Bee Advice Wanted / Smart Bees, Dumb Me

[Anonymous Poster]

I've always thought that hitting a nest was best after dark while all the kids were at home rather then have an angry bunch swarming around. I usually let them be unless they are too close for comfort. This one was in the ground 4 inches from shop. Sprayed them pretty good then covered the hole with dirt. OOPS!!!

They had tunneled down the air space next to the power conduit and were smart enough to go down far enough until the conduit ended and the bare power wires came out, probably 3 feet underground. Then went UP. I can hear them in the wall behind the power box and they seem a bit PO'd, in fact they sound mad as well, hornets.

First instinct is that they will find a way out through the attic and I'll have to bug bomb the attic, have thought about drilling through the sheetrock and spraying, but I have this vision of me putting down the drill, reaching for the can and finding a bunch of them staring me in the face like in the cartoons. Any ideas guys?

Had a guy with a big trackhoe do some stumping and burning for me this summer, we started talking about underground bees, he said on one job he ran over an old rotten log or stump and was all of sudden in deep do do, jumped off the excavator and ran for his life. Came back an hour later with some spray and the excavator was still running (nobody wanted to steal it I guess). He sprayed, sprayed and sprayed, finally all clear.

Went back to work and about 45 minutes later they all started waking up! They were extremely displeased with him.

del

 

[BigDan]

Del...

This post finally forced me out of lurk mode -- I've been reading this site for over a year now.

Bees, as in honey bees, do not live in the ground. What you probably encountered is yellow jacket wasps. They get real agressive with the shortening days -- I think they sense the coming winter and get anxious.

If you are allergic, then I encourage you to get professional help with removing the yellow jackets. Otherwise, there are many remedies, both commercial and "folk".

Dan

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hi Neighbor Dan... {from E.Greenbush to Grafton State Park} /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Where do they nest? The past week, I've wacked some brush, and they wacked me.../w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

I'd take some pictures to show you the "kind" of bee's that weren't very "kind", but I was too busy removing them from my face, inside my shirt, inside my left glove... etc. etc.

I know they weren't honeybees nor wasps, but minature bees that packed a wallop with an army flying... /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[BigDan]

Yellow Jackets are have brighter yellow markings than honey bees and typically are more slender -- but they are quite mean. As honey bees have a barb on their stinger, they sting you once and then they die. Yellow Jackets, like all wasps, have smooth stingers and can sting you again and again. They nest in the ground, usually in a protected site -- such as under a bush, or near a rock outcroping. Unless you notice them coming and going, they seem to appear from nowhere.

From http://www.seabrightlabs.com/wasp.htm

YELLOW JACKETS
SUMMERTIME INVADERS
Yellow jackets typically build their nests underground and can produce over 1000 workers in one season.

Some species of yellow jackets are predators of flying insects.

Some species of yellow jackets forage strongly for meat and sugars from garbage and picnic tables to feed developing larvae.

The tendency to scavenge at human food puts yellow jackets in frequent conflict with people in picnic areas, parks, backyard patios, etc.

Many experts consider yellow jackets the most dangerous of social Hymenoptera

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Dan,

They stung me enough, I should remember what color they were, but I think they were <font color=red>red</font color=red> and minature in size as in your picture.

Mostly swarming around the old apple trees... if I see them I go away... but like you said they popped up out of nowhere and man they hurt... /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif

 

[Knight9]

<font color=blue>They nest in the ground, usually in a protected site -- such as under a bush, or near a rock outcroping</font color=blue>

We get them above ground here too. They build a nest in trees, under eaves, etc made of a gray paper-like substance. Kind of nice when they do that because it is very flammable! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Kevin

 

[Bird]

I have to spray under the eaves of the house 2 or 3 times a year to keep the yellow jackets AND red wasps from building those nests there. And occasionally they build the same kind of nests on the vines down in the blackberries, on the bottom side of my garden hose racks, and a number of other places.

Bird

 

[TonyC]

A couple of comments...As to your current predicament, you can hook up a minature tube (like a WD-40 straw) that fits your favorite Sure Shot killer. Punch a TINY hole in the wall and let them have it. I have done this before but I can't tell if this is feasible for your situation.

Second, in the future use gasoline on underground nests. NO, DON'T LIGHT IT! A small amount of gas..say 1/4 cup, will suffocate them instantly. They breathe through their bodies and when those fumes hit, the next breath is their last. They won't be running for cover. Do this at night as well!

 

[MDNick]

Did something very similar with a Steiner 6' front mower on the golf course. Was mowing along and wound up right over top of a yellow jacket nest. They were very unhappy. Got me 3 times while I was running like mad. Like you said, from the cartoons, I had visions of this arrow shaped swarm running me down. From 200 yards away I was looking back at the Steiner at full throttle with deck still running. Now what??? Eventually that 16 horse Kubota was going to run out of fuel. Though it was mid July in Ohio, I came back with carharts, gum boots, welding gloves, and a sweat shirt wrapped around my head, looked like Nanook of the North. 50 or more tried to get through the carharts, fortunately their stingers weren't long enough. Apparently they do not like 6' mowers parked over the house.

Nick

Farmer kid usetabe, Farmer Wannabe

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Funny something so small can make us all run like mice.

Yes, these are yellow jackets, we get them in holes and also on eaves and tree branches. Currently have a cantalope-small watermelon size blob hanging from a tree branch, off in woods so I let them alone.

Honey bees and Bumblebees I would do anything to let alone. I hear that honeybee's are almost becoming endangered. And has anybody ever even seen a bumblebee nest? It must be monstrous. I still can't ge over how they even fly, reminds me of planes I used to see at air shows I think they were called "Guppies?" same feeling, how the heck does it fly?

Bumblebees always seem to be losing altitude.

I have noticed a tremendous number of yellow jackets in the gravel driveway, etc, looking for flowers? It's almost October, spring was mild so it's not like they had a late start. I thought they were gone by this time.

My wall is quiet, there must not have been as many as I thought.

I've also run over them while blading with the tractor, they seem to be more concerned about the tractor, trying to sting the blade etc.

del