ground dwelling bees

[fordson major]

got my first encounter with these critters this year on Saturday when i buzzed the grass over their nest, great cloud of them and only a half dozen stings! (one on the lip, tenfold swelling made me look like the nutty professor!) not as bad as the time when i hit one of their nests with the discs and they flew in the open window of the cab tractor, had too wait till night when they left to go remake their home! to me they look like bumble bees with a wasp's attitude, at least you can see a wasp nest!
whats been your close calls?

[crafty2002]

I don't know what they could be. Where we live the yellow jackets make nest in the ground.
My mother ran over a nest with the push mower when I was a little kid. It was funny to every one, ever her, when it was all over with. She was darn near naked by the time she got to the back door and they were haveing a reunion next door and everyone there was in the back yard when mama started yelling.
Best I can remember, she got stung 21 times, and I ran after her and got stung too, but I forget how many times. Not nearly as many as she did though. I think 2 or 3, maybe 4 times.
But the closest I ever came to getting really nailed was back when I tried my hand at growing the wacky tobacco, LOL.
I ran off the road so no one would see me and kicked a hornets nest. I didn't know they would build a nest on the ground, but they will. My boot went plun in it, and I actually felt the buzzing on my foot. I have never ran as fast in my life as I did that day. And I am talking though the woods, weeds, briars. Through a creek, and all the way to the road that was about a mile or so from where I went into the woods. I didn't get stung the first time, but they were flying all around me to start with. I didn't notice they weren't there any more until I got to the road, LOL.
Funny thing. I used to be scared to death of bees but since I have been reading about honey bees I totally lost my fear of them.
You probably won't believe me, but yesterday, my daughter and I were in the little shop in the basement and a wasp came in. Freaked her out and I told her it won't hurts you if you leave it alone. It kept flying up to the light and I just stuck my hand up under it and it would land on me for a few seconds and then fly off again. I got it to land on me about 6 or 8 times, just to show my DD that if you don't hurt them or mess with thier home, they won't hurt you.
Of course, they will be like yours was, or either of us would be, when someone comes messing with our home.
I know what you mean about being able to see the wasp nest tho. It makes it easier to live with them, LOL.
I hope your swelling goes down pretty fast and sorry for your miss furtune.

Dennis

[Old John]

We have them here too.
Usually I run over a couple nests a year, one or two.
I've gotten Allergic. So, my Doc (& my DSW)has me carrying an "Epi-kit",
on the tractor with me. Just in case, you know.

I keep a close eye,ahead of me, when I'm mowing with the tractor.
Always the first time around, it'll stir them UP.
And, IF you are watching for them next time around, you can
just shut'er down, until the next day.
Mark the place well, in your mind.

After it gets dark you can go to the area. There will be a small hole,
about big around as your finger, into ther ground.
Empty a can of "Wasp & Hornet Spray" down that hole.
That generally "Cleans them Out".
So far, it has worked for me, everytime.
Good luck.

[Farmer Dave]

Last summer I discovered two areas on my farm with ground dwelling yellow jackets. One of them I was aware of so I would put the tractor in the fastest gear and run over it fast so I would be out of the way by the time they began swarming, then wait until they settled down before zooming by again. The second nest I didn't know about until I was stung on the ear and swatted it and was stung on the finger. I glanced behind me and saw the huge swarm of yellow jackets coming out of the ground I had just mowed. I waited until dusk and poured about a cup of gasoline down the hole and have never had trouble with them again.

Several years ago I was mowing a path through my woods with a push mower and ran over a hornets nest in the ground. I was lucky and saw them buzzing around my head (couldn't hear them because of the mower) so I took off running as fast as I could back down the path I had just cut, hearing the buzz close behind me. I ran out of the woods and jumped into my truck and closed the door behind me before I noticed they were no longer following me. I could still hear the mower running far back in the woods where I had left it. I didn't go back to retrieve it until the next day and I was very quite so not to disturb the hornets again. Being in my 50's I didn't know I could still run so fast.

[beowoulf90]

I've had a run-in with them will cutting firewood. I was working on the branches of a downed tree and with out knowing it I stepped on the opening of their nest. Needless to say a few went up my pant leg and once I stepped off of the nestthey swarmed out after me. They got in behind my safety glasses and stung me everywhere, till I got far enough away from them. This is how I first learned I was allergic to them. I felt my breathing tightening and knew I was in trouble, so I got my gear that I had thrown away from me and they first started attacking as quickley as I could and drove to the nearest doctors office and told them what happened. They of course shot me full of steroids and called 911. What a day that was...
Needless to say I found out the hard way that I was now allergic to bee stings. So after years of being stung and not paying any mind to it, I now have to be very careful around bees..

[Ninn]

We found a nest underneath the end of the slide on our swingset last week. I waited until after dark, moved the swing, and smoked them into a state of near slumber. Then I sprayed about 3 cans of bee spray down there! Presto! No more bees.

I just wish I knew what to do about the ones that repeated build nests on my porch roofs and inside my house. Right now, we are keeping the bee spray companies in business. We took down 9 nests off the front porch the other day. It took 2 days for the bees to stop trying to go back into those areas. Now, they are boring into my roof again. Last night we saw them coming out of our light fixtures. Next stop? Terminex. 100 bux for the initial visit, and they kill off everything. And it's guaranteed for 30 days. If I see another bee, they come back and do it again for free. There are at least 3 types of bees or wasps in my house, and we are all allergic. I think it will be a good investment.

