March Madness (Insect Style), by Mike Waldvogel

Termites. It's finally spring (at least in theory!). Rain earlier last week coupled with our warmer temperatures are a great prelude to termite swarming. Most of what people see are termite swarms outdoors which, as I have said in numerous past years, is just nature's way of reminding you that termites are all around you. It does NOT mean that you should spray your yard (which won't really help anyway); nor does it mean you need to have your house treated. HOWEVER, if you haven't had your house treated or inspected in recent years, then having it inspected might be a good idea. You can do the inspection yourself if you're confident (i.e., you're sure you know what to look for) and careful about checking the foundation (crawlspace and exterior) which may require pushing back fiberglass insulation so you can check wood framing that rests on the foundation. You should also check "critical areas" around plumbing. Calling a professional to inspect your house has its obvious advantages in that pest management professionals can probably be efficient in inspecting your home. Remember, a termite treatment isn't needed unless you find evidence of termite activity, although some people may decide to act proactively and have their house treated.

On the other hand, if termites swarm indoors, then you most likely have an infestation that should be addressed within a few weeks. Bear in mind, that even if you find swarmers, you don't need to rush on making a decision. Call a few companies, and get their assessment of any problem and an estimate of the cost to treat the house (if needed). Depending on the size and nature of your home's construction, termite treatments range from $500 to $2000 plus. Take the time to make an informed, well-founded decision about the type of treatment and warranty being offered. Damage repair warranties sound great but read the contract and understand that the warranty excludes "existing damage" which means damage that is identified as already present at the time of their initial inspection (this should be noted on the diagram they present to you with a proposal to treat the house) OR damage that wasn't visible at the time of the inspection (e.g., inside a wall) and there are no live termites present when the damage is discovered. While this may sound unfair, it's simply a matter that the company can't be accountable for damage that wasn't visible/accessible when they initiated the warranty and so there's no way to know when it occurred.

Serious termite damage takes years to occur. Many companies can take 7-14 days to get around to treating a customer's house during peak termite activity. So, if your floor was going to fall in because of termite damage, it would happen regardless of whether you have the house treated today or in 2-3 weeks. However, if there is significant structural damage due to termites, then you may want to do repairs before proceeding with any treatment in case the repairs require any soil excavation (which could also disrupt any termite treatment in the process).

We have more information about termites at: http://insects.ncsu.edu/wood.htm

Mosquitoes. You may be wondering how the cool/cold wet weather impacts pests, such as mosquitoes, and whether that means we'll have fewer mosquitoes. You will see mosquitoes out there even with some of our projected cooler temperatures, but those mosquitoes are species that overwinter as adults and respond more quickly to rises in air temperature.

In most of NC, our major problem is the Asian tiger mosquito; it spends the winter as an egg, which means it needs water (for the larvae to use as a habitat), plus temperature (water and air temperature), and an increasing day length to trigger activity. So, we still have time before we start seeing any real problems. However, this is the time of year to be thinking "habitat modification," which simply means a bunch of things you need to add to your list of spring chores:

• Get rid of (or repair) those objects that collect water. Fix tarps covering boats, cars, etc. so they don't collect water. If you're going to use rain barrels to collect and conserve water for use in your garden, make sure they have been cleaned of all leaf debris and other organic matter and that you cover them with screening to keep out debris and exclude mosquitoes.

• Clean out your gutters which trap water, along with leaves and organic debris, that attract mosquitoes (for egg-laying purposes).

• Clean out drainage ditches in front of your property. They're meant to catch and drain run-off, not become breeding pools for mosquitoes.

• And convince your neighbors to do the same because mosquito control takes a community effort. Mosquito control is a good example of the phrase "It takes a village" because everyone has to participate and it only takes one proverbial "village idiot" to make the collective effort fail.

Ticks. We're still a few months away from "tick season" but that doesn't mean some won't start wandering about looking for a meal. Mow back any taller weeds on the fringe of your yard to cut back on habitat favoring field mice and other hosts of the common ticks that we have here. When you're finished mowing/trimming back those weeds, don't forget to check yourself over for ticks. Better safe than being tick food!

Ground Bees Active But Pose No Threaten to People or Yards, by Steve Frank, NCSU Extension Entomologist

As I write this my front yard is abuzz with small bees. Many are flying around just above the ground while others fly back and forth to redbuds and camellias gathering pollen.

Although these bees do not generally sting, I watch as mothers nervously cross the street with strollers. Neighbors pass by and comment "Watch out for all those fire ants" referring to the small mounds that dot my sparsely vegetated lawn. Others offer suggestions on how to rid myself of these dangerous beasts that are "tearing up your lawn."

The bees I am watching are ground nesting bees in the family Andrenidae. All the species in this family are solitary and nest in the ground. Solitary means they do not maintain vast hives with hundreds of workers like honeybees or yellow jackets. A single female bee builds the nest by burrowing into the ground. She prepares larval cells where eggs will be laid. Mothers provision each brood cell with a mixture of pollen and nectar (called bee bread) that serves as food for young larvae. After laying an egg she closes the brood cell and starts another. After completing several brood cells the mother will seal the entrance and leave the nest to begin a new nest. After a few weeks she will die leaving the next generation safe in the ground.

Bee emerging from its mound (Photo: S.D. Frank).

In the spring, bees complete development and emerge as adults that dig their way out of the ground and forage for pollen and nectar to provision their own nests (see photo above). The visual spectacle of these bees is produced largely by males who swarm over nests trying to mate with newly emerged females. The other noticeable aspect of these bees is the small mounds of dirt excavated for each nest.

Hundreds of small mounds created by bees.

Hundreds of small mounds and swarms of bees often trigger calls to exterminators or landscape professionals (see photo at right). Homeowners fear that they will be attacked and stung as they bend over to pick up the paper and they believe that the bees are actively damaging their yard and want them gone. This is not the case.

An ovipositor is the organ female insects use to insert eggs into substrates such as leaves, wood, soil, other insects, or in our case brood cells. In social insects such as honeybees, most of the females are workers that do not mate or lay eggs and thus have no need for an ovipositor. However, they do need to protect the nest from invaders. Therefore, the ovipositor of these social species has evolved into a stinger to ward off threats.

With this in mind it is easy to understand why the threat of being stung by the ground nesting bees in my yard is so small. First, the bees swarming around are mostly males. Males don't lay eggs and thus do not have an ovipositor, modified or otherwise. The female bees are responsible for all aspects of nest construction and provisioning and are busy digging and foraging. Since the ovipositor of ground nesting bees is necessary for laying eggs, it is not well developed as a stinger, if at all. I won't say that you will never be stung because this would encourage some fool to torment bees until they proved me wrong. However, I have handled these bees quite a bit and have never been stung (see photo below).

Bee held safely for a portrait (Photo: S.D. Frank).

These bees prefer to nest in dry, sparsely vegetating areas. Therefore, if you have bees nesting in your lawn it is because the grass is thin and the soil is dry. The bees don't make it this way, they just take advantage of the conditions. If anything the bees are providing a valuable service by aerating the lawn!

The behavior and habitat preference of these bees leads us to the most promising ways to reduce their abundance in a particular yard. First they like dry soil they can dig nests in. Therefore, irrigation over the 3-4 weeks bees are active will encourage them to find other nest sites and reduce their abundance the following year. In addition, they like thin lawns with plenty of bare spots. Thus, you can take measures to improve the density of your grass to make it less appealing to bees. Native bees are an important part of ecosystems and food production. We should take steps to protect these bees or at least use non-lethal means to encourage them to nest somewhere else.