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Love your wit also. Do keep us posted on what happens. I suspect he 's guarding a hive as well. It is probably in the ground below and he's hovering above by your deck.
Greetings Curran -
Thank you for joining our little party, which has been oh, so jumpin' even though I was indisposed. Yoo hoo! I love parties & KimoBee chooses great wine! By the way, you are so right. (update below)
Hello All -
My apologies, I haven't BEEn around in a bit, hence my delay in replying. After the hairspray incident, we had a few days of rain, so I didn't see the little hovering soldier. The 1st nice day, I tried to read on the deck & was chased in again. The plump bumble wasn't hovering about, but he swooped by & always remained behind me, far too close, with his same little friend with the yellow jacket body & long wasp legs. I'm tellin' ya, it's like a supermodel bee with legs that spring from it's cheekbones. Now, I don't know if yellow jackets have cheekbones, even those of the supermodel variety, but I swear I saw red, glowing eyes & gnashing teeth with my name written all over them.
I ventured out a day or so later on our 1st 90-degree day to eat some ice cream with my mom. Okay, I know what you're thinking, "How can a Kitten do that to her mom?" Well, let me tell ya, that barely 5' tall woman had 7-kids & would fly out from underneath a sofa cushion like a ninja when one of them misbehaved, so she's more than capable of protecting her 5'7" baby bee! As we sat outside, grateful for a breeze, some shade & the creation of Haagan Daz, I noticed a yellow jacket busily working on a bubble gum sized "hive" underneath the rail surrounding the deck. I was sitting on a small bench, so was down low enough to see it. It can't be seen while standing, even if you're Mama KittensPurr & barely 5'. Since he left us alone, we finished our ice cream & I then decided to sweep the hive over the deck without hurting the bee. I had to tell Mama Kitten to back up from the door 3 times, as once the herd of marauding bees surrounded me, I'd be promptly diving for the doorway & running over anything in my path.
I gently swept the hive from underneath the rail & the yellow jacket angrily raced about. Once inside the doorway, I picked up Mama Kitten from the floor where I pancaked her running inside (hey, I gave her fair warning) & remained indoors, peering out every so often at the action on the deck. The little guy, now homeless, was frantic, but after awhile it was dark, so I figured he relocated to Beacon Hill, like I'd asked him to do in the first place. The next morning at 7am, I couldn't believe that a tiny M&M sized hive was being built in the same spot. No bee was home (I knocked, nobody answered & I guess supermodels sleep late), so I swept this new little condo over the 3rd floor deck & sprayed the entire railing (underneath, over & around) with bee spray. I don't want to hurt the little guys & would never spray directly on them, but I thought the smell of the spray would keep them away. Well, it's worked for me... & Mama Kitten... but she just might still be smarting from the pancaking incident.
Two days have passed now & I don't see a hive beginning again. The hovering bee hasn't been around, the supermodel bee must have bookings elsewhere & the little worker bee has been spotted buzzing near the 3rd floor deck of the condo across the backyard. It's unusual to see bees up so high, so I noticed 1 or 2 yellow jackets. I'll have to check around tomorrow when I have rosebush planting day in my yard. I have a lone red rosebush that Grandmama Kitten planted 70+ years ago & it's been beginning to look a bit sad over the past few years. Perhaps she needs a mate, so I found a nice yellow rosebush to be her friend. Maybe the bumbles will spend their days near it, too, which would be fine. I just prefer that until they learn to share equally, they build their pad with the supermodels on a lesser used deck.
So, all is well in Kittenville & on this Memorial Day, my hat's off to these little soldier bees for their camaraderie, bravery & persistence. Sharing, attitude & temper aren't their strong points, but as a Kitten with 4 older former-military brothers, perhaps that may be part of the job description needed to keep one's battalion safe. They really are impressive little dudes...VV
Hey, Kittenspurr, we can't let this thread die! Ask Happydawg and the rest of the BEEmers to bring the coffee cake and snacks, you provide the coffee, I'll provide some wine (white or red... what goes with bumblebees... I think its white with hornets, but bumblebees... Buzzzzzzzzzz) and we'll just sit and see if the little guy comes back....
Hey KimoBeeMan -
You are so right. The deck seems to be clear, for now, so come on over. Coffee, check. I've always got STRONG, organic Dark French Roast, finely ground for espresso, on hand. Coffee cake, check. Have a nice recipe for Dutch Coffee Cake. Snacks, that's HDL, Ellie & all other guest's territory. Wine? Hmmm. Which one gives a better Buzzzzzz, in honor of our little soldiers who've now temporarily surrendered the deck? I've got the corkscrew, come on over, BEEmers!
BEE seeing you soon. Don't forget to ring the front Buzzzzzer...
Yuk, yuk, yuk...VV
So we're going to have coffee on KP's deck when we're in town? Cool-o.
Yes, El. You're welcome anytime. Let's make it an eastcoast tour & once we've eaten all the snacks & treats near Boston Harbor, make Athens & KimoBee's deck the next stop. I hear he's got good drinks that leave one with a buzzzzz... of the good kind...
