I've got bees. Any suggestions? (1 Viewer)

[Scott Leopold]

A couple months ago, I started work on cutting down the trees in the backyard. They're actually big, overgrown bushes, so it's necessary to get the branches out of the way so I can cut them down at the stump. Due to a lot of different factors, this wasn't something I could get done in one day, or even one week. I was stacking the cut branches under the carport, next to the trashcan. Things got more hectic around here, so the project was left dormant for a few weeks. I asked my son to go out and bundle some of the branches a couple weeks ago while I was working. He started, but soon found out that the branches are now home to a bees nest. They're not actually bees, but I'm not sure what they are. They're larger than sweatbees, and smaller than hornets, and look sort of like a cross between the two. They seem to be rather even-tempered, and only come out if we're really messing with the nest. The only time they seemed more aggressive was when I was taking the trash out Wednesday night. As I was walking back inside, one crawled up inside my shorts and stung me on my upper, outer thigh, which made sitting at my desk all day the next day a real pain.

On Saturday, my wife and I went out to get rid of them. I sprayed the pile with the wasp/hornet killer, and let it sit for a bit. She then lifted half the pile with a broomstick while I sprayed some more. This didn't seem to get any reaction from the bees, so I had her lift the pile from the bottom. As soon as she did, I could see the nest structures. As I started spraying, I also saw a swarm of 200-300 bees coming out of the nest. We quickly ran inside. My wife got stung on the ankle, but we were otherwise okay. My plan right now is to go out Wednesday or Thursday morning when it's supposed to be a bit cooler, and flip the pile over on its back, exposing the nest. I can then spray it directly. Prior to this, I will try spraying directly into the main entrance the night before. Any other suggestions on how to handle them?

 

[Philip_G]

gasoline and a match?
you could try one of those bee traps, you dump some fluid in there and it's like a tube with a cone inside, they fly in and can't get out. I've used those and they work, but it sounds like you need a little more proactive approach.

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Are they yellowjackets like this:

You can make your own bee trap if you want, you just take some soda (colas seem to work best) and pour it into a jar. Add a couple drops of dish soap (not too much just a little bit), mix it up, and set it outside. The bees are attracted to the sugar in the cola and the soap breaks the surface tension on the liquid so they fall in and drown.
You can catch a lot of bees this way, but I think you really need to get rid of the nests to do any serious removal. It may be easier to hold off until winter and take the nests out then, if you can wait that long.
This is the time of year they start to search agressively for food. I think they do most of their food hunting in the early evening hours when it's cooler. (probably what they were doing when you got stung)

 

[Scott Leopold]

I actually considered the gasoline/match solution, but was afraid it might catch something else. An uncle of mine used that about 25 years ago after 300+ stings and a month in the hospital. I've also considered fireworks to blow a couple holes in it so I could spray deeper into the nest.

I was going to pick up a trap at Lowe's yesterday, but the guy there told me it wouldn't do enough good. I may buy a couple anyways to help reduce the problem between now and when it gets a little colder.

They look similar to the yellowjackets, but they're a bit smaller, and darker. Their stings are very mild compared to other bees/hornets/etc. My son was stung twice on the back, and he had a little swelling and redness around the stings that lasted for about two days. My wife's sting on her ankle developed a little blister that went away after about 10 minutes. It then swelled very slightly, but this went away after about an hour. The sting to my leg didn't swell or turn red, but the pain lasted all through the night and all day. However, I sleep on my right side (where I was stung), and it was right where my leg brushes against my chair, so it was constantly agitated. The pain from the actual stings was much less than a normal sting as well. Still, it wasn't what I'd call a pleasant experience, and I'd rather get rid of them than go through it again.

Does anyone know how effective water is? I've considered just ramming the hose in there and turning it on full blast for a while.

 

[Philip_G]

man if they're stinging your family I'd try some traps, if nothing else to keep them away from the house and yard.
the traps we used we got from a farm supply place, and they worked VERY well, they were filled with dead bees in no time. I'm sure they're probably the same as the ones at lowe's/HD but I've never looked all that close.
maybe you could call the army navy surplus places in town and buy a flame thrower?

 

[MatS]

study a little harder next time and turn em into 'A's'...oh wait....damn should have read the whole post

 

[Thik Nongyow]

Contact a professional to remove the pests.

 

[Jeff Pryor]

Congratulations, Scott! I posted a VERY similar thread last week about yellow-jackets but of course your thread certainly drew more responses than mine.

 

[Ken Wagner]

A homemade flame thrower, hairspray and a lighter. Seriously, poking at the nest seems like a bad idea. Bees usually don't like that much. Maybe you could use the gas and a very long match but have a garden hose around just in case. If there are no trees or brush close, I don't see what problem there would be with a small fire.