Pavers look fantastic! I think you'll get the value returned when no weeds get close to the pot bases.
Restarting the garden
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I'm inspired
Dahlia
Garden Addicted
Those pears look so yummy! Scary about the wasps! I am the person who always gets stung when it's a wasp, hornet, or bee!
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- #104
flowerbug
Garden Master
i work around all of them pretty frequently and do not get stung too often considering the chances via numbers in proximity.
often getting stung means you've gotten too close to a nest somehow. if you observe bees/etc being aggressive it is probably due to that. back off if you can immediately.
however once they've stung you or attacked you then you are likely scent marked and that may signal other bees to join in. changing clothes and washing well can help, but if you wear certain perfumes or similar clothes they may still come after you. give them space and time and they may reset their behavior towards you.
certain bees however, ugh. i've had to put on protective clothing because i needed to get work done and could not be out there with bees getting in between my eyes and my glasses. even if the stings were not super painful and i am not reacting to them it still just sucks when that happens. and it is usually the ground nesting bees that are the worst for that. keeping the ground watered and disturbed does discourage them from nesting in the gardens but with as many gardens as we have i can never keep all of them discouraged. sometimes it does come down to me having to smack them for attacking me - which is the worst thing to do to any bee as it escalates everything.
avoiding having loose clothes that might trap bees in them is the other way i'm most likely to get stung. hanging open clothes are ok as long as you don't smush the bees that happen to wander in by accident.
as it goes though, i work along side many bees most of the garden seasons without them coming after me - thousand and thousands of them.
flowerbug
Garden Master
yeah, hornet nests can be fun.
if you can knock them down before they really get established is the best thing and if you do it when it is early morning or at night when they are coldest that might also help a lot. i knock them down and step on them and then the raccoons come around and eat them. the raccoons also go around and search behind rocks (i'm pretty sure they can smell them) and will eat their nests.
Dahlia
Garden Addicted
Many of the incidents of me getting stung were due to other people that were near me at the time. One was my brother messing with a nest and I happened to be hanging out nearby. Another time I was hanging out in front of our house holding our dog while our house attic was getting sprayed due to bees up there. I've been stung by a hornet while minding my own business on a picnic, been stung a few times on our sailboat, and the list goes on......
flowerbug
Garden Master
when others are involved i try to stay away.
i've seen way too many people panic and start swatting at bees that are not harming them and when dogs or other animals are around they can stir things up and make things worse too. i warn people who are visiting here that there are bees and other stinging insects around but that they will not be stung as long as they don't start swatting at them or ignoring their obvious signs of being irritated.
for people who are allergic i recommend not visiting unless they have the needed first aid pen and are willing to risk it.
i also require that anyone with pets keep their pet indoors or in their vehicle or on a leash with full control. we have areas that are not safe for wandering animals (a glass garden and a rust garden among other risks like broken tile edges, plus some very slippery when wet spots and ...).
i've seen way too many people panic and start swatting at bees that are not harming them and when dogs or other animals are around they can stir things up and make things worse too. i warn people who are visiting here that there are bees and other stinging insects around but that they will not be stung as long as they don't start swatting at them or ignoring their obvious signs of being irritated.
for people who are allergic i recommend not visiting unless they have the needed first aid pen and are willing to risk it.
i also require that anyone with pets keep their pet indoors or in their vehicle or on a leash with full control. we have areas that are not safe for wandering animals (a glass garden and a rust garden among other risks like broken tile edges, plus some very slippery when wet spots and ...).
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- #109
I've only been stung by my own stupidity. Stepped on one in the grass as a kid. Forgot the second time. 3rd was most recent, mud dauber's path collided with mine. Landed on my eyelid. Blinking, thinking it'd fly off, but it didn't. Blinked harder and eye/brow slightly squashed it. It retaliated, but flew off when I widened my eyes and shook my head. I was traumatized for a few days afterwards, but soon went back to being buddies.
The bald faced wasps, one nest got too protective of my barn, where meat is processed. So I had it removed. The other nest, following year, was in the pear tree and stayed respectful, so I left them alone.
Tons of different wasps, bees and flies love fallen pears. Just got to be slow and careful to gather them. Left the damaged ones for them to eat.
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- #110
