Pollinating insect threatening access to gas meter and emergency shut off - Ask Extension
There are many dozens of a pollinating insect, like a wasp or hornet, infesting bushes in front of the house by the main door, and also threatening sa...
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Pollinating insect threatening access to gas meter and emergency shut off #870196
Asked May 26, 2024, 6:25 PM EDT
There are many dozens of a pollinating insect, like a wasp or hornet, infesting bushes in front of the house by the main door, and also threatening safe emergency access to the gas meter and emergency shut off valve on the exterior of the home behind the bushes. It also seems dangerous to prune the bushes or pull off the vines. These insects are all over and I don't know where the nest could be located. What should we do?
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
The pictured pollinator is a honey bee, and they will not be nesting inside the shrubs. The plants appear to be Japanese Hollies (botanical name Ilex crenata), and they do not bloom for long, so in about another week (two at the most), the flowers will be spent and the bees will move onto other sources of nectar and pollen.
Bee and other insect pollination is how hollies produce their fruit (berries), though the ripe berries on Japanese hollies are black, not the usual red, so they are not very showy. (These also might be male plants, since hollies are either male-flowered or female-flowered. If they are male, they will not produce any berries, though bees still appreciate their pollen. They look to be female, but it's hard to tell for certain at this stage.)
No action needs to be taken. You can remove the weedy vine as soon as the bee activity stops, though if no one has any allergies, it can be done any time since the risk of stings is very low since the bees will not be defending a nest. If you want to prune the hollies, now is also a fine time, or in a couple weeks after bee visits stop. (For the future, hollies can also be pruned well before flowering, especially if you don't mind losing some berry-producing potential due to the removed flower buds, by trimming around March or April.)
Miri
Bee and other insect pollination is how hollies produce their fruit (berries), though the ripe berries on Japanese hollies are black, not the usual red, so they are not very showy. (These also might be male plants, since hollies are either male-flowered or female-flowered. If they are male, they will not produce any berries, though bees still appreciate their pollen. They look to be female, but it's hard to tell for certain at this stage.)
No action needs to be taken. You can remove the weedy vine as soon as the bee activity stops, though if no one has any allergies, it can be done any time since the risk of stings is very low since the bees will not be defending a nest. If you want to prune the hollies, now is also a fine time, or in a couple weeks after bee visits stop. (For the future, hollies can also be pruned well before flowering, especially if you don't mind losing some berry-producing potential due to the removed flower buds, by trimming around March or April.)
Miri
