skip to main content

Bees & Beekeeping

Removing a Bees Nest

18 years ago

Hi:

I have an in-ground bees nest in my bedding off my patio. My wife was recently stung when she was watering the bedding and hit the entrance hole. These are bees and not yellow jacket or hornets. The bee left a stinger in her I can watch them coming and going in large numbers as they fly in and out of the nest. These are bees. The nest is too close for comfort. Any suggestions on how to remove it or eliminate it?

Featured Answer

Orangeking

14 years ago

I have move bee in the ground with great success. I set a hive with the bottom board remove on top the hole and in a week the bees have move in. I do not charge anything I ask for a donation and some give good. I do not like bees being kill we need them.

Comments (6)

smokey27
18 years ago
yes, get a bag of sevin at home depot or lowes it's a powder, scoop out some and sprinkle or throw it directly on the hole, at night. Each bee that goes in or out will get covered with the white dust (poison) they will spread it in the whole hive and all die.
dreamweaver_
18 years ago
I would not recommend killing them. I had bees about a year ago, called the local feed store & got the name of a beekeeper. I called the beekeeper & he set up a time to come & get the bees - not only was it free he gave me a pint of fresh honey too.
Related Discussions
Bees Nest
Q
Comments (22)
drippy: What is the size of the nest, now, by the way? When you say it's smooth and looks like it was thrown on a potter's wheel--that's usually the way the BEGINNING of a Hornets' nest looks (its interior). It starts out small and smooth, and later, in its finished stage, it's much larger and rougher looking, like corrugated cardborad, or paper mache (its exterior). If it's small, I wouldn't allow it to get large and full of hornets--I'd deal with it now. If you wait 'til cold weather, as you mentioned, the sucker may be big as a breadbox and have many hundreds of Hornets in it. If it's small (smaller than a softball), I'd take a propane torch (as high as the flame will go) to it. If you don't want to get THAT close, wire a gasoline soaked rag to the end of a pole (you determine the length you're comfortable with), light it and hold it under the nest from a distance. Hornets can't do much flying when you've singed their wings off (of course, if there's the slightest danger of starting a fire in your shed, forget these suggestions). When I was a child, I was constantly messing with Hornets' nests, in the summer, and got stung a bunch. As mentioned above, they're VERY defensive of their nests. We used to throw rocks at their nest, and I swear, Hornets have the uncanny knack of following the path that the rock was thrown right back to the THROWER--not just one, but many, and sting the hail out of you. And they always seem to aim for the highest part of your body--your head and face. Hornets used to build a huge nest in one particular Apple tree, year after year, which was on a sloping path to our barn. I'd get a stick, and pedal my bike as fast as I could down the slope, swat it with the stick (drop the stick), and pedal as fast as I could to get away. The Hornets would ALWAYS catch up to me and sting me about the back of the head and neck as I was fleeing. They'll follow you QUITE a ways, also--up to a quarter of a mile, many times. I'd come to the house, crying, from the stings, and my father used to say, "Boy, if you keep messing with those Hornets, they're gonna be the death of you".
...See More
Where to sell nest boxes for solitary bees?
Q
Comments (3)
I'd recommend you'd let a local garden club or two know what you've got. The bird boxes appear to be along the same design style needed to attract blue birds. And the points you've made in this posting with reference to the solitary bees should be of interest to most gardeners too. Good luck.
...See More
HELP! Honey bees nesting in house wall
Q
Comments (10)
Thanks Konrad. It's just impractical for me to remove all that wood siding even though it is the best thing to do. But - this morning I declared war and went back to the store and bought another tube of caulk. With a long aluminum clothesline support pole, I put a glob of caulk on the end of it, climbed so far up the ladder, and dobbed that caulk in the crack below the piece of siding 14' up. It actually worked, and after I got the hang of it I was able to smooth the bead out a bit with the end of the pole. Then I stood below and watched if a bee could still get in, if it did, I dobbed more caulk until I got a pretty good bead along there. I continued to caulk anywhere the bees were going in or out below, too. I'll find out how well it works this evening when most of the bees return. I read on the internet that if you don't see pollen on the legs of the bees going in that maybe they aren't settled yet or feeding young; and they could be stray bees that smelled the old comb and are out to rob honey and take it back to their own hive. So far, I haven't seen any pollen sacs on the legs, so maybe I've lucked out.
...See More
When to worry about a bee nest?
Q
Comments (7)
OP: Does it make sense to get rid of the nest but keep the flowers to draw in more? Yes - Unless you're a beekeeper, you probably shouldn't allow a hive to remain in or near your residence since you're in a part of the country known to have Africanized bees. The threat is not the few dozen visiting your garden at a particular moment, but you or a pet being too close to a hive when something sets thousands into a swarm, Here's what a north Texas woman attacked a couple weeks ago while exercising her miniature horses suggests: I want everyone to know if you see bees on your property it needs to be taken care of immediately. We did not disturb the hive. We were nowhere near it. She survived, but two miniature horses and several chickens were killed. Details may be found in the linked article. Here is a link that might be useful: Thousands of bees attack couple, horses in Pantego (TX)
...See More
dralberson
18 years ago
I have a pecan tree full of bees.the hole is about 6-7 feet off the ground and the hole is only about 3 inches wide,and about 12 inches long. my son and i both have been stung. any ideas to get rid of them?
tarheit
18 years ago
A beekeeper is not likely to have any interest in ground bees. If you must kill them seven does work (though technically is not legal as it's not labeled as such). Though they tend not to be aggressive so if you avoid them there shouldn't be a problem.

