My mother has a variety of flowers that bloom early spring and early summer. In early summer there are so many bees in our back and front yard that we be held hostage in our house! I love flowers but hate the swarm of bees. We tried looking for the nests and knocking them down but they regroup and build another one in our yard. How do we get rid of the bees? I don't mind bees but not so many that they keep us from enjoying the summer breeze. How do we repel the swarm of bees so we can enjoy our garden?
You probably need to call a bee keeper to see if they want them. They could come and take the whole colony for you.
Bees or wasps, or mason bees, bumble bees,paper wasps, hornets? what kind of "bees" do you have? how many bees? a dozen or hundreds landing everywhere? are you afraid of bees or allergic? what kind of nest are you knocking down? not honey bees... I am thinking. Honey bees don't make nests that you can knock down. not blue wasps as they are solitary and make mud channels on walls, bumble bees are ground dwellers as are yellow jackets. MOST won't bother you unless you swat at them or squish/pinch/step on or in some way actually touch them. Mostly we are anxious because they can sting us and that is painful or even deadly, but you need not get rid of their nests. You can deter some from building nests in the area though as wasps are territorial. In early Spring fill a brown paper bag and shape it into a ball or oval and tie the end shut (or if you like crafts make a paper mache' one out of a balloon and brown paper and spray it with a sealant) . Hang the bag in a protected area to keep it from deteriorating in the weather and it will help deter other wasps from starting a new nest close by. On the flip side of wasps is their potential as insect predators specifically spiders... they hunt and use spiders as food for their larvae. I like spiders way less than I like wasps.
I don't know exactly what kind of bees they are. There are some wasps and hornets that come around and a couple made nests we knocked down but they don't bother us much. The bees fly right at us as if they be trying to attack us. The paper bag idea seems like a good idea I will try that also if I can't find a beekeeper who will love to have them. Thanks for the advice!
Theresa, if you are wearing perfume, scented hair spray, scented deodorant, or even hand/body lotion with a scent, bees will be attracted to it, and to you. We keep bees, and I make sure that everything about us from our clothing to our hair and skin is neutral when we work the hives. Cosmetics may be the reason the bees come right at you as if they wanted to attack. The paper bag idea is for wasps. It won't work for bees. If you could post a picture of the bees you have, we might be able to identify them and tell you better how to deal with them.
Bee keepers will not have be able to help you unless there is actually a colony of bees to be had. I think you have wasps not bees in all reality, but you need to be able to identify what you are dealing with in order to determine what the next step in your solution will be. but Take Janes advice... no perfume, no lotions, no smelly anything when you go outside. not laundry products, either. they will also attract insects. most won't bother you once they realize there is nothing to be had from your clothes.
Thanks again for the advice. These are definitely bees. We know the difference. Bumblebees come around but don't bother us it's the little yellow guys. If I can find a picture of them I'll post it but it's winter and snow outside and we don't see any bees now. They bother us whether we have on something scented or not. They are definitely bees. They are always building their hives on our front and back porch no matter how many times we knock them down. Luckily none of us have gotten stung yet. I don't know if I'm allergic and don't want to find out.
It will definitely make a difference is you do not use hairsprays , cologne and things with a smell. I try to use all unscented and only use shea butter sparingly and then make sure I shower before I go and garden. Even if you are waving your arms around trying to get rid of them, they might get defensive. Not sure what kind of bee it is but some nest in the ground too, I would think those would be very hard to get rid of completely. Remember always have covered drinks when you are outdoors and limit what you eat there or keep it covered until you are ready to eat. Good luck. Remember to wash little faces if they have jelly or jam on them.
Thank you Sherry8! I will take the advice. Hopefully this year there won't be quite so many bees and they build their nest someplace else.
