Individual bees are generally non-aggressive. You pretty much have to threaten the hive or otherwise somehow “corner” them to get them to sting. All bets are off when they swarm,
We have “carpenter bees” that are solitary. They bump into you and don’t even sting. Wasps are generally non-aggressive too as long as you stay out of their way.
Yellow jackets on the other hand, seem to go out of their way to look for something to sting.
One way to get rid of a ground hive of yellow jackets is to put a clear bowl over the nest. The yellow jackets are too stupid to know they are trapped and will fly around in the bowl trying to figure out how to get out and starve. If you put an opaque bowl over the nest, they will tunnel under it.
If you need a more effective method, wait until night (when the patrols are “in the hangar,” put a piece of dry ice next to the hole, put a bucket over that. The dry ice sublimates to CO2 gas which is heavier than air so it seeps down the hole and suffocates them. – it releases a bit of greenhouse gas, but is a lot better than toxic chemicals.
944tim almost 8 years ago
don’t worry, a bee’s outer limit is about a half mile before it has to go back and refuel.
meillered almost 8 years ago
Hence the term bee line.
Zen-of-Zinfandel almost 8 years ago
Huh? I thought those two switched to mall walking because of the zika mosquitoes.
dflak almost 8 years ago
Individual bees are generally non-aggressive. You pretty much have to threaten the hive or otherwise somehow “corner” them to get them to sting. All bets are off when they swarm,
We have “carpenter bees” that are solitary. They bump into you and don’t even sting. Wasps are generally non-aggressive too as long as you stay out of their way.
Yellow jackets on the other hand, seem to go out of their way to look for something to sting.
One way to get rid of a ground hive of yellow jackets is to put a clear bowl over the nest. The yellow jackets are too stupid to know they are trapped and will fly around in the bowl trying to figure out how to get out and starve. If you put an opaque bowl over the nest, they will tunnel under it.
If you need a more effective method, wait until night (when the patrols are “in the hangar,” put a piece of dry ice next to the hole, put a bucket over that. The dry ice sublimates to CO2 gas which is heavier than air so it seeps down the hole and suffocates them. – it releases a bit of greenhouse gas, but is a lot better than toxic chemicals.