GROUND NESTING BEES
There are over 20,000 bee species. Majority of these nest underground. In the United States, many of these bees start getting active early in spring. Nests of this kind are easily identifiable. They build in dry sandy soil. They have a conical mound of soil above ground with a hole in the center. This hole is the entrance to the bee’s nest. There are many burrowing bees. The most common are leaf cutters and mining bees.
Ground nesting bees are solitary bees and have mild character. They are not as aggressive as their cousins , the African honey bee. However they may sting a person or a pet if provoked.
In as much as theses bees are not aggressive they make their nest in your lawn and if you have little children you can’t let them play on the lawn and risk them getting stung. Ground nesting bees also ruin your yard when they dig their burrows. For these reasons you might need to get rid of these bees.
Before you start dealing with the bees you need to don protective gear. Put on jeans trousers with boots. Wear a long sleeved hoodie, gloves and a balaclava to cover the lower face and protective goggles for the eyes
How to get rid of ground bees
Bees are essential to many ecosystems. They are great agents of pollination and therefore very useful to agriculture. So there is no need to kill them. Because ground bees build their hives in dry soil, when you water the yard regularly these insects will move away.
Cover the burrows
Cover their burrows with stones and soil. This will force the bees to seek shelter elsewhere and you won’t have to exterminate them.
Cinnamon
Bees cannot stand cinnamon. Put cinnamon sticks or sprinkle cinnamon powder at the entrance of the burrow. This will keep them away from your lawn. You can also place chloroform or mothballs near the nest’s entrance. They will keep bees away.
Peppermint castille soap
Mix water with two cups of peppermint castille soap. Pour some in a spray bottle and spray it near the holes. This kills other harmful insects also not only the bees.
Vinegar spray
Mix water and vinegar in equal portions. Put it in a spray bottle and shake thoroughly. Spray it near all the nests at night.
Bee repellent plants
There are many plants that are repellent to bees such as peppermint and eucalyptus to protect your garden and yard plant these herbs and trees. Plant thick grass on your yard to make it difficult for burrowing bees.
DIY Herbal spray
Mix tea essential oil, canella oil, baby shampoo and mint oil. Shake this mix thoroughly and pour it into a spray bottle. Spray around the burrows. After a few days you will observe that the bees have left your yard.
Soda bottle trap
Cut a plastic soda bottle in half. Pour sweet juice in to the bottom part. Place the top half of the bottle inside the bottom half in an inverted position. Place it outside near the burrows. The bees will fly through the inverted top half of the bottle right into the juice and be unable to find the narrow exit. They will drown.
Conclusion
If despite all these options the bees don’t leave call a pest control professional to effectively sort out the problem for you.
