Garden

[Kitty Galore]

I'm not sure what they are but I noticed them on my potatoe vine in a flower box .   They fly around and land on every leave like a bee would extracts from a flower.    I can't get close enough to water or reheard the flowers in there cause they go after me!   I thought hornets build a hive unless there is one under thev potato vines.   These are black about an inch long .   Not sure what they exactly are ,   But want to get rid of them but not with toxic or poison don't want to,kill flowers or other wildlife.    Any suggestions?

[Kachina624]

They may be carpenter bees, big, fat solid black bumble bees? They are good pollinators and especially like yellow flowers.  They are harmless.  I had them on my patio once and walked around them all the time.  They were not aggressive.  Google them and see if they look familiar. 

[JustJazzmom]

If they are carpenter bees, they are usually solitary but they can bore into soft wood about 3/8" wide holes to lay their eggs inside. 

Carpenter bees have a shiny looking back.

Hornets have a cinched waist or thorax. 

Carpenter Bee

[x Hedge]

       Bald faced hornet.

          

content://com.amazon.cloud9.FileProvider/images/screenshot/1628824327816-2119047440.jpghttps://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/8490

[Desertdi]

@Kachina624     I had carpenter bees in my yard, too.    My neighbor had a gigantic yellow oleander.

[77yangya]

We get them on the back deck.  I get the exterminator.  They bore through wood and do damage.  They make big holes in the wood.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Really, make peace with them and they will leave you alone.  I have all sorts of wasps/hornets/bees around my home and I just tell them that I own the place and to leave me alone!  Or else!

I think they don't perceive me as a threat any longer and we co-exist.

Yeah, I'm a little weird about this stuff.  Truly, though, they are just determining what their world is, and if you just ignore them and go about your business they will leave you alone.  And they will eat aphids and other things that need to be kept in check.

[millieshops]

@Sweetbay magnolia   I do not know anything about carpenter ants on p,ants, but they can and do do major damage to wood if they find entry.  Personal,experience with them in a very old house I once owned taught me that lesson.

[Eileen in Virginia]

It sounds like they may be wasps. While most bees won't bother you if you leave them alone, wasps and yellow jackets are aggressive. Some build their nests in trees and others build them underground. If yours build underground, be careful when you water your plants, as they'll attack you. If you have someone in your area who's knowledgeable about bees, ask them to check your flowerbeds to identify this insect and recommend what you should do. 

[Sweetbay magnolia]

Yes, @millieshops , I have them living around my porch (carpenter bees).  I'm letting them work on some old cedar chairs.

There's a famous entomologist around here who advocates for repair, not death to bees.  We're pushing things to extinction.  Mike Raupp, U MD.  Fascinating man.

Could say the same about woodpeckers.