Went out yesterday to hitch the 6' finish mower up. While trying to hook the fist link up, I saw a Bumble Bee, then two, then ten, then ALL of them. Evidently the Bumble Bees had built their next under my mower's deck and they preferred that I not use it until they were done with it as housing. Never seen but a stray single bumbler anywhere before, first time I've ever seen a swarm. Had to abandon tractor, still running, and make a run for it. I went back in finally and got loose of the mower and dug it out with the front end loader to take it away to hitch up safely away from their nest. Luckily only got stung once in the back of the head. Watch out for those bees and wasps that might make homes in your lesser used implements.
Bees...
- Thread starter L.C. Gray
- Start date
Good reminder! I am not too far from you and bees/wasps/hornets, etc. are probably my biggest concern when tractoring. I've been fortunate since we bought this place not to get stung by anything, and try to give them space, but pretty strong probability that eventually I will upset a nest. I'll just keep being cautious and hope for the best.
Where I need advice, we have a huge old live oak tree about 50' from the barn. It is a great tree and the kids love to play in it. It is fine in the colder months, but bees have nested in a hollow space in the trunk, and I do not let the kids play in the tree when they are active in the late spring, summer, and early fall.
I don't want to kill the bees, they have enough pressure, but I would like to evict them from my oak tree. Has anyone ever used a bee relocator? I've thought about putting a tight mesh/screen over the opening this winter, but not sure that would accomplish anything, and I guess if it worked, it would still kill out the hive. Also, will a hive eventually harm the tree?
Where I need advice, we have a huge old live oak tree about 50' from the barn. It is a great tree and the kids love to play in it. It is fine in the colder months, but bees have nested in a hollow space in the trunk, and I do not let the kids play in the tree when they are active in the late spring, summer, and early fall.
I don't want to kill the bees, they have enough pressure, but I would like to evict them from my oak tree. Has anyone ever used a bee relocator? I've thought about putting a tight mesh/screen over the opening this winter, but not sure that would accomplish anything, and I guess if it worked, it would still kill out the hive. Also, will a hive eventually harm the tree?
Are you sure they are bumble bees, and not hornets? Most bumblebees are a non aggressive bee, and don't sting. That being sais, there is one type, that likes to nest in clutch housings of old tractors, that have gotten me more than once...
Russell King
Well-known member
Equipment
L185F, Modern Ag Competitor 4’ shredder, Rhino tiller, rear dirt scoop
I also have honey bees in a oak tree in my backyard. I have hired a bee removal service to capture the hive. They say they will use some type of excluder at the tree and capture the hive in a bee hive (box) and inspect it over weeks to see if the queen is out of the tree into the box.
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I sold my Case 680CK last summer. It was stored under cover and had not been used in a while. I started the engine and let it warm up. When I lifted the bucket on the backhoe I thought it was a greenhead that zipped past my face.
My mistake. A nice group of Eastern Yellowjackets built a rather large nest around the hydraulic lines inside the backhoe housing. When the lines flexed it tore their next in pieces.
I received 27 stings in the face and a dozen more on my body before I could jump off and get away. Luckily I had been taking an antihistamine for allergies, as it's presence lessened the swelling and any difficulty breathing.
I walked like I was drunk for an hour or two until the venom dissipated. Luckily I'm not allergic to bee stings.
Two days later I waited until dark and relocated the bees with 3 cans of bug killer that squirt 30 feet.
My mistake. A nice group of Eastern Yellowjackets built a rather large nest around the hydraulic lines inside the backhoe housing. When the lines flexed it tore their next in pieces.
I received 27 stings in the face and a dozen more on my body before I could jump off and get away. Luckily I had been taking an antihistamine for allergies, as it's presence lessened the swelling and any difficulty breathing.
I walked like I was drunk for an hour or two until the venom dissipated. Luckily I'm not allergic to bee stings.
Two days later I waited until dark and relocated the bees with 3 cans of bug killer that squirt 30 feet.
Daren Todd
Well-known member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
Massey Ferguson 1825E, Kubota Z121S, Box blade, Rotary Cutter
I was mowing the other day with the push mower and stepped on a nest of yellow jackets got my ankle and leg pretty good.
Spent the next couple days drunk on benedryl to help with the swelling.
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got my ankle and leg pretty good. Spent the next couple days drunk on benedryl to help with the swelling.
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we have paper wasps...they're pretty mellow compared to a lot of other types. hooked up my mower one morning, went out and started mowing look back and I see a wasp nest, in the housing where the PTO shaft attaches to the mower. Wasps were just starting to wake up, and I'm a few feet away pulling them along with me.
While I don't condone killing bees, if it is necessary I use a mix of Dawn dish soap and water in a spray bottle that can shoot a jet stream of water. Just enough dish soap to make the water soapy is all you need. It is cheaper than an arosol can of bee/wasp killer and pretty much every house has dish soap. I liberally spray the nest and the bees will fall to the ground pretty quickly. No nasty chemicals to worry about either.
