I don't bother honey-bees or bumble-bees, but, if a bee/wasp nest is in a location that could be dangerous for others, I get rid of it.
I got near a yellow jacket nest last week, thank god I only got stung once. It was in an area that I needed to get rid of them before anyone else got stung. Very agressive tikes they are.

Sounds like a good plan.

These were definitely honey bees all full up with orange pollen.

I guess they wanted to be near where all the flowers are - my yard!! :)

Thanks Jim,
Carol

Ouuuuch, I don't like Jim's advice at all! I wouldn't get rid of the honeybee hive if they aren't bothering anyone. A hive that is already ignoring you will keep on ignoring you. You can actually create a frame to also fence off a hive as well or consult an apiarist on options for the hive.

Here is a link on this...

coexisting with a honeybee hive in one's garden

However, if they start increasing their buzz volume if you pass by on the steps then do some research and MAKE SURE YOU ARE CONTACTING A BEE APIARIST WHO CAN SAFELY AND HUMANELY RELOCATE THE HIVE FOR YOU!!!!

Do not contact a pest company or some other Terminator sort of company. Look for a Bee Apiarist who can help you relocate and keep the hive safe!!!

Also if you have a bumblebee hive, they will sting no one.

You can have a bumblebee hive anywhere. You'll be fine.

If you do have to contact an apiarist, it's fun to watch. Twice I've witnessed a queen relocation & it's remarkable. The only reason the bees needed relocated is because they had attached themselves to someone's car.

Funny thing---in both cases, the car was yellow.

We're pretty much able to pet our bumblebees. As long as we keep them happy with a pollen supply, they could care less about us. Haven't seen honeybees in ages. All we ever get are carpenter bees & bumblebees.

Guess I wrote and it came out wrong. lol. I don't bother honey-bees or bumble- bees (Period!) Other aggressive bees, such as wasps or yellow-jackets I will get rid of if they would be a possible danger to others.

Is that better? LOL

hehe, Jim you were in a rush to correct, lol, but wasps and yellow-jackets aren't bees. Most wasps are o.k. except for yellowjackets which aggressively love to kill and eat bee larvae so I too would be wearing a protective suit and taking a big fat baseball bat to any yellowjacket nest I find, hahahaha! or hiring a professional to submerge, drown the nest in water.

But now everyone realizes what you meant to say--that getting rid of yellowjacket hives is fine and that to leave our bees and honeybees alone and to protect them.

But hurray, I am glad you say "I don't bother honeybees or bumblebees" Period!

Hugs to you Jim! We love you tons anyway!

By the way, a side note, if one does have aggressive yellowjackets, any chemical that kills a yellowjacket will kill a honeybee so for me, if a yellowjacket ever dares! come to my garden, I'm getting that baseball bat, or flyswatter or sodapop can to drown those critters! Anything that endangers my honeybees gets the full brunt of my wrath, hahaha!

Our yellow-jacket nest was in our fence pipe. All I had to do was seal the ends off. Then, check the pipe/ nest a few days later to make sure they were dead.
I have another yellow-jacket nest on our back porch, but, there's only a few in it, so, I haven't bothered them.
Also a wasp nest on the back porch, but, they haven't bothered anyone either, so, for now, they can live another day. lol

Funny, but I took Jim's message as please leave them be if they're not harming anyone. So that's what I'm doing. :)

Serena - good idea - if they do start to be a hazard, I'll call an apiarist.

I'm concerned about bees. They certainly need all the help they can get. I just needed to know that my idea of letting them be, wasn't foolhardy.

Thanks everyone!

Carol

My nephew (who is a beekeeper here in CA) tells me that a "wild" hive these days will eventually become "Africanized." Professional beekeepers provide docile queens to prevent this.
This wouldn't be a problem if the hive were out in the fields for forest -- but under your steps???
That could be a real problem

I suggest that you might seek advice from a local beekeeper.
(Check the phone book.)

Jeri

That's interesting Jeri-Jen & scary.

I agree with Jeri. I have also seen several news reports where bees have started living in the walls of homes. I personally would not want one to start a hive under my steps! Now, we all love bees and I'm not saying to start spraying. But I would definitely call a beekeeper and get them to remove it.

Oh!!

I wouldn't want them to go into the walls of my house!!!!!

Now I don't know what to do!!!

Carol

Carol,
I think your bees will be fine---just don't panic. Nobody knows your house & garden better than you, and I think the above posts were just a couple of cautionary notes of things to watch for.

If your stair-bees are acting like normal bees & you don't normally have problems with pests getting inside your house, you'll probably be fine. Just be cautious of any changes in their behavior or any weird noises coming from the walls of your house! :)
---Laura

My wife just said, years ago this happened to her. Bees built a huge, huge, nest in her walls.
At that point, she had to hire someone to remove the nests, which required ripping walls out to get in there.
I'm thinking this is a somewhat rare event though.
But,if your worried, locate a bee person in your area and have them remove the nest under your steps.

