We've had a little battle raging in our back yard. It appears some bees decided it was a good place to live!
Bob noticed there were bees flying around one particular spot in the back. When he got closer, he saw a hole in the ground with lots of bees swarming around it.
Hmmm... This is a problem! We can't enjoy the yard, and it would be really difficult to mow the grass. So...
Bob tried to burn them out.
Bob noticed there were bees flying around one particular spot in the back. When he got closer, he saw a hole in the ground with lots of bees swarming around it.
Hmmm... This is a problem! We can't enjoy the yard, and it would be really difficult to mow the grass. So...
Bob tried to burn them out.
It was an adventure to even get close enough, but he did, pouring some gas down the hole, and then lighting it on fire.
It burned for some times
leaving this lovely spot in the grass.However - within a few minutes, bees were coming back. It appeared that they had another hole to exit from, but we couldn't find it.
This was the next plan. My sister Cheri heard that if you covered ground hives with a tarp and secured it, the bees wouldn't stay because of the heat and lack of air.This tarp stayed out there for a week.
And it seems to have worked! It's a good thing it's Fall though, because it left an ugly spot in the grass. Guess it's worth it though to avoid bee stings!
we've been there and done that with the ground bees at our old house. my hubs tried burning them out, too...to no avail. we never used a tarp, but we did sell the house and move! (not because of the bees, but we certainly don't miss them!!) Beware of moles now...after our bees made tunnels, moles moved in!!! aahh...the joys of creation firsthand! ;)
ReplyDeleteI didn't know bees made nests in the ground. Must be a Michigan thing.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of ground bee's. You learn something new every day.
ReplyDeleteGlad the tarp worked, I would never have thought of that either!
You have a very educational blog!
Aren't bees miserable? Glad you got rid of them.
ReplyDeleteNow if they had just made a hive above ground you could have had a steady supply of honey! I have a friend who loves working with honey bees, but that wouldn't be for me, thanks! If they return maybe a beekeeper could help you relocate them!
ReplyDeleteNo, no, no!!! I hate bees and their little nasty stingers. I'm sure glad you got rid of them. The 'brown patch' will be okay in the Spring! [I'm sure glad you posted this...I'm all for the natural way of getting rid of pest instead of insecticides...I'm gonna remember this!!!]
ReplyDeleteMari Oh....never had a pomegranate?!! You don't know what you're missin' out on...they're so delicious. You actually don't eat the fruit itself...just the seeds!!! Yummy...tart...so juicy wonderful.
ah we get ground bees as well...and i typically burn them out...will hold your second trick in my back pocket in case i need it..
ReplyDeleteWe had TWO hives in the ground this year, in our front yard! TG got stung once and Erica got it twice. We haven't tried to do anything about them. This is why I stay on the sidewalk or the driveway.
ReplyDeleteJust reading this gave me the shivers. I am so allergic to stings, bites, etc. Having lots of bees flying around my yard is a literal nightmare. So glad Cheri's plan worked.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Kat
Oh I just hate bees!! That would have been scary to me. I probably would have never gone in the yard. Thank the Lord Bob got rid of them.
ReplyDeleteLove and Blessings
This year our neighorhood had an infestation of cicada killers. They are mean looking and huge bee like things. They looked like something from Armageddon. They made holes all over the lawns. They threw out the dirt like a groundhog. Pretty scary for a while.
ReplyDeleteDidn't he want to get a hive and start bee keeping?!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe burn spot looked like the head of a goose. Did you notice?
ReplyDeleteWe've had some bees, or maybe wasps, but they build in the plastic utility tube thing beside our driveway. We can use the 20 foot spray and hit it until they are stunned, then drench them a little closer.
I don't think gasoline and fire would work so well for us in that spot...
Glad your bees are gone!
Mari,
ReplyDeleteWe had a similar problem. Steve read about pouring borax in the hole and they would track it through and it would eventually kill them. Well he poured some on the hole, probably too much. then it rained. The borax basically sealed the hole, no more problem.
I have never heard of bees in the ground like that!! Here we have problems with wasps trying to build a nest under our back deck and attack us when we come out. We have knocked that thing down 4 times now! Hope this takes care of the problem for you!!
ReplyDeleteYou have had a lot of adventures lately......glad you got rid of the bees before someone got stung......
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing that it worked! Would the same trick work for ant hills, I wonder? Anthony and Lori's lawn has some really big ones.
ReplyDelete