Bee Hunting

[altheating]

Here's a pic of some boring bees we harvested the other day. The rifle, a Ruger 77/357. The load was a 357 case with 3 grains of Bullseye covered by a cardboard wad, filled with pasta with a foam over pasta wad cut from walmart chicken trays. Some loads had a cardboard wad as the over pasta wad, but the foam wads proved better. The next loads I'm going to try will be fine tapioca. I think I will be able to get a better pattern with the tapioca.

[birddog1148]

Wish I could do that in town, I use a bug zapper tennis racquet thing. Then there is always :
http://bugasalt.com/

[Blammer]

wow! I have killed about 8 of them and my population is really thinned, maybe 3-4 left total.

you really have a problem!

[badbob454]

what kind of pasta are you using , must be something small?

[sparky45]

I crush up Mac & Cheese pasta, not to fine though.

[Camba]

Seem that the pasta was not gluten free for them bees. :)

[DougGuy]

Those bees are great pollinators! If you grow anything in your garden that needs pollinating by bees, you are killing off your chances of having things like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, okra, onions, celery, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, or any other garden stuff that doesn't self fertilize.. We have them here, they bore in the wood of our shed but I let them bee. Pun intended..

[Screwbolts]

deleted double post.

[Screwbolts]

Those bees are great pollinators! If you grow anything in your garden that needs pollinating by bees, you are killing off your chances of having things like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, okra, onions, celery, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, or any other garden stuff that doesn't self fertilize.. We have them here, they bore in the wood of our shed but I let them bee. Pun intended..

DougGuy, He is not killing "Honey Bees", as you know by your post there is a difference between destructive "carpenter Bees" and "Honey Bees", Big difference. Atlheating, is a "Farmboy", he knows the difference, on our farms here in NYS we have large gardens, not just fruit and veggies. All our fields are gardens, used to raise food stuff for livestock or feed people. That being said we are very well aware of the need for bees and also the decline in Honey bee numbers.

I am in NYS also and have never seen Carpenter bees around any type of plants or at least being major player in the act of Pollination of plants, now Honey Bees and Bumble bees are another thing.

Ken

[ghh3rd]

There goes a handful of primers and a pinch of powder - but well worth it. The were drilling my last house to pieces... now that I've seen how everyone has been getting some range time in with them, I sorta wish I had a few around here... maybe the giant grasshoppers will come back.

[altheating]

The place we were hunting them is infested with the boring bees. They have to go. We didn't even put a small dent in the population. Here they are a awful nuisance.

[ogre]

Natures balance has been upset! We're all doomed!

[BRIARPATCH]

I set out on our deck and blast 'em with my 44 Ruger loaded up with snake shot. My grandson thinks I'm a relative of Ol' Wyatt Earp himself being able to pick 'em out of mid air. I usually wait til they "hover" then let em have it.
The shells I showed him were 240 grainers. He's 7 and will probably figure things out before long but I'm having fun with it now. :Fire:

[OBXPilgrim]

I think if you searched "carpenter bees" on this site, you might get several hits. I loaded used, crushed walnut hulls from my tumbler into 308 cases cut down to fit a 45 acp S&W 625. The fine walnut pieces would blow their wings off. At 5 feet, the walnut wouldn't even go through a paper target or damage the gutters.

[OBXPilgrim]

I set out on our deck and blast 'em with my 44 Ruger loaded up with snake shot. My grandson thinks I'm a relative of Ol' Wyatt Earp himself being able to pick 'em out of mid air. I usually wait til they "hover" then let em have it.
The shells I showed him were 240 grainers. He's 7 and will probably figure things out before long but I'm having fun with it now. :Fire:

Yep, just wait until he gets a little older & decides to do it like grandpa did, & blows big holes through your gutters.

[skeettx]

How about GRITS :)

Mike

[dragonrider]

That would be a good use for grits, it's certainly no use as food.[smilie=s:

[rockrat]

Maybe the ground up corncob media for your tumbler would also work? Or small peppercorns!!!!

I think your tapioca would work well, as maybe would rice.

[ghh3rd]

Wonder if they sat around during the pioneer days, deciding on what to load the musket with, ground walnut shells or grits to kill those d%@md wood boring bees :-)

[DrCaveman]

Boring bees, eh? Im more into killing the exciting bees around here, like the yellow jackets and hornets. Those suckers take a bite of you, and come back for more! Problem is, they usually fly solo and like to frequent my plate of BBQ chicken and pasta salad. Blasting them is not good for the overall dinner experience!

Kidding of course, but im thinking maybe a little "after dinner medicine" using the very pasta they seem to love might discourage them...of course, i would have to include the mayo & mustard part of the recipe...

