Written by Ivy
Jan 06 2023
How to get rid of bumble bees will be the main topic of this article. But first, let's look at bumble bees, how to tell them apart from other bees that are similar to them, their habitats, and other crucial information about them.
Contrary to carpenter bees, bumble bees typically do not pierce wood or other materials. They typically occupy abandoned rodent burrows or underground caverns, though.
How to get rid of bumble bees in homes is among the most frequently asked questions by homeowners. This is due to the fact that having a bumble bee nest nearby can be both beneficial and detrimental.
Although the bee helps with pollination, if it builds a nest in a high-traffic area of your home, it could be dangerous.
Even though they are usually docile, bumblebees can sting repeatedly if provoked.
As a result, even though many people tend to spare these endangered species when they first encroach on their homes, doing so could be risky in the long run. Hence the requirement to eradicate bumblebees. And we'll soon demonstrate how to do it for you.
There may be a bee problem if you hear loud buzzing in your home, yard, garden, or other comfortable location. Their buzzing indicates the presence of an insect nearby, most likely under your nose, especially a bumblebee.
There is a nest nearby if you pay close attention. The best time to take action to get rid of bumble bees around your house is when you find the bumble bee nest.
Here are common methods of getting rid of bumble bee around your house:
It is best to relocate the bee nest to another habitat if it is in an undesirable location but you still want to keep it.
The simplest bees to move are those that nest in birdboxes above the ground. Those that nest underground, which are challenging to relocate, cannot, however, be said to fit this description.
One of the best ways to get rid of bumble bees and their nests is relocation, but it is also one of the riskiest. You could experience multiple bee stings if it is not done carefully.
This raises the issue of how to safely relocate a bumble bee nest.
It is quite simple.
Transfer the nest into a box first. Before you transport the box, close all of the openings, including the entrance. Carry the box evenly, and make sure you're wearing protective gear.
The nest should be moved when it is dark and there is a dim light source. When moving the nest, take care to avoid breathing on it because bees can smell it.
You can ask a beekeeper for assistance with the relocation if you want to move the nest but are unable to do so on your own.
Some substances irritate bees and deter them from surrounding areas with their odor or fragrance. These substances, which go by the name "bee repellent," are usually natural substances.
Some of the strongest natural bee-repelling substances include citrus, cinnamon, cloves, and garlic. To get rid of the bumble bee, scatter them throughout your garden and house.
Insect repellent essential oils are another natural property.
Bees are repelled by the scent of the oil for as long as it is present when it is sprayed in the yard, garden, or inside your home.
Spraying bee nests on house walls and dryer vents is possible by combining oil and water in a spray bottle. The process should be continuously repeated for a full week for best results.
Examples of essential oils include:
When planted among other plants and flowers, the marigold flower also deters and wards off bees in the garden. As a result, they work well as a natural bumble bee repellent.
One of the bee control techniques that addresses how to get rid of bumble bees uses vinegar mixed with water and applied from a spray bottle.
When you spray it on a bumblebee nest, it gets on the insects' skin and suffocates them. The mixture's potency increases with the vinegar to water ratio.
Be aware that killing and eventually eliminating bumble bees requires a powerful solution.
To get rid of bumble bee nests and their bee colonies, it is typically advised to use a 1:1 vinegar to water mixture. Here's how to use a vinegar solution to get rid of bumble bees.
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, then use the mixture to deter bees from re-infesting the nest and its surroundings.
To avoid being attacked, do this activity at nighttime when the bumblebees are sleeping and while wearing protective clothing. Using vinegar spray is the ideal solution if you're having trouble getting rid of bumble bees.
When the bumble bee problem gets out of hand, it's time to kill the bees because neither relocation nor repelling will work in this situation. In this situation, you should get in touch with a bumble bee control business and request their assistance.
The bumble bee control businesses employ professionals and experts with in-depth knowledge of removing bumblebees from a person's property.
Since it's not a small amount of money, you should make sure you get your money's worth before getting in touch with the business. For the duration of the bee control operations, you might need to leave your house with your family.
One of the most lethal ways to get rid of bumble bees is by killing them, which may not seem moral given that bumble bees are a potentially endangered species. As a result, using this control method to get rid of bumble bees is typically the last resort.
The insect group that includes ants, wasps, and bumblebees is called the Hymenoptera. There are about 250 species of bumble bees, including the Common Eastern Bumble Bee, the American Bumblebee, and the Buff-Tailed Bumblebee.
