Bees and my car

General Questions
#1

I drive a dark green VW Golf. Whenever I leave my apartment and walk to my parking lot, there’s always a half-dozen or so yellowjackets hanging out on the hood of my car. I have no idea why.

The only explanation I can think of is that there’s pollen kicked up onto my car by other traffic and the bees are attracted to it because my car is the same color as leaves. None of the other cars in my lot (a sample of 10 or so) seem to have this phenomenon.

But, bees surely are smarter than that, right? I mean, all the other cars should have pollen on their hoods, and the bees should smell them, too? Wouldn’t they go for my neighbor’s blue VW, too?

#2

Maybe cause you parked on their nest dude?

#3

…or similarly, you parked their nest (dude).

#4

Antifreeze. Insects, dogs, etc., interpret the smell and taste of the ethylene glycol in antifreeze as sugar, and yellow jackets in particular love the stuff. It’s poisonous to dogs (and probably to yellow jackets, although insect physiology is different) and you should fix any coolant system leaks ASAP.

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#5

Bees are on what, now?

#6

Hunter: Thanks for the advice, I hadn’t figured that. I’ll check it out ASAP, although I haven’t seen any dead bees lately (I would’ve noticed them).

Handy: I doubt it, but maybe. I’m parking in a different spot each time (no assigned parking) and it’s only my car that seems to be attracting them.

– Montfort

#7

A pet peeve: Bees are NOT wasps!

I’m going to generalize here, so watch out for exceptions.

Bees are fuzzy and friendly (except those Africanized ones in the south), and are more interested in bothering flowers than in bothering you. Wasps are lean and mean.

Your car probably has wasps. Here in B.C. (probably elsewhere too) we get wasps hanging around some of the street trees (some kind of maples, I think), waiting to harass people passing by.

Bob the Random Expert
“If we don’t have the answer, we’ll make one up.”

#8

From Ahunter:
Antifreeze. Insects, dogs, etc.,
Also, what kind of wax do you use on it? A few years back I noticed bees and fruitflies were attracted to my bike tank. At first I figured it was because it is bright yellow, but it didn’t happen but around once a week. Eventually it dawned on me, they came right after I waxed it. The brand I was using was Mothers’s Pure Carnuba, I have since switched to another brand and I have no more little pets to shoo off my bike.