I phoned an apiarist - just waiting for him to call me back. I wouldn't mind leaving them where they are - but if it could be an expensive mistake - I think I'd rather have them gone (responsibly though).

I'll keep you updated!

Carol :)

Keep us posted Carol, i'm interested to see what the apiarist says. Thanks!

Lol, Carol, sorry, I lost track of this post since I usually go to Peter Beales instead....But I have a very strong hunch that you will do great with your bees. The reason why is that people forgot your location which is Canada and in a verrrry cold zone. Africanized bees will die!!!! in your weather!!!!

People you are unnecessarily scaring Carol, lol!

My guess is also in Carol's cold zone, the honeybees are going to also be more docile because they need to be verrry efficient workers and need to store up on their energy and food foraging because their flowering season is so brief and transient. Carol's bees will be so desperate to cram in as much food gathering as possible that they're not gonna have any spare energy to attack but will be investing all their energy into food production.

A side relevant note-Sue, Jim's wife had bees in her very walls and was never bothered or majorly attacked by them, shows that bees know who is a bad intruder and who they can live amongst without fear or without having to attack. Carol I would love to have that beehive on my stairs, lol! Eluane is extremely! timid and shy, so I'm sure she'd stay clear from that hive as well, lol! Too bad we weren't neighbors! I'd love to have that hive and can imagine the perrrrfect place for them, underneath my spacious patio!!!!! On the other hand, sigh! Maybe it's a good thing we aren't neighbors; those poor honeybees would have been destroyed by my other neighbors.

There is a very sad story about my honeybees. I wrote on 2 threads at Peter Beales and showed them my photo!

Post one:
I love the bee photo! so much nostalgia! It's devastating that each time I get bees in my garden 3 days later they all vanish. I'm getting so discouraged. I really treasure bee photos such as yours and have to repost that to Britta as well. I never ever! take a bee photo for granted!

Post two:
"Here is a bittersweet photo of my frail, lovely honeybee! She doesn't have the healthy glow of Britta's, Rony's and Northwall's beautiful, fat and very healthy bees with the shiny glossy fur and luminescent wings, but it's wonderful just to celebrate that she had enough strength to make it to my garden...She is still a delicate beauty...frail, but trying her best! The honeybee loves my oregano flowers....she may be a bit tired. When I approached her she stayed and didn't fly off like the others always do and seemed to float rather than being able to zip around with energy."

{{gwi:307973}}

Yes, Jim1961 agrees with me too. He too feels that my honeybee looks really tired and beat up.

We have a very special entomologist in our area who has extensively published research on CCD. Her name is May Berenbaum, and she's a department head at the University of Illinois.

The last article came out in late 2009 & states that they have identified a genetic marker that could be responsible for colony collapse disorder.

It's certainly interesting reading:
http://news.illinois.edu/news/09/0824colonycollapse.html

Here's their general "Bee Spotter" page, with links to all sorts of information:
http://beespotter.mste.uiuc.edu/topics/index.php

Enjoy!

For me I think it would depend. If this is an entrance that you use quite a bit . You and others may have the potential to be stunk, could be deathly for some people. That said I generally have learned that most creatures will leave you alone if you leave them alone. You could say something to guests like we have some bee neighbors if you donÂt bother them then they wouldnÂt bother you.

I live peacefully with honeybees and bumbles but I draw the line at having them living INSIDE my house's walls.

I watched a show on A&E the other night where they removed a massive honeybee hive from underneath the vinyl siding of home and relocated it to a honeybee farm. Make no mistake; honeybees will attack if they feel threatened.

Still haven't heard back from the bee keeper. The bees seem very harmless - busy as a bee!

If they won't make a hive in my walls; I'm for letting them stay.

Serena - The house next to me is for sale!! Come and be my neighbor!! :)

Well, I'm still waiting to hear from the bee keeper.

I'll keep you posted.

I tried to tell some yellow-jackets today, I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone.
I got stung twice. LOL

Yes, I know honey-bees are more mellow than jackets.
Just needed to tell this story. lol

whoo-hoo! Carol, I'd love to be your neighbor :D :D :D! and so would my poor honeybee! she is in pretty bad shape! A landscape architect I know (during our series of firmwide layoffs) tried to relocate to Canada-Vancouver. She is now back in Hungary. I've got 2 cousins in Canada too! Cousin Daniel is a weather forecaster in Newfoundland, my Cousin Lemuel is a computer programmer in Ontario. Cousin Lemuel, I nicknamed Cousin Lemonade (he calls me Serenade)is such a sweetheart too! Just like you! Both Daniel and Lemuel are very wonderful cousins. The other 2 I'm close to are in California, but I think Canada is much more "my scene", hahaha! So in a way we are just a moment away in thought and heart, Carol, lol, lol!