[Tricky Grama]

Orange oil is effective. We had ordinary wasps try to build nests on the porch of our shed, where we sit. Just diluted some orange oil & soaked some rags & wiped off the areas that they were trying to nest at.

Patty

[suzyhomemaker09]

Well since folks are referencing bees I've never heard of I guess I'll just crawl back in bed and shut my pie hole.

[Gailann Schrader]

Sorry, Suzy.

You are rong.

http://www.thriftyexterminating.com/...ting_bees.html

They can make HUGE "nests" with storage for brood and food. We usually burned them out with gasoline or kerosene.

My father was mowing a field and got stung in the temple by ground bees.

My mother always maintained that's what triggered his brain tumor. I do know it knocked him off the tractor...

[mistletoad]

Bees do not dwell underground.

Yes they do. Bumblebees, sweat bees, mining bees, digger bees and leafcutter bees all have underground nest sites.

[MELOC]

and cicada killers too

[Michael W. Smith]

Originally Posted by Farmer Dave

I waited until dusk and poured about a cup of gasoline down the hole and have never had trouble with them again.

Well where's the fun in THAT?!? I prefer to let them go out in a blaze of glory. After you've poured your cup of gas down the hole, step back and light it. Guaranteed you won't have any bees the next day.

Around here in PA, yellow jackets are the mean things who nest in the ground. I know bumble bees do too, but they aren't near as mean as yellow jackets.

However, yellow jackets are aggressive eaters, and likely kill alot of insects that harm your garden. So I only use the gas & flame when they are in an area that is close to where I hang out. Yellow jackets have a purpose too and shouldn't just be killed because they built a nest on your ground.

[mistletoad]

but cicada killers are wasps not bees

[MELOC]

perhaps a better question would have been, "what insects will nest in the ground and fly up and sting the crap out of you?". deny they are insects...come on, i dare you!

[Farmer Dave]

Originally Posted by Michael W. Smith

Well where's the fun in THAT?!? I prefer to let them go out in a blaze of glory. After you've poured your cup of gas down the hole, step back and light it. Guaranteed you won't have any bees the next day.

Around here in PA, yellow jackets are the mean things who nest in the ground. I know bumble bees do too, but they aren't near as mean as yellow jackets.

However, yellow jackets are aggressive eaters, and likely kill alot of insects that harm your garden. So I only use the gas & flame when they are in an area that is close to where I hang out. Yellow jackets have a purpose too and shouldn't just be killed because they built a nest on your ground.

When they are in an area where I need to work and it's a matter of either them or me backing down, it won't be me. I have many acres where they are welcome to do as they please but when they choose an area that is not pleasing to me then they suffer the consequences weather they're beneficial or not.

[PD-Riverman]

Originally Posted by ford major

got my first encounter with these critters this year on Saturday when i buzzed the grass over their nest, great cloud of them and only a half dozen stings! (one on the lip, tenfold swelling made me look like the nutty professor!) not as bad as the time when i hit one of their nests with the discs and they flew in the open window of the cab tractor, had too wait till night when they left to go remake their home! to me they look like bumble bees with a wasp's attitude, at least you can see a wasp nest!
whats been your close calls?

These Bee's you are talking about are MEAN--They do look just like bumble bee's, but where a bumble bee has yellow in the section of its wing, these have yellow there too , but also on their butt section, I call them Double Yellow, These Bee's Don't act like a regular bee, you swat at one of these in the garden and miss, it just might turn on you. These bee's not only live in the ground here, but I have see them build nest in walls using insulation also found one Big Nest in a storage building that had no door, they Used the White snow looking piece that goes around the bottom of the Christmas Tree for a bed---This Was A BIG Nest. I will offer this advice---If you bump or move something and you hear a swarm of bee's "Sound" but sounds at a distance, don't stand around Looking, Run as fast as you can, as quickly as you can. I have seen these bee's chase my step son(15yrs old)with him running as fast as he could, for over 100 yards and only stopped after they stung him. Here the ones I have seen with nest under ground seem to build the nest where it stays shady most of the day, close to the edge of the woods or in the woods. If I find a nest in the ground, after dark I too sprinkle some gasoline over the nest area, but don't light it.

[Gailann Schrader]

I believe the yellow ones are yellow jackets. Actually a wasp?

They are junk-yard dog mean...

[Pony]

We've had the ground bees (NOT yellow jackets) in the compost heap before. Poor Nick was turning the pile for me, hit the nest, and hit the ground running. I know that he can move fast, but he outdid himself that day!

This year, we have some nasty yellow jackets nesting in the ground under the log Nick uses to chop firewood. Dang! Those are Insects With Attitude! <shudder>

Pony!

[horsefarmer]

I've got an Amish friend with a bee dog. It is a Catahoula and has only one job in the world. When mowing hay with horses, the last thing you want is to run over a nest of anything. That dog will wander around the hay field and stop and bark at any nests and then you can mow around them. I'm not sure how much it would take but I already know I don't have enough money to purchase that dog. I tried a couple different times. He says they didn't train it. It just does it on its own. I got me a cur not long ago but she isn't nearly as useful as that dog is.

[MELOC]

i watched chickens devour the yellow jackets that nested right at their fence one by one. maybe you could free range a few chickens or place a chicken tractor over the hole.