BY LESLIE COX

Special to the Record

Gardeners sometimes encounter strange things in the garden. Case in point, for the first time ever, I have had a bumblebee hit me in the face on three separate occasions this spring. Bit of a shock really. I had been minding my own business, on my way from one part of the garden to another and whap! Bee in the face. Had me wondering why.

Was the bee going about its own business and we just happened to cross paths? Was it drunk on nectar and simply flying while under the influence? Or had I unwittingly passed too close to its hive? The answer remains elusive. I am just left with the fact that I racked up three collisions with this important pollinator. Thankfully, no serious injuries were incurred by either party in all incidences. Everyone walked, or flew, away.

Tidying up the debris caught up in my two Skimmia japonica shrubs after one of the recent brisk wind storms, I noticed my Epimediums (bishop hats) had half-moon designs along the edges of some leaves. Culprit鈥� the adult black vine weevil. I was prompted to check my notes from last year for a memory refresh.

Back in May, I had found some white pupae while digging in one of the beds. Being a naturally curious person, I put two of them in a small jar for further observation. Turned out, the pupae morphed into black vine weevils. A little research revealed black vine weevils can overwinter in their late instar stages, feed for a bit in spring as soil temperatures warm up and then pupate in May and early June. (FYI: white grubs with chestnut-brown heads are weevil larvae. Squish them when found.)

I did not realize there were any weevils hiding under my Epimediums. One reason: I had already cut the winter-tattered leaves off so we could see the emerging spring flowers. Second reason: the pupae I had found last year were on the other side of my garden. Conclusion: This may not be good news.

The next garden encounter was more positive in the aftermath of its discovery. My nemesis鈥� the azalea sawfly larvae reappeared for the seventh year in a row. Normally, I keep a sharp lookout for adult sawflies flitting around the top of my deciduous azaleas in mid- to late April, just as the new leaves are emerging.

But this year, the inclement spring weather delayed the new azalea leaves. I tried to keep a watch on any suspicious activity until the pond renovation project became all-consuming. So, it was a while before I spotted some leaves had been chewed right down to their mid-vein and a closer inspection revealed some young larvae chomping away.

Drat. I had been hopeful the regular applications of soapy dishwater around the base of the two azaleas through summer, fall and winter over the years were finally having an impact on this persistent pest.

Now for some good news! I was tidying a potted plant one day and surprised a brownish-black sliver of a creature. Got a few sightings of this fast-moving creature as I poked around in the pot, cleaning out debris.

Now the first clue to its identity was its speed. Predator insects tend to be fast-moving. Obviously, since speed helps them catch their prey. The second clue is the body shape, which looked earwig-like. However, the third clue, its 鈥減incers鈥� looked more like a pair of tails, not a pair of pinching hooks.

My deduction: it was a species of native North American rove beetle. This beneficial insect is welcome in my garden for its pest-hunting skills. Hmmm鈥� I wonder if its appetite includes sawfly larva?