Bee Whacking

What you see above in the left of the first picture is a carpenter bee. You can see how it differs from a bumblebee to its right. Believe me, I am now an expert. Also, the carpenter bees don't sting. They hover around all menacing like but they don't do anything. Well, let me correct that. Look at the next two pictures. THAT is what they do. They love to drill dime sized holes in our cedar pool fence and once they get in, rip the wood like in the last picture. I made a mistake of caulking a female in the hole once and it ripped a foot long section out of the fence. Now I use a powdered poison that I squirt into the hole using a turkey baster. They tromp it in on their feet and die in the hole. I find the holes by the piles of sawdust they leave at the bottom of the fence. This weekend I have found the most effective way of eradicating them is by swatting them down with a pool skimmer net then stepping on them through the net. Or, in one instance, just knocking it down with my hand and then stepping on it. So far I have a body count of about 15. All piled up to attract the others. When one comes along to investigate the pile, he joins it. And people say I have no life...

Today I did a lot of yardwork. Uncovered the outdoor furniture, trimmed, mowed, filled the tiki torches with oil, etc. Then I took a nap at the edge of the covered pool in the beautiful 80º weather. I couldn't fully enjoy the situation but at least I had good memories and great expectations...