The last thing Dave Kelleher wanted to do was tangle with bees.

But after John Schisel got finished sawing through a section of siding and removed it, bees emerged from the exposed insulation, sending both general contractors scurrying for a can of insect repellent.

“It’s kind of a bummer,” said Kelleher, owner of Coupeville-based Kelleher Construction. “These bees are real docile. They’re nice bees, and we’re kind of short on bees.”

The trouble is, Kelleher and Schisel had work to do. Lots of it. And time was short.

The two builders were among about 100 volunteers who participated in the Central Whidbey Hearts & Hammers work day event Saturday.

Work crews rose for an early morning breakfast at the Living Hope Foursquare Church in Coupeville then dispersed to 17 work sites scattered across the central portion of Whidbey Island.

Central Whidbey Hearts & Hammers, formed in 2009 as an off-shoot to its sister organization on South Whidbey, is a nonprofit group that organizes an annual work day each May to help homeowners in need with small projects around their residences.

The organization helps those who have trouble doing the work themselves or can’t afford it.

“It’s helping my neighbors,” said Kelly Keilwitz, one of the original members of the Central Whidbey group and owner of Whidbey Sun & Wind. “I strongly believe in charity and goodwill starting on a small scale and working out — first with ourselves and then with our family and then with our community. And this is helping our community become closer together.

“Not only are we helping people who are disadvantaged, we’re getting to know our neighbors. And we’re getting to know our neighbors we’re working with and working for.”

Keilwitz led one of four crews that took on projects at Terry Mobile Park in Coupeville.

Another was led by Schisel, one of several building professionals who worked alongside competitors in the construction business such as Kelleher for a common cause.

Their job was to replace windows on a mobile home — and removing a bees’ nest.

“It’s a karma thing,” said Kelleher, who’s worked with Central Whidbey Hearts & Hammers since it started. “You just treat people the way you want to be treated.”

The projects Saturday ranged from a roof removal, deck teardown and replacement, greenhouse repair, moss removal, stair repairs, yard cleanup and building a ramp for wheelchair accessibility.