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Integrated Pest Management

Ground Bees swarming! Don't Want to KILL them!

16 years ago

We have ground bees here and Yellow Jacket wasps. The wasps usually live in trees and in sheds. I just came online looking for any information about ground bees because I noticed the bees last week when I cleared out an old rotting tree branch. They did not attempt to sting me or my family. My son wanted to spray them and I would not let him because of the benefit to plants, etc. TODAY... I was out turning the ground and replanting a flower bed and as I started to come into the house, I noticed that the bees are swarming near my front door. I thought at first they were after the giant garden spider there and then I realized that they are swarming my hummingbird feeder by the millions!

I have never noticed them by the feeder before and the hummingbirds should have all started migrating by now....they left the feeder full when they left and I haven't gotten around to taking it down.

I don't want to kill the bees. I am not allergic to them or poison ivy or most other things that sting.

What I want to know is what I can do FOR them to make them comfortable where they are NOW. Can I put some kind of house out for them...What do I do? Why are they swarming the feeder? Will it help if I put it closer to the tree so they can have easier access to it? What can I do for them?

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Comments (2)

Kimmsr
16 years ago
I often see the Yellow Jackets around my Hummingbird feeder but have never seen a bee there. There are bees working the flowers that are in bloom right under that feeder but they, the bees, do not go up there. Most likely what you are seeing is the Yellow Jackets, which at least around here, tend to nest in the ground not in trees or sheds where the Paper wasps do nest.

Here is a link that might be useful: Yellow Jackets
shyspook
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you for the link Kimmsr,
Here in Texas, Yellow Jackets nest in fruit trees (I got stung 26 times once when climbing a mulberry tree over in Fort Worth,by yellow jackets nesting in the tree!) and, indeed, in sheds. Yellow Jacket Wasps sting whenever they get a chance. They do not allow you to walk right up to them and NOT sting you. Bees, on the other hand, don't sting unless somebody is sending out scared vibes or picking on them. Yellow Jackets look different than bees. Do Yellow Jackets dance,have a lot of hair, and have black butts? The tiny flying fuzzy butts I am seeing are dancing and wiggling and seeming to communicate just like bees.
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Can you call your county extension agent and see if there is a bee keeper that can come out and collect them? Since honey bees are having such a bad time all over the country here it's really good karma to help them survive as much as possible, especially since the killer bees from the south are taking over their territories. Eech! The little I do know about swarming is, you WILL know when they are swarming, they all come out and gather around the queen to protect her. From what someone told me they swarm when the new queens hatch, the queens leave and take some bees with them to start a new hive elsewhere. You could also look in the phone book and see if there are any bee keepers in your area that would take them.
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Generally, swarming bees do not attack, because they have nothing to defend (no honey, no children). However, I wouldn't try to remove them without a beesuit. I am really surprised that none of the local beekeepers want to help you. Geez, that's a real drag--certatinly wouldn't happen in our neighborhood. The bees won't stay in a clump on a branch for very long--they will try to find a real home within a day or two, so you can just wait until they leave. Unfortunately, they may decide to move from the tree to somewhere in your house, which would make the problem go from bad to worse. So, what's to do? Well, by any chance do you have a bee supply place locally? If so, you could purchase a standard beehive box, and put them in there. Or, you could put them in a box of some sort, and take them out of town. To move them at all, however, you'll need to either buy a beesuit, or figure out some way to cover yourself completely. Some form of netting over the head is essential--if bees are going to attack (not likely in this case, but there's no sense taking a chance), plus long overalls, leather gloves, workboots and trousers with the cuffs taped shut. That ought to keep you save. Hope this helps.
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We had a huge swarm lodge in a rock wall next to our mailbox 2 years ago. Our mailman refused to deliver mail out of concern for his safety, which was ok because we also were not about to risk stings in order to open the mailbox! We found a beekeeper who would come out and remove them but only if the hives and bees had not been chemically sprayed or treated ( which they had not). He found 2 queens, so you can imagine the number of bees he had to relocate. Good luck! Marilyn
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