Absolutely! I figure if we each invite 25 of our closest friends we'll really surprise KP when we show up!!!!
Later!
Hey Kimo -
It bloody well will be a surprise. Since I've successfully chased away the little bee twice now, if multitudes of folks were at my door, I'd probably think PETA sent out the "Bring Back the Bee Brigade" banners & protesters & yank my membership from my little paw. Oh, & I'm sure they'd want to join in on the organic French roast, no doubt. But, all will be well, as since my deck is about 12' x 8', we'll all be v e r y close friends at the end of an evening. Just in case, can you perhaps narrow down the guest list, please?... VV
Location: Somewhere along the path to where I'd like to be.
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I wish I had come into this discussion sooner. What color was the bumble bee that was hovering in the middle of your deck? Was it black by any chance? Did he have a really loud buzz? If so, it's possible he was a carpenter bee. And you're going to laugh about this, but if he WAS a carpenter bee, he was totally harmless! He would NOT have stung you. Know why? He was most likely a male carpenter bee, and the males don't have stingers. They're just annoyingly aggressive. Only the females have stingers, but they're more docile and remain inside the nest....which COULD have actually been inside the wood itself. They are nicknamed "wood boring bumble bees" because they actually bore into the wood of decks and siding on houses. Have you seen any holes on your deck about the size of a nickel? If so, that's the entrance to the nest. If your little buddy was dive bombing you that bad, he was just trying to defend his nest.
Regarding yellow jackets, if you want to keep them away from your deck, you might try a spray bottle filled with white vinegar and water handy, and spray it around the deck to help repel them.
I wish I had come into this discussion sooner. What color was the bumble bee that was hovering in the middle of your deck? Was it black by any chance? Did he have a really loud buzz? If so, it's possible he was a carpenter bee. And you're going to laugh about this, but if he WAS a carpenter bee, he was totally harmless! He would NOT have stung you. Know why? He was most likely a male carpenter bee, and the males don't have stingers. They're just annoyingly aggressive. Only the females have stingers, but they're more docile and remain inside the nest....which COULD have actually been inside the wood itself. They are nicknamed "wood boring bumble bees" because they actually bore into the wood of decks and siding on houses. Have you seen any holes on your deck about the size of a nickel? If so, that's the entrance to the nest. If your little buddy was dive bombing you that bad, he was just trying to defend his nest.
Regarding yellow jackets, if you want to keep them away from your deck, you might try a spray bottle filled with white vinegar and water handy, and spray it around the deck to help repel them.
Hey Rob -
Thanks for your reply. Not a carpenter bee. There's no holes in the deck. He wore the standard black/yellow pantsuit & has no buzz. None of the bees that came about had a buzz, actually & the 3 different kinds I spotted (the pudgy bumble, the long-legged supermodel & the jet-fast worker) were also dressed similarly. They're very aggressive, so it was obvious to me that although I could initially find no hive, the bumble was protecting one as he'd hover for 7+ hrs each day. Very good guard, that one, I must say.
Bees here are normally seen all spring/summer long, but not on the 3rd floor deck & it was indeed a little hive being built underneath the handrail of the fence surrounding the deck. I could even see the little honeycomb motif on the hive, although it never got bigger than the size of a wad of bubble gum. I don't want to hurt the little guys, so I think spraying the bee spray on the railings after I loosened their hive has done it. If they continue to return, I'll just do the same, but will keep the vinegar/water spray handy, if necessary. We all want to eat & we all want to live & I just can't see killing them, unless children or animals were around & in danger of being stung. Many of the back decks aren't used often (mine isn't one of them), so who knows, there may be more small hives about, but people aren't aware. We're 3-blocks from the ocean, so many are there or as this neighborhood is now predominately renovated condos, many use their rooftop decks.
I've never had this problem before, so it will just be something to look out for in the future. I'm honered the little guys chose my deck to build their detached housing, but, unless they cook, do chores, collect cans for nickels or share food shopping trips, they'll have to find a quieter, less used place to congregate.
Hey, there... Jeezzzzz! Finally got it figured out... White wine for hornets, red for bumblebees and, OF COURSE! sparkling rozzzzze for yellow jackets... Doesn't that make sense? *
As for the 25 guests, we'll cut it down to 15 each, seeing as more people are joining this soiree... More the merrier...!
Hey, there... Jeezzzzz! Finally got it figured out... White wine for hornets, red for bumblebees and, OF COURSE! sparkling rozzzzze for yellow jackets... Doesn't that make sense? *
As for the 25 guests, we'll cut it down to 15 each, seeing as more people are joining this soiree... More the merrier...!
* To me it makes blissful sense. But then....
Kimo -
The more wines the merrier? The more bees, the merrier? Or, the more people the merrier? With good wine & good friends, who's counting...
I finally figured out who the long-legged bee is.... It's Lindzzzzee Lohan, circling around her re-hab digs, which of course have to be built. So don't worry about it. She won't be there long....
OR- maybe it's Parizzzzz Hilton....
(Okay. I admit it.... I'm beginning to reach...)
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Update, Part Deux...
With good wine & good friends, who's counting... 
