Wood and insects. WTF is this?

[grampahol]

Carpenter bees.. We have them in spades here in South Carolina. The great thing about them is they don't have stingers so they're harmless. 
A few years ago I had to cut down a bunch of confederate jasmine from a dead tree in the back yard and the carpenter bees were swarming all around me, but not one bite or sting..  It's the fire ants around here you have to look out for. I don't walk barefoot in the back yard here. Those little suckers dig up half the backyard every summer so I'm in constant war with them..
Back to carpenter bees.. You'll find very few houses here with wood siding. Carpenter bees destroy it in no time. Neighbors across the street have replaced the siding on their house twice in the past 3 years.. They never learn..
 I leave them alone since just about all the honey bees are gone. Carpenter bees are also great pollinators. If it weren't for them I'd never grow tomatoes or anything else in the back yard. 

[BengalHawk62]

(06-26-2017, 12:03 PM)grampahol Wrote: Carpenter bees.. We have them in spades here in South Carolina. The great thing about them is they don't have stingers so they're harmless. 
A few years ago I had to cut down a bunch of confederate jasmine from a dead tree in the back yard and the carpenter bees were swarming all around me, but not one bite or sting..  It's the fire ants around here you have to look out for. I don't walk barefoot in the back yard here. Those little suckers dig up half the backyard every summer so I'm in constant war with them..
Back to carpenter bees.. You'll find very few houses here with wood siding. Carpenter bees destroy it in no time. Neighbors across the street have replaced the siding on their house twice in the past 3 years.. They never learn..
 I leave them alone since just about all the honey bees are gone. Carpenter bees are also great pollinators. If it weren't for them I'd never grow tomatoes or anything else in the back yard. 

How do you fight fire ants? 

[Au165]

(06-26-2017, 12:44 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: How do you fight fire ants? 

Water beetles?

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-26-2017, 12:44 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: How do you fight fire ants? 

To the death.

Hand to leg to leg to leg to leg to leg to leg combat. So far I'm undefeated. First rule of Ant Club; don't talk about Ant Club. I've said too much already.

[XenoMorph]

These things always creep me out a bit... Mainly because I keep forgetting what the hell they are lol

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-27-2017, 05:27 PM)XenoMorph Wrote:

These things always creep me out a bit... Mainly because I keep forgetting what the hell they are lol

Earwig.

I can't stand maggots. I don't even like the word. LOL

[*bfine32*]

Build yourself a trap if you are slightly handy if not buy one online from a man. My cousin sells Carpenter Bee traps. They are cheap and easy to make.

[Stewy]

(06-26-2017, 12:44 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: How do you fight fire ants? 

Ortho Fire Ant Killer.  
Firstly - Follow the instructions (very important).
Spread a liberal line of it along property boundary or fence line if you have one.
Spread a line of it along the edge of the house.
Spread a large amount AROUND the mounds.  Not on top of.  Avoid disturbing the mound all together.  If you disturb it, they will just move.
Do not water the Ortho or the mounds.
Patience.
Within 3-5 days the mounds will all be dead (not moved), and the line along your fence will prevent more from moving in.

Repeat every 3-6 months as necessary.

I've lived in 3 places in Houston now, and I've never had this fail.  Had five mounds in my back yard when we moved into the new house.  We live in a newly de-wooded area, so there are lots of them and very active, but not in my yard any more.  *thumbs up*

[BengalHawk62]

(06-28-2017, 07:58 AM)Stewy Wrote: Ortho Fire Ant Killer.  
Firstly - Follow the instructions (very important).
Spread a liberal line of it along property boundary or fence line if you have one.
Spread a line of it along the edge of the house.
Spread a large amount AROUND the mounds.  Not on top of.  Avoid disturbing the mound all together.  If you disturb it, they will just move.
Do not water the Ortho or the mounds.
Patience.
Within 3-5 days the mounds will all be dead (not moved), and the line along your fence will prevent more from moving in.

Repeat every 3-6 months as necessary.

