Beehive Buzz: Garden Bee Notes

Honeybee in straw.

A honey bee foraging on straw mulch. Photo: Brittinie DeVille, Cenla Master Gardener, Forest Hill, LA


Native bumblebee on a flower.

A native bumblebee. Photo: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org.


Brown winged striped sweat bee.

A brown-winged striped sweat bee. Photo: Trevor Rousselle, Reserve, LA.


Carpenter bee.

A carpenter bee. Photo: Pam Archer, DeRidder, LA


A group of digger bees.

A nest of digger bees. Photo: Christy Frederic, Master Gardener, Pineville, LA

Brittinie, a Master Gardener, shared an observation in her garden, “I was wondering if you would happen to know of what might be going on in my garden regarding some honey bees? I thought you would be the person to ask giving your bee knowledge.

When I planted my garden I laid down a layer of straw for mulching. By the next morning, I had about 15-20 honey bees flying around the straw mulch. They crawl around in it then fly to a new spot and crawl around, on repeat. I attached some photos of the bees in the straw. Do you have an idea on why they seem to be attracted to this straw or my garden beds suddenly? ”AHA consulted with some beekeepers, some of whom shared their comments. Stacy B. believed, “My thought is they are getting something out of the straw to help them make propolis, maybe? … So maybe they are using straw for that purpose.” Propolis is the equivalent of “bee caulking” to seal cracks in beehives. Bees will use natural resources to make propolis.

Gary P. made this observation, “Looking closely[at the picture, I see] there is moisture showing on the straw. [It] could be as simple as a convenient watering place to carry moisture back to the hive.”

Harlan, a beekeeper, wanted to help native bees, “I read your article about honeybees vs. native bees and the value of each. I just began raising honeybees as a hobby (only two hives)…what can I do to improve the plight of the native bee populations? “The Xerces Society, www.xerces.org , has some information on conserving wild native bees:

  • Create, Restore, and Manage Habitat: “Growing the right flowers, shrubs, and trees with overlapping bloom times is the single most effective course of action to support pollinators from spring through fall.” This site provides guidance on planning, site preparation, installation, and maintenance.
  • Provide Access to Nesting Sites:” Nesting resources can take many forms - from natural to man-made.” The AgCenter has a publication, “Gardening and Landscaping Practices for Nesting Native Bees”, available online for downloading.
  • Managing Pests While Protecting Pollinators: “. It is critical that we work simultaneously to reduce use of pesticides and to minimize the risk of pesticides to pollinators where pesticides are used.” Most pesticide labels have information on protecting pollinators in a red diamond-shaped box.
  • Pick the Right Plants: “Native plants, which are adapted to local soils and climates, are usually the best sources of food and shelter for native pollinators. Incorporating native wildflowers, shrubs, trees, vines, grasses, and more into any landscape helps a diversity of wildlife, and provides benefits to soil, water, and air quality. Additionally, most native plants can flourish in poor soils and require minimal irrigation.” The Xerces Society has a regional plant list for the southeastern United States at its website.

Trevor observed a green bee and correctly identified it as a female, brown-striped sweat bee. He asked for confirmation of its identity. AHA consulted with Ms. Victoria Bayless, Curator of the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum in Baton Rouge about this green. Bayless confirmed Trevor’s ID, but with a slightly different common name, brown-winged striped sweat bee. During Trevor’s research, he observed that, “[It] seems like the males have bright yellow stripes whereas the females are almost entirely green with black and slightly greyish, if not white, stripes. ”This bee is a native, solitary, ground-nesting insect. It will visit the following flowering plants: sunflowers, asters, morning-glories, pumpkins and their relatives, legumes, fringe tree, evening-primroses, irises, roses, and other plants.

Long Leggedy Beasties blog shares this caution, “Sweat bees can sting, but generally are not particularly aggressive unless handled roughly. Stings, if they do occur, are relatively minor.”

Pam of DeRidder asked, “This is a new one on me. What is it? It is about the size of a bumblebee, but [it is] way off color. [It] Looks like it would sting. “Pam has a carpenter bee. To tell the difference between a bumblebee and a carpenter bee, remember that a bumblebee has a “fuzzy butt,” and a carpenter bee has a “shiny hiney.”

Robert Souvestre, retired AgCenter horticulture agent, addressed Pam’s concerns about stings, “Carpenter bees tend not to be aggressive and the insect you see hovering around wood and sometimes getting in your face is the male protecting the nesting site. Males do not have stingers so they cannot hurt you. The females do have stingers but seldom bother people since they are only interested in boring the wood and laying eggs.”

Souvestre also addresses the damage to wood by these insects, “Prevent damage from carpenter bees by painting exposed wood. Though not a guaranteed remedy, it works most of the time. A preventative treatment may be made by applying two applications of a borate formulation (Timbor®) on existing structures and using pressure treated wood when rebuilding or replacing damaged wood.”

Christy is another contributor to Beehive Buzz, and she sent an image with this question, “[Do you] any idea what kind of insect makes these little tunnels? I poked a pine needle in a couple, and it went in several inches easily.”

AHA asked Dr. James Villegas for help to identify this insect, and he responded, “Those look like nests of Digger Bees. Is the homeowner seeing bees around? Digger bees are docile unless provoked.” A website, www.birdwatchinghq.com/bees-in-louisiana/ , shared this narrative about digger bees, “ Digger Bees are aptly named – to make their nests, they dig into the soil and construct their homes from mud!They are considered social-solitary bees. This term sounds confusing but think of it like this: Digger Bees nest in the ground, in their hole. But, their nests are often near other Digger Bee nests, like individual houses in a neighborhood. So, Digger Bees might be considered the suburban settlers of the bee world!

Some studies have shown Digger Bees are even more efficient at pollinating flowers and crops than Honey Bees or Bumblebees. Unfortunately, because Digger Bees resemble wasps, people often have them killed or removed when they find them. But these species are relatively docile and will only sting if directly provoked.”

If you want to contact Beehive Buzz, please send your questions and pictures to Keith Hawkins, Area Horticulture Agent (AHA), 337.284.5188 or khawkins@agcenter.lsu.edu .

“Before you buy or use an insecticide product, first read the label, and strictly follow label recommendations. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by Louisiana State University AgCenter.”

“This work has been supported, in part, by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Renewable Resources Extension Act Award, Accession Number 1011417.”

2/9/2024 9:34:38 PM
Rate This Article:

Have a question or comment about the information on this page?

Innovate . Educate . Improve Lives

The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture

Top