Jim1961, thanks for being such a pal! Carol, Jim helps me keep track of my rosey friends whenever you and Boxo and Harold post so I can zip back and find you all.

Carol and Laura (Flaurabunda),you will laugh because I am a snarfing down on Haagen-Daaz ice cream bars--one per day. There is a coupon sale at Costco. I'm skinny but I've got high cholesterol 200, whoops! which is dang high for my age, lol! But Haagen Daaz supports and helps fund bee research so I am a big fan of theirs.

Haagen-Dazs and bee research

Yummm, speaking of which, it's time for my late afternoon ice cream bar snack, hahaha!

Jim - I've been stung by bees (one flew up my pant legs when I was a skinny teenager (remember flare pants))and stung me on my bottom!! But I've never been stung by yellow jackets (is that another word for wasps?)

Serena - you're a Canadian by relation!!! Welcome. I have lots of uncles and aunts that moved their families to the states.

I have to watch my weight (sigh) and you have to watch your cholesterol!!

Don't you just LOOOOVE Hagen Daaz!!!! They make the absolute best revels, etc. So bees are just another reason to buy their ice cream - right on!!!

Carol LOL

Yeah, hehe, Carol! yes, even skinny people can have very high cholesterol. My mom has low cholesterol but her high blood pressure shoots to the skies even though she's small-boned like me. Our family is wacked out in this way, lol! Hey, skinny people do have to be "punished" too, otherwise life wouldn't be fair would it, for everyone else who has to suffer and diet, lol!

And yes, Haagen Dazs is the best, my favorite ice cream! yumm, yummm, yummmmmmmmmm!

Carol, strange thing is that those who've never been stung it seems always have this lucky streak when it comes to stinging insects. My mom is the opposite. She is terrified of yellowjackets but loves the bees and never gets stung by them. It almost seems as if yellowjackets zone in on her in particular, and will ignore me. She's been stung 10x on her toes in one sitting, 3 times total on her hand on separate circumstances. When I was 15, I had a yellowjacket crawl all over my fingers and hand for a good 3 minutes, and it was the most agonizing 3 minute-wait for me. I know they must really hurt, because of what my Mom describes and that thing was dragging its stinger all along while it explored my hand before finally flying off, lol! I'm glad it didn't jab me 10x like it did with my mom!

Yeah, Carol, bees can only sting one time, whereas yellowjackets can go psycho on you, lol! I'm not afraid of them, but I still hate them because yellowjackets love to invade hives and devour bee larvae. I'm that unafraid that I'll chase one down with a fly-swatter if I have to. The sight of a yellowjacket would make me pyscho if it ever dares visit my garden.

Not all wasps are yellowjackets by the way. Yellowjackets have that distinct yellow-and-black, bold coloration and hard shell-like segmentation.

Speaking as an entomologist with an interest in honey bees, there is an ENORMOUS misunderstanding in the minds of most North Americans about what constitutes "a bee". Unless it's a honey bee, the chances are it's a wasp of some sort.

Presuming the beekeeper you contacted calls you back, since he or she will be intimately familiar with the difference between a bee and a wasp (and most specifically the difference between a bee and a hornet such as a yellow jacket), I strongly suggest you all wait for the beekeeper to show up.

I've always planted clover with my lawn, and it has always attracted lots of honey bee's...which I like. But I don't know where their hive is. So I called a friend of mine, who is also a bee-keeper and he has agreed to put up a hive box in the back of the property, and promised to maintain it. I get the pollinating for all my flowers and he gets clover-honey. Wish I could attract bumblebee's. Anyone know how? I've only seen one this year and she was almost the size of a hummingbird!!

Carol,

Hopefully, that bee-keeper calls you this coming week. If not, let them another message.

Serena - Yellow jackets seem to have it in for your poor mom!!! And I didn't know that they went after bee larvae!

York Rose - They're bees all right. They only have a foot to go to get to salvias and perennial sage. I have lots of time to study them while they're loading up. LOL

Runswithscissors - That sounds like a great deal - especially for the bees!! You'll probably get some honey from you friend too!

Jim - yeah - I'm going to call back on Monday or Tuesday. There's also another beekeeper in Calgary I can call.

I really don't know how the beekeeper can get the hive though - since it's under the concrete steps. There's only about a 8 inch gap.

Thanks all!
Carol

Carol,

Hopefully the bee-keeper has really skinny arms. lol

Yeah - I don't know how it's going to work! :)

Carol

I am one of those people who have never been stung..not by wasp or bee!

I spotted some of those paper wasp nests in the awnings of my house. I have showed hubby..right now we are trying to let them bee..Be bee..hahah.

