Bee Aware: Who Are The Pests And Who Are The Helpers

Life often boils down to perspective, even when it comes to nature, gardening and insects, especially bees.

Staff of the Morrisons Cove Herald has fielded telephone calls in recent weeks with some gardeners concerned with what they view is an increase of bees.

That can be bad, but it also can be good, depending on what type of bees are creating the headaches, according to Kelly Baker of New Enterprise.

“There are carpenter bees; they’re a pain. There are yellow jackets and wasps, and I’m still waiting to hear what of any good they are,” Baker, who has a history of beekeeping, said.

She was an active member of 2 C’s and a Bee Beekeepers Association, a group of amateur beekeepers who share information and help with problem, solving, and maintained hives for a couple years.

“You can’t argue with the hornets. They are merciless,” Baker said.

But if they are honey bees that are buzzing around, that’s good news, Baker said, referring to the long battle with honey bee colony collapse, which had fruit and vegetable producers across the county concerned about the future of these invaluable pollinators.

People need to identify the bees that are causing them grief, something that can be done by looking on the internet, said Penn State’s Andrew Jones,

He cautions gardeners to make sure they know what they’re dealing with before getting out the pesticide.

“For the general public, if it buzzes in their face, they think it’s a bee,” Jones said.

A beekeeper himself, Jones represents 10 counties including Blair and Bedford.

Baker’s experience is that honey bees are seldom the pest people complain about.

“You can spot them without trying too hard,” she said. “There is white clover in our yard this year and we can see them.”

They are usually on the smaller side.

Honey bees mind their own business, according to Baker, and they usually have no interest in stinging people.

They will, however, sting in defense, and if they are injured, they give off a scent that will warn the others to stay clear, she said.

Baker and Jones agree that there seems to be a greater number of bees of various varieties than in recent years, something that can be attributed to milder winters than the region has experienced.

A hard winter makes it tough for bee colonies to get through and many will starve if it is a late spring.

Colonies function as one, until they reach a significant size, then they split. Swarming bees are nothing to mess with and an expert may need to be called in, Jones said.

“This year there definitely could be more. Some years you get more swarming,” he said. “A milder winter could play a role in the number of swarms and their health.”

The public cannot lose sight of the fact that honey bees are essential to food production.

“Honey bees pollinate over half the food we eat,” he said.

For that reason, it’s important to not only avoid pesticides as much as possible, but to plant flowers that produce blooms that attract honey bees, he said.

The hive collapse, which has impacted negatively on colonies for two decades or more has been linked to a number of culprits including mites, fungi, pesticides, use of antibiotics, even long transportation of bee hives.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has no hard and fast current data to prove the hive collapse is declining, but there is every indication that is the case, said, Shannon Powers, Department of Agriculture press secretary.

Antidotal information suggests the number of healthy honey bees is on the rise, she said.

“There certainly has been a big effort to educate people on how to protect bees,” Powers said.

Gardeners concerned about swarming bees likely should call the agricultural extension office and seek advice how to handle bees and perhaps be put in contact with a beekeeper who will help out, the experts agreed.

The Blair County Extension Office can be reached at (814) 940-5989 while Bedford County is at (814) 623-4800. The local bee keepers association is at (814) 472-7637.