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We are new to Charlotte. We grew up in AZ so we have had our fair share of pest/critter run ins. I am just unfamilar with the bugs I am finding in and around my home. I am finding gross green worms hanging from strings off my trees. Huge bees are hovering around my front and back doors. I have also spotted a few ant hills that seem to have thousands of ants. Obviously, we are going to get the house sprayed but is this normal or did I move into a buggy house?
sounds pretty normal to me. You probably need to get bands put on your trees for the worms, they're probably canker worms. The ants are probably fire ants, you need to get some ant killer and use a spreader to put it around your whole property. The longer you let them stay the nastier things will get. I don't know what to do about the bee though. They're pretty important for the environment so I usually just let them be.
Regarding tree banding, I was told by a neighbor that this is usually done in November (meaning, doing it now won't help the canker worms), and that only oak trees need to be banded. Is she right?
The bees are probably carpenter bees and I use a small sand shovel to whack them. The thing about the carpenter bees as compared to regular bumble bees is that they will drill holes in wood, including your house, your porch, your handrails, the rocking chairs on your porch, etc. The females will return to the same nesting areas and you can end up with lots of bees and damage from them. If that isn't bad enough, woodpeckers will find your house and try to get to the larva. Really, you don't want to ignore the carpenter bees.
Bumble bees won't do the hovering around you or the house that carpenter bees will so you can be sure you aren't killing bumble bees or honey bees....those we want to leave alone but go ahead and have a whack at the carpenter bees.
Take care of those fireants ASAP! But don't step on the mound. DH sprinkles fireant granules on the mound. I know to get rid of regular red ants I used to boil water and pour on the hill. It will kill the surrounding grass and make a brown spot, but no chemicals used.
Whatever you do, don't **** off a yellow jacket! I was watering last summer and these things start coming out of the ground and within seconds one crawled under my shirt and stung me in the back, hurt like a SOB! I'll take a honey bee sting over the yellow jacket any day, they swarm at you too!
They also have house centipedes and large black & yellow spiders and secada bugs, ewwww!
This year, I do swear that I, NASCARNancy will wear some sort of mosquito repellant when going out for walks in the evening.
Black snakes are good but know what a Copperhead looks like.
OK, we need to find the old spiders, bugs and snakes thread. Hlaw82, as a So Cal gal, I feel your pain.
Really stay away from those fire ant hills. If you disturb the mound the ants will be everywhere and will bite you!!! You don't not want to get stung by a bunch of fire ants!!!!! Ouch!! They call 'em fire ants for a reason. And the bites will itch for WEEKS!!!! Just get some fire ant killer and put all over and around the mound but keep your distance!!
It won't be long now before we start our annual war with clover mites (little red guys that look like a speck of dirt moving on the wall surface) and the good ol' Japanese Beetle which have pretty much killed the top half of two twelve foot trees in my yard over the past few seasons.
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