Zyperiris what's so hilarious is that many of use who've never been stung never do, the rest of our lives, hahaha! We are happy bee-ings who love our bees! Oooooooo, Carol, now I want to go boarding that airplane right away, hahaha! Lucky you! I'd be taking zillions of photos, and making my brother get me a microlens for my bee photos if I were your neighbor. Carol, did you know that the honey from your bees will take on the flavors of your flowers? I can just imagine what a pot o'gold that lavender honey would be like. My honeybees love the lavender and oregano the best! more than the bee balm in fact! I was pretty shocked at how expensive pure lavender jelly and dried lavender flowers are. And I suspect that lavender flavored honey would sell like hot cakes.

Okay you two!! I've been trying like mad not to make any "be" "bee" jokes. LOL

Oooh - I don't know if I'd let wasps bee (there I did it!) Maybe you should start a new thread on that one so that you'll get more attention since it would be a new post.

Serena - the times I have been stung were my own fault. Once I picked up a bee thinking it was a dead flower. Naturally it stung me! Now you have me wanting to go on a honey tasting excursion!!! Lead me to the farmer's market!!! LOL

Carol

Well, I heard from the bee keeper. He didn't come over. His conclusion was that they are bumblebees.

He asked me how many I see at one time, and I said about 4 or 5. He said if they were honeybees I would see hundreds at a time. He said they would be either wasps or bumblebees. So I said they must be bumblebees because they have orange pollen on their undersides. So he said let them run their course, unless I'm scared of being stung. To which I said, "no." So he said in the fall - board it up somehow, since all the bees die except the queen. I'm going to ask York Rose about this in another thread.

So I'll let them beeeeeee!!

Carol :)

Carol, I had to chuckle about how enthused we are compared to the beekeeper lol! I'd bee like ooooo-oooo, I gotta seeeeeee!

O.k. Carol, I do disagree a tiny bit with your apiarist. He was saying "board it up in the fall". I say no need to do this. From all the research I've read, bumblebees never reuse an old nest and rebuild one from scratch every year. An old nest tends to just fall away and disintegrate.

Carol there are several clues on how to tell a bumblebee from a honeybee. A bumble bee has far less "abdomen" (honeybee's abdomen is much more elongated). A bumblebee tends to be very bulky and tumbles and bumbles around in its flight pattern, whereas a honey bee zeroes in cleaner flight patterns. Bumblebees have far less stripes as well. They also have a heavier thorax (the mid-section).

It's very easy to tell a honeybee apart from a bumblebee, but some solitary bees can look a little bit closer to a bumblebee. If that bee looks fuzzy, it isn't a wasp for sure! Wasps have very hard shells and "loud" patterns on their stripes (too much contrast)or very odd protrusive body divisions. They look pretty yucky, lol! and a wasp isn't going to have pollen smeared saddlebags either, that's for sure, lol! Wasp legs tend to be very angular and yucky! I have full confidence in you! I'm sure you did not! mistake a wasp for a bee!

Carol,
If you scroll back to my earlier post, there's a chart on the 2nd link ("beespotter") that tells yoy not only how to tell the difference between honey & bumble bees, but it shows the striping patterns on the head, thorax, and abdomen so accurately that you can nail down the species as well. It's super cool.

Well Carol, glad you got that straightened out about the bumble-bees. lol
I tried to post this in your other thread, but, it would not let me.

We have construction workers here get ready to put on new house siding.
They have found quite a few wasp nests under the old siding. lol. But, no bees or wasps in the walls. lol
Right now this place looks like a shack. lol
{{gwi:307975}}

Flaurabunda - I tried that LOL - but I just couldn't tell. I also don't like going to website unless it's clickable, because otherwise I have to type that whole link out - so I don't usually bother. :) But after you posted again, I tried it - but I guess it wasn't clear enough for me! LOL LOL But thank you!!

Jim - What color siding are you getting? I see the rose in the corner - which one is it? You don't want your siding to clash with your roses do you? :) Really like the duck too! A few wasp nests - boy that doesn't sound good! Good thing you got the new siding - that should put an end to that!

Carol :)

Dover gray siding Carol. The shrub in the backyard are dogwoods with morning glories growing up through them. lol

Oh Jim - that's funny!! Not the gray - but what I saw as a rose!!! LOL The orange tic on the picture looked like an orange rose bloom!!!! It's just from your camera or something!!! Ha ha!!

I like your choice - don't really know what "Dover" gray is, but it sounds like a soft, light gray. (I never know if one should spell it 'gray' or 'grey.')

Good luck with your siding!

Carol

Well Carol, we can spell gray/grey either way. lol
Check out this link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: grey or gray

Okay - being Canadian - we usually spell words the English way - that's why I usually spell it grey. But then, I always see it the other way too.

Man this thread has gone off topic!! LOL

Carol