[Nicholas]

Try a badminton racquet for a more sporting experience.

[Old School Big Bore]

Sounds like a job for couscous. Any recommendations chicken flavor vs plain?

[mnkyracer]

Neighbors are too close for me to try this, but the chickens come a-runnin' when they see the tennis racket come out.

[jonas302]

Boring bees, eh? Im more into killing the exciting bees around here, like the yellow jackets and hornets. Those suckers take a bite of you, and come back for more! Problem is, they usually fly solo and like to frequent my plate of BBQ chicken and pasta salad. Blasting them is not good for the overall dinner experience!

Kidding of course, but im thinking maybe a little "after dinner medicine" using the very pasta they seem to love might discourage them...of course, i would have to include the mayo & mustard part of the recipe...


You have to load with salt maybe a pinch of pepper:razz:

[mold maker]

I don't do too bad with a badminton racket. SIL and I strained 0ver 180 year before last. I calked the holes with silicone, and there are lots fewer this year.

[EMC45]

Try a badminton racquet for a more sporting experience.

That's what we use at my Dad's log cabin. My son and I keep score. There are some areas around his cabin that it looks like he was using a circular saw all day long and swept all the saw dust into a pile. It is the bees. All the time!

[jakec]

That would be a good use for grits, it's certainly no use as food.[smilie=s:

hold on now grits are awesome!! put some cheese and bacon pieces in there. real bacon not those "bits". i cut mine up with scissors then fry them up in the skillet that never leaves the stovetop. put some liquid smoke and a little cream cheese, maybe add some rotel and jalapenos..........uuuuummmmm!
oh and i have to use the raquet to kill my bees too. neighbors call the cops a lot for "little explosions" next door already.

[petroid]

hold on now grits are awesome!! put some cheese and bacon pieces in there. real bacon not those "bits". i cut mine up with scissors then fry them up in the skillet that never leaves the stovetop. put some liquid smoke and a little cream cheese, maybe add some rotel and jalapenos..........uuuuummmmm!
oh and i have to use the raquet to kill my bees too. neighbors call the cops a lot for "little explosions" next door already.

If you're adding all that stuff then why do you even need the grits? Sounds like your trying to cover something up...

[jakec]

If you're adding all that stuff then why do you even need the grits? Sounds like your trying to cover something up...

You know, you might have a point. You could probably add all that to a cut up cardboard box and it would be good!

[birddog1148]

Try a badminton racquet for a more sporting experience.
This works good for me:
http://www.harborfreight.com/electronic-fly-swatter-40122.html
but the chickens come a-runnin' when they see the tennis racket come out.
Mine wont eat em

[fastdadio]

For dinner time fun, Try launching them with a plastic spoon. The long ones from the ice cream place work really well. Cock it back, line em up, and fling! Knocks the dog snot out of them.

[destrux]

Those bees are great pollinators! If you grow anything in your garden that needs pollinating by bees, you are killing off your chances of having things like blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, okra, onions, celery, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, or any other garden stuff that doesn't self fertilize.. We have them here, they bore in the wood of our shed but I let them bee. Pun intended..

That's all fine and good when they're not boring 1/2" holes through the eaves of a $200,000 log home. I'll stick to splatting them and let the non-destructive honey bees do the pollinating (the neighbor's farm has a colony of them).

Personally I was using a .22LR with "bird shot" but now I think I need to make some pasta loads for the .44mag blackhawk. We have dozens of these pests flying around in the summer and we can't spray poison around because of the honey bees.

[luvtn]

Spray the poison on the wood. It won't hurt the honeybees a bit. I used an electronic racquet to thin the herd. It knocks them down, but you must stomp on them to complete the coup de grace.
lt

[nagantguy]

Rice, 3-3.5 bs and hold until they hover I had a bug shooting post a few weelkls ago it never generated this kind of response. Good fer y'all shoot them vermin

[andremajic]

Just paint the wood. They don't like to chew thru paint. Save the primers for better things.

If you don't wanna paint, just spray some general purpose long lasting insecticide, like Suspend SC. You can find it on ebay.

Andy

[dilly]

Don't you know, Andy, that the guys on this site will use any excuse they can think of to use a gun? It's what we do.

[nagantguy]

I got some carpenter bees yesterday. Pinch of unique, rice cardboard wade and sealed it up with wax. Works real nice out of sbh. Used special cases. Have separated these 12,or so and keep them.separate and have been just punching out the primer and hand seating a new one on the Lee tool. Most of the shots are room distance to point blank. It is also nice in that the rice does no damage to buildings ect here around the farm. I still practice safe gun handelong and know what's in the targets fore and back ground.

