# Bee Nest



## pgr380 (Nov 11, 2008)

Found a bumblebee nest in the ground near my driveway the other day. Emptied a can of wasp/hornet spray on them as they were swarming around the nest. Today I find they're still there, seemingly unfazed. I've read where dusting them with insecticide might work, but I would have to buy a duster. Anybody know a more practical way?


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

They are not hurting anything, leave um alone:whistling2:


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## concretemasonry (Oct 10, 2006)

You are lucky you were not here a few days ago. Two semis pancaked a couple of cars (several deaths). One semi was tipped and the cargo of 17,000,000 (seventeen million) bees went wild. Freeway closed for hours and fire hoses were used to protect the police and firefighters. They could not get a semi load of repellant through the traffic jam and cars were sliding on the grease, water and bees on the road.

Dick


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

The problem with bee nests in the ground is kids will usually find them...by accident
I've used the wasp & hornet spray over a few days
Eventually they either all die or leave


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## downunder (Jun 13, 2008)

> One semi was tipped and the cargo of 17,000,000 (seventeen million) bees went wild.


Wasn't there a movie about that? :thumbup:


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## Scuba_Dave (Jan 16, 2009)

I've also used some gasoline & a match many years ago - yellow jackets
Made a nice fireball...never saw them again


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

*The bumble bee is an important, beneficial insect. They pollinate plants and flowers as they forage for food. To gardeners, it is a welcome sight to see these large, flying insects carrying large loads of pollen, flying into and around their flower beds and gardens. While busy searching for food (and at the same time, pollinating plants) bumble bees are rarely a problem when in close proximity to humans. They will actually (in most cases) go out of their way to avoid human contact. :whistling2:*


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## pgr380 (Nov 11, 2008)

I don't disagree, but with two curious toddlers around (have you ever tried to tell a 2 and 4 yr old to stay away from something?), I can't take the risk of having them concentrated in a location right beside the driveway and just a few feet from the front door. They don't seem to be aggressive, but standing next to 20-30 agitated bees does not give me a warm, fuzzy feeling. I'll continue to try to convince them to go elsewhere.
Thanks!


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## drtbk4ever (Dec 29, 2008)

The next global crisis is going to be the declining bumble bee population. No pollination, no food.

But one must do whatever is needed to protect the kids.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

I would agree that the childrens safty is important but how did we learn to avoid bees? :wink:


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I am with Chrisn 100%. We have to learn to tolerate the big bumblers.

However--if the lives of your children are at stake I will tell you how to kill them---
Sevin dust---just pour a cup of it on top of the nest--the powder will be carried into the nest and cause complete destruction.

I assume that you have done every thing you can think of to protect your young ones and killing these gentle creachers is the last resort.---Mike---


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## stuart45 (Jun 20, 2009)

This site tells you how to move one.
http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/contact_us.htm


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## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

Scuba_Dave said:


> I've also used some gasoline & a match many years ago - yellow jackets
> Made a nice fireball...never saw them again


 
Works for ants also. Or at least those ants that were foolish enough to build a nest close to the burning barrell. But you had to keep stiring the nest with stick so the gas that soaked into the nest would keep burning.


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## Yoyizit (Jul 11, 2008)

It's a bit early for them but it sounds like yellow jackets. They're very aggressive. 

At night or when it's cold, spray insecticide *into* the hole in the ground and then run. You're safe 10' away unless they followed you or landed on your clothes. I think they have poor vision.

The hole in the ground leads to a tunnel a foot long or so, to an underground chamber as large as a volleyball, containing a paper-like nest. The poison has to contaminate the nest material.

Soaking the nest with water or bashing it with a 2x4 does nothing. If they swarm you have to wait a half hour or so for them to cool off.


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## downunder (Jun 13, 2008)

> However--if the lives of your children are at stake I will tell you how to kill them---
> Sevin dust---just pour a cup of it on top of the nest--the powder will be carried into the nest and cause complete destruction.


Having done some research and based on experience, spraying into the hole good WILL NOT eradicate a bee nest. Some sprays will give a quick knock-down of most of the bees if you need immediate results, but many more will stay deep down inside the nest and not be killed. The thinking on a powder is that it will be tracked back into the nest and therefore distributed more effectively, much as with ants, roaches, etc. I have not had the opportunity to verify how much better dust works, but I know for sure from repeated applications and actually digging up some YJ nests that spraying, even multiple times, does not kill all of them.

Same thing with honeybees. I had to deal with a problem in a park within a few feet of a playground after several children were stung. Honeybees are quite docile, but as already pointed out, try telling toddlers to stay away. After several sprayings where I was trying to discourage them and make them move, I eventually destroyed the hive, which was in a pine tree (never seen that before) by setting a bug bomb in there and covering the hole with dirt. It worked, but I really hated having to destroy a natural honeybee hive.

I know that this thread is about bumblebees, but I am presuming we are in the same genre.


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## Bushman (Mar 28, 2010)

My favorite way to eradicate ground bees (yellow jackets) is to place a bug zapper over the hole. They will get really mad and fly right into it and zap. they won't stop attacking it until every last one is dead. The sound is incredible as well as hundreds of bees get electrocuted.


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