They are definitely bumble bees. I'm just not completely sure what type. For a while, I thought they were Golden Northern Bumble Bee. Now that I've been watching them for a few days, I think they are Common Eastern Bumble Bees. We've had yellowjacket nests in the past and don't mess around with them. They almost had my husband in the hospital. When he accidentally disturbed their nest, the YJs chased him down the street and stung him 14 times. He was on Benadryl for 2 weeks following. These fellas are about 12 mm long and kind of chubby looking. They have a large furry black head, a yellow furry thorax with a big black spot on the top, and a black furry abdomen. They have two rather see through black wings which the fold overlapping on their back when they are mumbling around on my flowers. They also have black legs on which you can see big sacks of pollen when they are returning to the nest. And, as I said, they are really quite docile. The only time we upset them was when my husband pushed the lawnmower right over the top of their nest. Other than that, you can sit on the ground right next to them and watch them go in and out for hours and they won't bother you a bit. But at this point we are VERY CAREFUL not to tromp on their entrance holes and I won't let the children play anywhere near the nest. (The dog is, of course, more difficult to control - the big goofball.) What I keep wishing for is a nice hungry skunk. The children are generally allergic (cats, dogs, rabbits, pollen, nuts, milk, wheat, etc.), but neither has ever been stung. Unfortunately, we didn't have them tested for bee sting allergies when we had them tested. So at this point, it's an unknown. We do have epi-pens which I carry around for "just in case." About the Rotenone . . . I read online that it is not toxic to bees except in combination with pyrethrum. Here is the link: http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/rotenone.htm The Rotenone/Pyrethrins mixture that Bonide sells is a liquid spray. If someone pours this liquid down their hole at night, won't that cause them to come out in attack mode? I think I'm just a little confused as to logistics. I think I'll try the water/hose method first. It would be optimal to just convince them to move house.

This is for mason bees. Posters about its unsuitability for swarms or hives are correct but thinking of honeybees. Mason bees do not live in big colonies like honeybees do. Each individual builds her own nest, although they are gregarious and build next to each other. Yes, I do get leaf cutter bees in my mason bee blocks, but leaf cutters are beneficial polliinators too. I've never gotten wasps in them, wasps build their own nests out of mud and paper, or underground. Mason bees normally nest in crevices in tree trunks so they like the blocks of wood. Even in a community insane enough to require permits or special zoning for honeybee hives would have no such requirements for mason bee nest blocks. Yes, mason bees, and really all bees, could use a helping hand due to habitat loss. Mason bees are active only in spring, when they pollinate fruit trees. They are in the nest blocks as larvae in the summer. They do not visit roses as they are not active when roses are blooming.

Hi, Appreciate this posting maybe too late but have you or anyone tried using natural non-toxic solutions like tea tree oil or orange oil spraying methods? I had a similar issue last year with an infestation of Carpenter bees in one of our outdoor shacks. I didn't want to use harsh chemicals to kill off such a beautiful bee, despite being a pest for us! I did a bit of digging around the 'inter-web' and found me this little website that describes different methods (chemical & non-chemical) to get rid of the carpenter bee. Hope it helps :) Here's the site: http://www.howtogetridofcarpenterbees.com/ Also, here's a useful (viewer friendly - no adverts) video talking more about getting rid of carpenter bees

Talk to your local county extension agent, or to animal control. Either one should know who in your area keeps bees. Call them and see if they can come look at the nest, and decide if it is honey-bees or another variety. Even if the bees aren't honey bees, I bet they would help move them. Unless the nest is wasps or hornets, which should probably be killed, as they can be VERY aggressive starting about now (both only live for the summer - with queens overwintering to start a new nest in the spring), I would think they would be willing to move them. Honey bees and wasps/hornets are - to my knowledge - the only ones who make large nests. In any case, I am sure no reputable tree removal co. will be willing to cut down the tree without you either moving the nest or killing the bees - too much liability, esp. if someone is severely allergic and unaware.