I've noticed ants and wasps visting the nectar glands at the base of the leaf stems before.
I don't think they're hurting your plumie. They're just collecting nectar. :)

-Robert

Here is a link that might be useful: Nectar glands on plumerias

Thank you Robert. The link was very informative. Now we can be at ease.

Wasps will actually eat other insects, BUT if you notice they also make their nests of a paper like substance. Wasps will gnawscrape on old wood, also stuff on your branches of your plumies , and I could swear I saw one biting off one of my blossoms as I checked shortly after and the flower was on the ground.
Bees will not pollinate your plumies, not designed for it so really there is no benefit there. On the other hand Carpenter Bees will cut holes in your leaves, petals, cut whole blossoms down. Typically Ive seen carpenter bees chewing out circles on rose leaves, but was told that they are not specific, a leaf is a leaf.

I know this is bad, but when I am my patch for any amount of time, as there are tons of bees and Wasps I walk around with a fly swatter and a can of Cutter flying insect spray as it shoots far as it is a fog.

I will have to take a closer look at our tree when I get home to see if there is any "nesting" going on. Thank you for the input freaks4plumeria.

I used to see the yellow/black paper wasps crawling around in the inflos. I found out they eat thrips and spider mites, amongst other insects. I leave them alone and just stay out of their way.

DelWH,
I think I have a ton of Wasp nests under the eves, apt tenants on the 2nd floor have complained as they are the close to the nests so the Wasps fly by them. I think with Wasps it depends on the quantity, as my patch has a ton of them I swat and spray. I have a ton of Black Widows also that nest under the rim of the black nursery pots, thus another reason to keep my plumies away from my house..lol

Well good luck with your Wasp/Bee situation

I have seen bees scavenging along the branch tips and in that little 'scab' looking thing on the leaf stem. I just sat back and watched until it was done and then that little scab thing looked alot cleaner. II also thought they were going after some little tiny bugs...maybe thrips. Purely anectdotal but it seemed OK.

Its my guess that Plumerias do not have nectar. I could be wrong .

kms2,
Plumies do have a clear fluid/sap/nectar, you can see it when the class shimmer/glisten, or a drop of it at the tips. Its not like regular nectar but the bugs and ants sill like them. I do not think I have that many thrips as they usually pollinate your plumies, I rarely get seeds.

Thrips are just part of the garden here. Ladybugs and an afternoon spray with the garden hose seem to be the best defense. I get about 2 dozen seed pods each year. I am there to catch some and then give away and the rest just open or fall off.

It seems to me that the bee I was watching may have been collecting from one of these glands. Do you think the nectar gland is that little scab thing on the leaf stem? The link above describes it closer to the branch but maybe thats just my interpretation.

bees and wasps are bugs you want in your garden. The bees may not pollinate the plumeria but they pollinate about everything else. They are in danger. Wasps eat lots of bugs and do not harm plants.

We have webworms, I take a stick, break open the big webs and the wasps will fly in, grab the worms and make a meal of them. Nothing else gets rid of the darn things.

At least you are just spraying a pyrethroid around. You`re killing all your good bugs along with the ones you don`t want. It would be better to find and knock down the nests, driving the wasps away. If you have allergies that stuff will aggrevate them.
Tally HO!

Here's a pic of a nectar gland at the base of a leaf stem (look for the blue circle).

-Robert

Robert, that's what I was describing. Thanks for the visual aid.

This is new info for me. thanks everyone.

Lol I think it's the nectar glands that freak me out and that I have been spying suspiciously because they look like mealy bugs at the base of every leaf. I'm obviously a newbie.

-Heather

K,

You're welcome!

Heather,

Ha! They do look freaky. ;)

-Robert