By Jean Thomas
Maybe it's the rainy spring, but I find myself missing the doodlebugs. I had already encountered the divebombing antics of the carpenter bees. For some reason the two little terrorists of the insect world are connected in my mind. I think it's because they live near each other in the busy world of my old picturesque wooden garage. It's a thing of beauty, ancient and built of old pulpy wood with various sections patched and replaced over many years. Among the hordes of creatures that have sheltered there are these two insect oddballs, one mistaken for a bumblebee and the other the architect of odd little holes in the soil at the sill of the garage. I think I connect them because the doorway to the garage is where I most often see both on sunny days.
Anybody with a wooden structure is familiar with the carpenter bee. First, they are noisy and buzzy and act aggressive. Insectophobes are terrified of them, even when told that they don't sting. Second, they can cause considerable damage to structures. So what's a homeowner to do? There are many remedies, including spraying with insecticides...not recommended because they are valuable pollinators and because sprays kill more beneficial insects as collateral damage. I have a friend who goes in for hand-to-feeler combat. He sprays WD-40 into the existing holes to kill the larva, then plugs it with a little fitted dowel. A third option is the one I favor. It consists of a trap with a pre-drilled chunk of wood attached to a mason jar. Homesteading bees explore the holes and don't realize until it's too late that there's no way out. Some other insects may fall for the trick, but you can inspect the prisoners through the glass for innocents to release. Oh, about the bumblebee resemblance... the visual clue is that bumblebees have fuzzy tummies and carpenter bees have a black shiny tummy. With a quick eye and steely nerves, you can tell them apart. Frankly, their behavior is the best indicator.
While the carpenter bees whiz around the upper part of the garage, there's a science fiction/horror story scene going on at the doorsill. This is an ancient shed/garage with a dirt floor. Either side of the rotting sill are small deserts of sand and crushed leaves. Seasonally there are mysterious craters scattered around this area. Very mysterious until I found some information on line. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Department published a wonderful article in 2018 that described the amazing world of “Antlions and Doodlebugs.” It's at: https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/encyclopedia/antlions-and-doodlebugs#:~:text=The%20antlion%20burrows%20into%20loose,are%20particularly%20good%20for%20doodlebugs.
Briefly, these craters are inverted cones, dug in a spiral style, where the (scary looking but tiny) antlion lurks, waiting for unsuspecting insects to walk past. Most often it's ants, hence the name. You can imagine my delight when I learned the antlion was also called a doodlebug. It happens that when the antlion larva, formally known as Myrmeleon immaculatus (the genus name translates to mean ant lion,) goes out for food, it travels on its belly, in reverse, until it finds a spot and digs a spiral hole to hide at the bottom. The “doodle” name is because while it travels around on its belly it leaves marks like doodle marks between destinations.
A couple of myths to clarify: although bumblebees can sting, it's only in self defense. So don't handle them or kneel on them; the adult form of the antlion/doodlebug is NOT a dragonfly, although there is a slight resemblance.
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