Show Notes
Summary While carpenter bees get a bad rap, they are also important pollinators and play a vital role in the ecosystem. Their bad reputation can also sometimes be overblown. So, let's talk a little bit about carpenter bees, why they are important, and how to discourage them from nesting in places where you don't want them.
3 things you'll learn from this episode: Where you can find eastern carpenter bees and how to identify them. Why you need carpenter bees if you want gulf fritillary butterflies whose caterpillars host on purple passionflower vines. Simple, non-lethal ways to discourage carpenter bees from creating nesting tunnels where you don't want them drilling into your wooden structures.
Other helpful Backyard Ecology™ resources: The Backyard Ecologist's Newsletter The Backyard Ecology™ Community
Thank you Thank you to our amazing Patrons who go above and beyond every month to provide financial support which helps us create so much free content for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
If you would like personalized help creating your own pollinator and wildlife habitat, then we invite you to join the Backyard Ecology™ Community. Because while there's lots of great "big picture" information available about creating pollinator gardens or larger habitats for pollinators and wildlife. There are far fewer opportunities to say, "This is what I want to do. This is what I'm struggling with. How do I make it work on my property?" That's part of what the Backyard Ecology™ Community offers its members every day. Learn more: https://www.backyardecology.net/community/
More from Backyard Ecology
Summary In this episode, Sam Hoadley and I talk about the results of Mt. Cuba's Solidago Trials which evaluated how approximately 50 different goldenrod species performed in a garden setting.
Summary In this episode, Sam Hoadley and I talk about how goldenrods (Solidago sp.) are keystone species and all the ecological roles that they play. We also touch on some of the evolving discussions and potential unintended consequences related to the native plant movement.
Summary In this episode, Ashley Kennedy and I discuss simple ways that anyone can help eastern bluebirds. Our discussion is based off her recently published research looking at the diets of nestling eastern bluebirds. You can find our discussion of her research and its results in episode 115.
Summary In this episode, Ashley Kennedy and I discuss the results of her research on the diets of nestling eastern bluebirds. Ashley used GoPro cameras located on active bluebird nestboxes to take pictures of what eastern bluebirds were bringing back to the nest to feed their young. Over the course of several seasons, she obtained over 8,000 pictures which clearly showed food being brought back to the nest.
Summary The general impression that many people have is that prior to European settlement the whole eastern U.S. was one giant old growth forest. But that wasn't the case. Using an interdisciplinary approach, researchers over the last several decades have discovered that the eastern U.S. was instead interspersed with a surprising number of diverse ecosystems – only one of which was old growth forest.