[gtgeorge]

I haven't yet started burning primers on them yet Andy. But I can assure you that they may need to be educated by your post so they will quit boring holes in my shops painted wood. :target_smiley:

[andremajic]

I haven't yet started burning primers on them yet Andy. But I can assure you that they may need to be educated by your post so they will quit boring holes in my shops painted wood. :target_smiley:

Is it latex or oil based paint? Just spray some insecticide. That'll teach em!

[gtgeorge]

Is it latex or oil based paint? Just spray some insecticide. That'll teach em!
I prefer to not use insectacides and as much fun it is batting them out of the air with an old broomstick, I think I will load some mini shot shells as well.

[Bad Water Bill]

Now that salt blower sounds like fun here in the Chiraq area:bigsmyl2:

Just to bad they do not list a price and ordering instructions.:evil:

[gtgeorge]

Now that salt blower sounds like fun here in the Chiraq area:bigsmyl2:

Just to bad they do not list a price and ordering instructions.:evil:
If you are talking about the bugasalt here it is on Amazon.:bigsmyl2:
http://www.amazon.com/BUG-A-SALT-Fire-Your-Fly-Swatter/dp/B00AB88UDA/

[Weaponologist]

I know being a Newbee I shouldn't post short meaningless posts but I must on this one and just say...

........................That's Cool........................:redneck:

[trails4u]

Had to try it.... .380 and .40 no less. Have to load them single shot...haven't yet figured out how to get them to feed....but: 2-3gr W231(yeah, I have some of it), cereal box cardboard over powder, and crushed walnut 'shot', cereal box again... From 3-5 ft....deadly on wasps, carpenter bees. Tried rice...but the case capacity doesn't really allow that. The tapioca idea is working on me though.....or the grits!

[woodbutcher]

:bigsmyl2: Fun thread.BUT,you guys are doing it the easy way.Growing up we used to stalk those little buggers with sling shots loaded with damp sand or super fine crushed
oyster shells.The oyster shells seemed to work better.Hornets and wasps would just disintegrate when hit.Neighbors did`nt complain about the noise either.Hehehe.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[andremajic]

Good for the hand eye coordination and your reflexes.

:bigsmyl2: Fun thread.BUT,you guys are doing it the easy way.Growing up we used to stalk those little buggers with sling shots loaded with damp sand or super fine crushed
oyster shells.The oyster shells seemed to work better.Hornets and wasps would just disintegrate when hit.Neighbors did`nt complain about the noise either.Hehehe.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[CPL Lou]

Thinking about loading up my NAA BP pistol with cream of wheat and nailing the carpenter bees at my local range. The boogers are destroying the main support beam for the roof inch by inch !
I figure a range of 5 feet, tops. Should do the trick !

CPL Lou

[johnestmon]

I have an open feeder in the bee yard here at the house. Last year I used flour to dust the bees in the feeder which is a concrete bird bath that I put gravel and sticks in to keep the bees from drowning.I watched some of the bees heading due south so I started walking that way.There is a stretch of timber, not very wide, that a tornado had damaged the trees.When I found the tree there was a big limb with a crack at the base.It had a fairly noticeable spot of white where the bees were going in.But when I checked on the tree this spring it show'd no signs of life.

[Harry Eales]

Contrary to most of the opinions here in this thread, ALL BEES POLINATE CROPS not just Honeybees and Bumblebees. The Honeybee populations of the world have been decimated by Varoa Mite as well as Colony Collapse Syndrome where all the bees in a hive suddenly die off , the reason is believed to be the introduction of Nicitinoids used as pesticides, the restriction in numbers of all bee species is to be avoided wherever possible. Virtually all crops, fruit trees and bushes and all flowering plants need bees to pollinate them, If Bees die out or were severely reduced in number then you can say goodbye to a large part of your diet. Only a few cereals and nuts would be available on the markets as these are wind pollinated. Flowering plants would also disappear as well. Following that type of destruction people would be killing each other just to get any food they could get their hands on. The Law of Unintended Consequences applies here. Leave bees alone and they won't bother you, it isn't rocket science.

Harry

[mold maker]

When they're literally eating you out of house and home, they definitely aren't leaving you alone. Poison is indiscriminate while the badminton racket gives a sporting chance. Those little devils can dart and dodge.

[woodbutcher]

Hi Harry Eales.You try to tell a friend of mine and my family that.Carpenter bees did $25,000 worth of damage to his home before they were found.Little piles of wood dust started showing up in his house and garage.The house and garage had to be tented to rid him of the pests before the rebuild could start.He and his family were out of the home for 3 1/2 months.So not all insects are beneficial to humans.The $25,000 did not include the cost of motel rooms and food for the 3 1/2 months either.His insurance company was not happy with the bill for repairs and food and lodging.This happened in the mid 70`s.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo