Pollinators in the backyard today

[Seven Bends]

Years ago when I was around 16 or 17 we had our onions stored in the barn on some plywood.
The bumblebees made a big nest under the plywood.
My dad went down to run them out and he told my mom and I to stay away.
It was about 100 yards from the house.
My mom never listened and she made herself and I go check on him.
Not a good idea and I told her as much.
He was out in the barnyard fighting off the bees with a pump sprayer and was surrounded by the bumblebees.
A whole cloud of them but he was holding his own.
We were about 50 yards away and the cloud of bees took off after us.
I took off when they got closer and my mom didn't.
So they converged on her.
I looked back and saw her being swarmed by the things and she was flapping her arms yelling for me to come back.
Come back you s of a b she yelled, come back!
I ran like a coward to the house to save my own skin.
My dad had his own bees to worry about.
After it was all over my mom was mad as hell I didn't stick around and get stung too.
No telling how many times she got stung.
My dad took up for me for running off and not hanging around to get swarmed too.

By the next day my mom's head looked like a swollen pumpkin and both her eyes were swollen shut.
It was like that for days and she couldn't see.
Thankfully I could cook so we didn't starve.

That of all reasons is why I developed an ability to stay calm around these critters.
I've managed to get along with them and know what sets them off.
One time I got a honeybee in my bee veil and it stung me on the eye lid.
I was blind out of it for almost a week.

You have the makings of a great short story here, good plot and fascinating character study.

[bower]

Bumblebees won't sting unless it's a life or death situation. They can only sting once, and then they die.
This is why they are easy to get along with, they just aren't inclined to sting for no reason.
Honeybees can sting repeatedly and it does them no harm.
Likewise the wasps, make a living out of stinging!

[Seven Bends]

Bumblebees won't sting unless it's a life or death situation. They can only sting once, and then they die.
This is why they are easy to get along with, they just aren't inclined to sting for no reason.
Honeybees can sting repeatedly and it does them no harm.
Likewise the wasps, make a living out of stinging!

Pretty sure honeybees (at least, the honeybees we have here) can only sting once and then die; see here: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/ho ... g-kill-bee

Correct about wasps being able to sting multiple times; same for hornets.

I did manage to make a bumblebee sting me once when I was a young child and thought it would be a good idea to take a broom out into the yard to sweep the bees off the clover in the lawn. I don't blame the bee.

[worth1]

Bumblebees won't sting unless it's a life or death situation. They can only sting once, and then they die.
This is why they are easy to get along with, they just aren't inclined to sting for no reason.
Honeybees can sting repeatedly and it does them no harm.
Likewise the wasps, make a living out of stinging!

You have it backwards.
Bumblebees can sting multiple times.
Honeybees only once and then die.

[bower]

Wow I can't believe I had that backwards my whole life... sheesh.
Honeybees make me nervous... I have no fear of bumblebees at all. They may be able to sting and fly away but they just don't do it. I've spent a lot of time surrounded by bumblebees and they're really docile and just... busy. Sometimes they get a little chatty but that's about it.
I guess we hear about honeybees stinging because humans are so often messing with their nests.

[worth1]

I've had honeybees sting me and they leave the stinger in you and you can see the gland on the end still pumping away.
You need to get the stinger out as quickly as you can.

[karstopography]

Bumblebees in my experience are docile so long as their nest or hive isn’t molested. But, if you do tamper with their home, they will come after you hard and long and they go for right between the eyes. I never got stung by a bumblebee because I always suited up when I had to deal with a bumblebee hive, usually when someone on a tractor or bulldozer ran over the hive and the driver got smoked repeatedly on and about the head, face and shoulders by the angry bees. Even with my full bee suit on, the bees would bang against my face mask netting. It was definitely unnerving.

[worth1]

Bright colored clothes attract wasps and bees.
They think you're a big flower.
Black will often if not always get you stung.
White or light non colors are best.

[worth1]

I was getting ready to sit down on this fender but on second thought I figured I would take a cautionary look first.
I'm glad I did.

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[karstopography]

If you live in Texas, you had better always look first where you sit or where you stand or where you walk. Check your shoes and boots for critters before putting them on. After a while, a sixth sense tends to develop and all the checks are done automatically. Takes a few unpleasant encounters with the native flora and fauna to get there though.

[karstopography]

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The swallowtail caterpillars have taken over the dill. There must be three dozen caterpillars or more out on maybe three dinky dill plants.

[worth1]

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The swallowtail caterpillars have taken over the dill. There must be three dozen caterpillars or more out on maybe three dinky dill plants.

I can't even get my dill to grow so the caterpillars can eat.

[karstopography]

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Snapped a photo of a Black Swallowtail just after emerging from the chrysalis.

[karstopography]

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These little black mason bees love the sunflower.

[karstopography]

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Last of the visible black swallowtail butterflies shortly after emerging from the chrysalis. I must have just missed by seconds the actual emergence. Early not too long after dawn must be the time this occurs.

The caterpillars have devoured every speck of foliage, flowers and seeds on the dill. They even stripped the green layer on the stems. But, no caterpillars or anything else remains except the one now empty chrysalis.

I will plant more dill next cool season, maybe some bronze fennel, also. Too much fun watching a caterpillar turn into a chrysalis and then a butterfly. The zinnias are drawing in the butterflies.

[pepperhead212]

I am just starting to see a few butterflies on my Mexican Sunflowers, and a lot of smaller pollinators on many things in the garden, in the last week. No caterpillars on the dill yet, but it's early here.

[MissS]

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[SpookyShoe]

Future pollinator.

A Gulf Fritillary caterpillar on the passion vine.

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