I've lived in 3 places in Houston now, and I've never had this fail.  Had five mounds in my back yard when we moved into the new house.  We live in a newly de-wooded area, so there are lots of them and very active, but not in my yard any more.  *thumbs up*

Jesus.  Times like this remind me why I really don't mind living in Iowa.  Very few poisonous incests, wildlife, etc to fend off.  The only poisonous snake we have is the timber rattler, which I've run across a couple times out mushroom hunting.  Your typical wasps and bees, etc.  You leave them alone and they leave you alone.  But nothing like these fire ants.  You guys can keep all your nasty bugs down south. 

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-28-2017, 09:38 AM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Jesus.  Times like this remind me why I really don't mind living in Iowa.  Very few poisonous incests, wildlife, etc to fend off.  The only poisonous snake we have is the timber rattler, which I've run across a couple times out mushroom hunting.  Your typical wasps and bees, etc.  You leave them alone and they leave you alone.  But nothing like these fire ants.  You guys can keep all your nasty bugs down south. 

I've used boiling water to kill fire ant mounds, but that won't prevent new ones from moving in. But, it is a nontoxic option if you're worried about kids or pets.

[xxlt]

(06-06-2017, 09:36 AM)Au165 Wrote: Looks like a carpenter bee hole to me. My sister in-law, my parents, and myself have all had issues with them this year.

Precisely!

[xxlt]

(06-06-2017, 12:15 PM)Wyche Wrote: Carpenter bees, no question. My house has cedar siding on the upper level, and I have three decks. I battle these ***** every year.  Spray inside the bore hole until whatever insecticide you use runs out, let it dry, then caulk the hole. Paint it. That should solve the issue of larvae hatching next year.

Until the insecticide runs our of the hole, lol. When I first read that instruction I thought you meant just spray until product stops coming out of whatever container you are spraying from! Spray until you can't spray no more!

[xxlt]

(06-07-2017, 10:22 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: The female...

Where is her tool belt? Can't be much of a carpenter!

[XenoMorph]

also dangerous

[jfkbengals]

(06-28-2017, 09:38 AM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: Jesus.  Times like this remind me why I really don't mind living in Iowa.  Very few poisonous incests, wildlife, etc to fend off.  The only poisonous snake we have is the timber rattler, which I've run across a couple times out mushroom hunting.  Your typical wasps and bees, etc.  You leave them alone and they leave you alone.  But nothing like these fire ants.  You guys can keep all your nasty bugs down south. 

Are you implying you won't fend off your siblings advances if they aren't poisonous?!?!?

[grampahol]

I have one toxic window in my shop, a portal into hell where wasps of all stripes gather and just yesterday a big ass, mean, nasty and ugly 5 cm hornet appeared so I blasted it with yet more poison and it buzzed around about 30 minutes before finally losing the ability to fly and landed on the floor buzzing with all its might. 
So I did the only sensible thing and captured it in a plastic box, still alive to remind it that it picked the wrong garage door to wander into. Up till around 1am it was still alive in the box and this morning it was finally dead.
Here's a box of nightmares..
https://youtu.be/lrhzjPfAPIQ
I would repatriate it back to it's nest, but that ain't happening. I ain't going anywhere near an active hornets nest..

[grampahol]

You all are aware that insects on this planet have our number? Collectively they out weigh us by factors of millions, perhaps trillions. If you weighed all the humans on the planet, including the really fat ones compared with all the insects on earth we're less than nothing. The only way to get around this is to extinguish all life on the planet including ourselves. 
There's your happy thought for the day.. 

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(06-29-2017, 09:56 AM)grampahol Wrote: I have one toxic window in my shop, a portal into hell where wasps of all stripes gather and just yesterday a big ass, mean, nasty and ugly 5 cm hornet appeared so I blasted it with yet more poison and it buzzed around about 30 minutes before finally losing the ability to fly and landed on the floor buzzing with all its might. 
So I did the only sensible thing and captured it in a plastic box, still alive to remind it that it picked the wrong garage door to wander into. Up till around 1am it was still alive in the box and this morning it was finally dead.
Here's a box of nightmares..
https://youtu.be/lrhzjPfAPIQ
I would repatriate it back to it's nest, but that ain't happening. I ain't going anywhere near an active hornets nest..

[grampahol]

If you ever get really ambitious and want to use reclaimed carpenter bee damaged lumber here's a nifty article on how to do so. 
It might be noted just what a monumental waste of time it would be..
http://www.woodbin.com/doc/repairing-carpenter-bee-holes-in-reclaimed-wood/