:17:14.839
I'll talk to you again this time next week.
00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:15.959
I'm Jim.
00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:16.800
Telling your
00:17:16.959 --> 00:17:17.680
bye.
