DEAR JOAN: I live behind Newhall Park. One recent morning a single coyote made, as best I can describe, a very loud, screeching, howling sound. The howling was such that it scared my cat under the bed.
About a week later, I heard multiple coyotes emitting the same sound. If possible, from my description, please explain what you think what they were doing.
Martin RIstad, Concord
DEAR MARTIN: The howling was most likely just coyotes talking to each other.
Coyotes communicate in a lot of different ways, including through their urine, which makes the howling seem like an improvement. Coyotes make a number of barks, yips, howls and huffs and they all mean different things.
Although some people think coyotes howl or bark after making a kill, lone coyotes tend to keep quiet about things like that. Making noise in celebration of a successful hunt will attract a lot of unwanted attention from other predators that will then invited themselves to the feast. Coyotes that live in packs might howl over prey to alert the others to a kill.
Barks and howls can also be heard when a coyote is telling others that this territory has been claimed, and all others need to back off.
Despite all those Westerns we watched as kids that showed a coyote howling at a full moon, there’s nothing about that glowing orb in the sky that triggers a howl. Coyotes frequently carry on nighttime discussions with other coyotes, perhaps communicating the news of the day, or just reaching out to assure themselves they’re not alone.
The howling is nothing to be concerned about, unless you happen to be a cat without the safety of a bed to hide beneath. Like with all wild creatures, you should be aware of their presence and avoid interactions.
DEAR JOAN: A couple of days ago a swarm of bees attached themselves to the bottom of my neighbors’ pine tree. Why did the bees do this and how long will they stay?
While the bees are not aggressive, my neighbors are concerned that their dogs might become curious and get too close. Is there any way to safely remove them?
Julia Lockwood, Cupertino
DEAR JULIA: What your neighbor is experiencing is a sudden swarm of bees looking for a new place to live. Beekeepers will happily collect most swarms, so when you see one, contact the association in your area and ask. Some charge a fee, others ask for a donation.
When hives get too large, many of the bees will leave along with a queen, and create a new hive. This is much more common in the early spring and summer, but sometimes, something happens within the hive to cause the bees to leave, such as the tree they were living in being destroyed.
Swarms in the fall stand less of a chance of survival than those started in the spring. It takes a while to establish the hive, and pollen is less available.
Swarming bees are docile and they usually don’t stay around for more than a day or two. Once the new site is found, they’ll fly off and get busy there.
Contact Joan Morris at jmorris@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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Source: www.mercurynews.com