I am in St. Petersburg Florida. The tree is a Norfolk Island pine.
I thought I saw some with white on their rear ends you can see the white dot top center of the opening. This morning major bee traffic I wouldn't go near it, I got the photo late afternoon they seem to have chilled out.
If I get a little braver I will get a better picture. I know don't bother them they won't bother me but whats the definition of bothering with these guys? They are fun to watch but I keep about 10 feet and they still buzz me when they are really active.
the pic on the flower is a honeybee. If you don't mess with them and they don't mess with you, I wouldn't worry about it. But I wouldn't leave sweet drink uncovered on the patio table either. A bee in the soda can is not fun
I have fire ants. I make compost tea - unfinished compost, mostly leaves and stuff from ponds - in a bucket of water, keep topping it off for about a week, pour on the ant hill, no more fire ants.
They took over north Texas in the 80s. I use bleach on honeybee stings, used to use vinegar. I use bleach on bumblebee and carpenter bee and wasp stings too, and dilute bleach on fire ant bites before the swell closed. Dark colored clothing gets light dots that way though
you learn to defend your yard, and I'm fortunate, the house next to me sits down hill and wetter, since she doesn't tend her yard, I just do my fenceline with sulfur. I treat the garden, back and front yard with beneficial nematodes as needed. Garden always needs it, spot treat with compost tea, and for dire emergencies Amdro. then there is the bee yard, and I have pondliner under the hives, because fire ants will kill your bees, and I put an Amdro that all ants will take under that pond liner so my hens and bees can't get to it. If I see the ants in an area that won't work in, I make a bait trap with the stuff and put it where I see a path, and I keep them beat back fairly well. They migrate on floods so I try not to have weeds hanging off the curb into the street, in case of floating mounds
Flame thrower was for sand spurs, but it failed. Burned the plants left the seeds, my neighbors must have thought I was nuts out there the next day with a shop vac vacuuming up the seeds
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