That having been said my father in law used a bee relocator when we discovered he had a bee hive in the wall of his weekend house. They masked off part of the room so bees didn't spread through the house, wearing bee suits they opened up the drywall and removed the majority of the hive where the queen was and placed it in a box outside about 15 feet from the open window. Within a few days all the bees had relocated outside and the bee guy took them away. We ended up with around 10 lbs of honeycomb and raw honey which tasted excellent.
That having been said my father in law used a bee relocator when we discovered he had a bee hive in the wall of his weekend house. They masked off part of the room so bees didn't spread through the house, wearing bee suits they opened up the drywall and removed the majority of the hive where the queen was and placed it in a box outside about 15 feet from the open window. Within a few days all the bees had relocated outside and the bee guy took them away. We ended up with around 10 lbs of honeycomb and raw honey which tasted excellent.
Dalroo, i use this trick to capture honeybees in trees and may work for you. it doesn't kill them but forces eviction so they have to find a new home.
i take #8 mesh wire screen and make a cone with an opening just about 7/16~1/2". then staple the wide end to the tree over their entrance being sure it is a tight fit. if the bark has deep fissues that they could sneak back in i use plaster of paris to putty around the edges to seal it.
as the foragers leave each day to collect nectar they exit the hole but can't find their way back in. over a matter of a few days the colonies food supply starts to diminish and the queen sensing there is something wrong will swarm with the rest of the colony to a more suitable location.
good luck
i take #8 mesh wire screen and make a cone with an opening just about 7/16~1/2". then staple the wide end to the tree over their entrance being sure it is a tight fit. if the bark has deep fissues that they could sneak back in i use plaster of paris to putty around the edges to seal it.
as the foragers leave each day to collect nectar they exit the hole but can't find their way back in. over a matter of a few days the colonies food supply starts to diminish and the queen sensing there is something wrong will swarm with the rest of the colony to a more suitable location.
good luck
If you need to eradicate Wasps, Hornets, Yellow Jackets then you need a product called Tempo Dust 1%, I had a Yellow Jacket nest in the ceiling above my den that was bigger than a 120qt cooler, Two good puffs of tempo dust axed the whole thing. Now I put a puff once a year in any crack/crevice around the house. It makes it uninhabitable for any type of insect.. I'll Never be without Sprays will kill nests you can see, Tempo Dust is for nests you can't see. Just puff it in the hole where they fly in/out and Viola, They Gone....
Sprays will kill nests you can see, Tempo Dust is for nests you can't see. Just puff it in the hole where they fly in/out and Viola, They Gone....I am a beekeeper, call a local beekeeping club. Someone will come by and work on a trap to safely remove the bees. Feral bees that survive in this world of, man moved pests, and diseases are desirable,
After they remove the active colony the smell of the wax and honey is a magnet for future swarms you need to remove it or if thats not possible seal all the holes into it. I have successfully sealed the holes using body filler, the trees actually heal over it.
After they remove the active colony the smell of the wax and honey is a magnet for future swarms you need to remove it or if thats not possible seal all the holes into it. I have successfully sealed the holes using body filler, the trees actually heal over it.
Cleaning out the pole barn the last few days in prep for the new tractor arriving I ran across 13 sizable wasp nests, a few yellow jacket nests and the rest were standard yellow paper wasps and 2 red paper wasp nests.
Fun times were had until I got two stings on the head and one on the back. 2 cans of spray solved the issue for now.
Fun times were had until I got two stings on the head and one on the back. 2 cans of spray solved the issue for now.
Every spring (early, right before it warms up, I put out traps to capture the queens. Since then, there's hardly any wasps & yellow jackets. Before that, used to have a bunch.
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Had not heard of Tempo dust, but my fave place has it and recommends for exactly that application - blowing into cracks and crevices, etc.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/tempo-dust-p-391.html
It's a pyrethroid if anyone was curious.
I tend to get small nests of paper wasps (which aren't aggressive) or hornet balls that can be killed off with a can of Raid wasp & hornet or any flying insect spray, so I haven't had a need for this stuff, but if I do, it's nice to know about it.
http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/tempo-dust-p-391.html
It's a pyrethroid if anyone was curious.
I tend to get small nests of paper wasps (which aren't aggressive) or hornet balls that can be killed off with a can of Raid wasp & hornet or any flying insect spray, so I haven't had a need for this stuff, but if I do, it's nice to know about it.
I wish I could catch a swarm even this late in the year I would, even if I have to feed them . I lost my bees, 6 hives right after the state came out to,,,CHECK FOR MITES and such,, 3 weeks later they started dying off,, why I have no idea. But I sure would like to get a couple more going in the spring