Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Building a dam BEES!!!

skinnybass - Do you have this stuff where you live?
ORTHO Home Defense MAX - Wasp & Hornet Killer
Works great, foams up too which helps stop 'flyaway' escapees. Shoots pretty far so you could do it yourself if you wanted, though by the sounds of your hyper-sensitivity you might want to get somebody else. I have used it on trees and bushes to kill off tent caterpilars with no harm to the trees. (Although I do like to go the extra mile and put the torch to it after.)

yeah, and i've used it before. For nests that are up, like on the eves of the garage its perfect. My problem is that they are in the ground, so i can't spray the nest. The ortho stuff makes a bunch of them come out of the hole, which is nice, then a bulk of them can be killed, but it doesn't get the queen, which is what i really need to kill.

Thanks
skinny

skinnybass:

If you can get your hands on some Pounce Insecticide, that will work on ground nests. It's really toxic to bees and wasps, they'll pick it up by walking over the sprayed area. I've killed ground nests of yellow jackets with the stuff.

I need a lot of bees this year, so I am planting many companion and cooperative plants this year. Getting stung is not a worry as I am Face to Face with the little guys. Luna got nailed last year cause she stuck her nose into a nest under the PJ Trailer, and that was a pretty decent hive.

People ask me how I can stroll among bees and not get stung. I just tell them...

"I don't do anything to pi.. 'em off". ?

2 years ago I had my head within 3' of a pretty good sized Bald Faced Hornets nest in a tree, TWICE before I realized that it was there. I even moved some of the branches in the tree with the ROPS on the tractor before I saw this blob in the tree out of the corner of my eye. Needless to say, I didn't go back thru there a 3rd time! I've been pretty close to them, and they never bothered me, but I don't do anything to get them aggrivated.

Yellow Jackets on the other hand? As soon as I see them starting to build a nest I do whatever it takes to kill them ASAP.

Yeah, that's my problem. That's what i am the most allergic to...like i won't even walk on that side of the house if i know they are there, and we flagged 3 separate hives and had them treated last year (all in the roots of my oak) and we had a termite guy come out, who flagged a bunch of holes that are new for this year, although we don't know if they are yellow jackets this time. We do have paper wasps, too, but i thought they rarely hived underground. I have also seen the classic fat bumble bee around, so some of those nests could be them, or considering the size of the tree, i wouldn't be surprised to find carpenter bees either.

Unfortunately, it has rained every weekend i've been home when i could try to watch them this year, so i don't know what is what in those holes. Damn ground bees.

But if i find yellow jackets again....sheesh. This is why i tried to start this thread for good answers.
I appreciate that it has been as active as it has, you guys are awesome. I'm glad this is a popular topic.

-Skinny

We have a winner Unfortunately, you have to come up here to collect your prize, and that will be carefully placed in one of three hives. Yeah, hurray, clap!!! You just have to carefully negotiate your way into each hive and see if you can pull out the prize without getting stung. The prize is only in one, and I am not sure if the African Honey Bees are in any of them.

Poof! Now I am back!!!

That would make a great show! Whaddya Think!

It's a deal as long as I can bring my gallon of concentrated Pounce and a pump-up sprayer!

Actually, I don't think I have to worry about the africanized bees, they haven't made it this far North yet (that I'm aware of).

ok...first of all the "throwback" mountain dew is delicious.

Second....the bees from all over my yard love it. I put 2 little glass containers up where no other animals could get into them (hooks screwed into the side of my garage...up too high for the local cats, and the bottlenecks are too narrow for the local birds...) and mixed throwback mt dew with used antifreeze and i have little glass jars filled with dead bees.

Repeating the process provided the same results the next day. Dead bees all over the place.

The wife also bought a cutter-brand "yellow jacket trap" that is supposed to attract and kill the queen. So far a bunch of dead paper wasps are all i see in there, but other bees are certainly attracted to it. Had to dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge to keep from getting stung when i went to inspect the 3 different set-ups in the yard yesterday, so i went after dark to check them out and yup...all 3 are working.

I'm quite proud of my throwback mt dew trap. Gives me an excuse to buy a few more cases of that sweet, sweet nectar. Why did they ever start using corn syrup instead of this awesome old stuff they used to use....i think they call it sugar.

finally....there's an old retired guy at the mom&pop hardware store down the street from me. He told me what he & his wife used....

one can of unscented skoal
2 cups of hot water
one bottle of the cheapest, most alcohol-ridden mouthwash he could find (mint flavored works best)
one old sock
one canister sprayer (like the kind you attach to your hose)

Put the skoal in the toe of the old sock and using warm water, make skoal tea. continue to seep until the water turns as dark as possible

Mix the tea into the sprayer canister with the bottle of mouthwash.

spray your bee-infested area liberally. The nicotine is a contact poison that kills anything that touches it, the mint smell keeps new bees away, and the alcohol screws up the reproduction cycle of those that didn't die so they won't make baby bees next year.

Best not to use it in a heavily populated area, the smell will piss off your neighbors.

Well that's either gonna kill the bees or you're gonna have a hive of drunken bees with oddly minty fresh breath that are looking for a place to spit.

I haven't read this post in a while, and I don't think the AB's made it this far north either. The Bees we have around here just want to do Bee Stuff. Can you blame them?