------------------

Assuming your bees in the tree are indeed honey bees (quite possible as that is their typical nesting place). You could kill them, yourself or by an exterminator, but be aware the mess left in the tree is bound to attract more bees if not properly taken care of.

Or you can call a beekeeper that does hive removals. It is typically not free because the time, gas, and equipment is worth far more than bees of unknown origin with possible diseases and an old queen. Plus in some areas it is even more hazardous because of possible AHB and some areas require a license. Removal from a tree is difficult and unless the tree is cut down the removal can take many weeks using the cone method.

To find someone who does swarm removal in your area click the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swarm & Hive Removal
fieldstonequeen
14 years ago
While in my garden I noticed small bees flying in and out of my daylilies planted just by a railroad tie. I moved the lily leaves to see where they were going and immediately got stung on my thumb. I don't know if they're ground bees or carpenter bees, but they're very aggressive. Since I can't see where the nest is without getting stung again how do I get rid of them?

Sign Up to Comment

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Small Carpenter Bees Are Looking for a Home in Your Plant Stems

By Pollination Press LLC

Provide flowers and nesting sites in your garden for this beautiful, tiny, metallic blue wild bee — your plants will thank you

GARDENING GUIDES Put Out the Welcome Mat for Leafcutter Bees in Your Garden

By Pollination Press LLC

Provide a diversity of flowering plants from spring through fall for these charismatic native bees, and you won’t be disappointed

GARDENING GUIDES Look for Metallic Green Sweat Bees Visiting Your Garden This Fall

By Pollination Press LLC

These beautiful sweat bees will dazzle and delight you with their bright emerald green color and midsummer and fall flower visiting

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Gardening for the Bees, and Why It’s a Good Thing

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

When you discover how hard bees work for our food supply, you may never garden without them in mind again

EARTH DAY How to Design a Garden for Native Bees

By Debbie Ballentine

Create a garden that not only looks beautiful but also nurtures native bees — and helps other wildlife in the process

GARDENING GUIDES Plant Black Cherry Trees for the Birds and Bees

By Pollination Press LLC

Plant Prunus serotina in the Central and Eastern U.S. for spring flowers, interesting bark and beautiful fall color

GARDENING FOR BIRDS What to Know About Birds Nesting in Your Yard

By Mitchell Parker

Learn how to observe, record data and help ornithologists with NestWatch’s citizen science project understand bird trends

EARTH DAY 12 Entertaining ‘Bee-haviors’ of Native Bees

By Debbie Ballentine

The parade of pollinator antics is another reason to create a garden that nurtures native bees

DECORATING GUIDES Honeycomb Shapes Are the Bee’s Knees

By Susan Redman

The hexagon is everywhere in nature — in honeycombs, tortoiseshells, snowflakes. Why not replicate it in home design?

LIFE You Said It: ‘Rather Than Remove Them, They Framed Them’

By Becky Harris

Design advice, inspiration and observations that struck a chord this week

Sponsored

Custom Kitchen & Bath Designs for Everyday Living in Columbus, OH