These bee species are big, rounded, fuzzy, and they usually come in a black, yellow, and white color scheme.
Like all insects, they have a head, thorax, and abdomen that make up the bulk of their bodies. Their thorax is where the wings and legs are attached, and their heads have two antennae each.
On their legs, bumblebees have bristles. The females carry pollen back to the bumble bee nest on their hind legs in a corbicula (pollen basket).
They are divided into queens, worker bees, and males, just like many other types of bees.
Female worker bees can be distinguished from the queen bee by their size because the queens are typically bigger. In comparison to females, males have more abdominal and antennal segments and slimmer legs.
Bumblebees are social insects because they form colonies, with the queen bee in charge of reproduction.
Finding food, growing the nests, and protecting them are all tasks that fall to the worker bees. The queen bee mates with the males. After hibernating through the winter, the queen bee finds a suitable location to construct a nest.
The bumblebees are busy foraging and pollinating during the summer and fall. Fall is when future males and queens are born, and they leave to find mates. They depart the nest at dawn and return at dusk.
Due to its constant activity during the colder months of November and February and its exposure to the cold, bumble bees can actively regulate their body temperatures.
Bumblebees, who can shiver unlike most insects, use this ability to generate heat in their thorax.
Even when it's cold outside, they can still fly thanks to the heat. Because of this behavior, they are the type of bees that pollinate plants and flowers in cold weather.
Bumblebees could be mistaken for other well-known bee species, such as honey bees and carpenter bees.
But they are not the same.
A honey bee and a bumble bee differ greatly, especially in terms of appearance.
In comparison to bumblebees, honey bees are smaller, less chubby, and less fuzzy. Bumble bees have a higher stinging capacity than honey bees, which causes them to die after only one sting.
In contrast to numerous honey bee hives, a bumblebee colony can increase to a few hundred individuals.
Due to their roundness, carpenter bees resemble bumblebees more.
Carpenter bees, as opposed to bumblebees, have shiny, smooth abdomens as opposed to the latter's fuzzy appearance. Additionally, unlike the bumblebees', which have a yellow and black combination on their abdomens, they have a fully black abdomen.
The corbicula, which is present in a female bumblebee, is absent in carpenter bee females. Additionally, by drilling into wood, the female carpenter bee constructs nests in tunnels. Carpenter bees are a serious pest because of this behavior because they can harm the structural integrity of your home.
Because it pollinates many of the food crops we eat and the garden flowers we love, bumble bees have significant economic value.
Because the different species of bumble bees have different-length probosci, they can pollinate a variety of plants and flowers. They are more important than honey bees for pollination.
In comparison to other bee species, bumble bees are active earlier and later in the day and throughout the year, and they pollinate plants later in the year. The bees can pollinate when other insects cannot because of the rain, clouds, or cool weather.
Pollinating certain flowers and plants, like those listed above, is another very important benefit of the bumble bee., potatoes, that other insects cannot.
Most bumble bee nests are typically found in enclosed, dimly lit areas that are dry. The nests may also be found above ground in tree hollows, and some may be found underground in holes that have been abandoned.
The bee queen emerges from hibernation after the winter and locates a suitable location to construct a bumble bee nest. She also lines it with grass, moss, or fur to prevent rodent invasions.
However, bumble bees avoid building their nests in areas that receive a lot of sunlight because it will cause the nest to become dangerously hot.
Here are examples of areas you can find a bumble bee nest:
Bees need to be protected, but this does not require you to let them live in your house. Bees are not typically thought of as pests. However, whether you must deal with them depends on how they behave.
Some species have the potential to harm your house or develop aggressive behavior. Additionally, some people have such severe bee allergies that even a single sting can be fatal.
So, if you've determined that it's best to prevent bees from settling on your property, here are some bee-friendly ways to drive them away.
Bumble bees are typically calm and only become aggressive when provoked. The males would frequently avoid attacking you. To defend themselves and their young, the females will, however, strike out when provoked. Remember that bumblebees are capable of multiple stings. And through its stinger, it injects its venom into its prey and victims.
Bumblebees only sting in self-defense; other insects, such as wasps and hornets, do so in order to hunt and harm their prey. The stings of bumblebees, in contrast to those of wasps, are less unpleasant and have less of an impact.
On the other hand, wasp venom can cause shock and unconsciousness if it is not treated right away. Swelling, redness, and potential itching are typical responses to a bumble bee sting and can last for several hours.
Those who are allergic to bee venom or sensitive to bee stings should be aware that bumblebee stings can be dangerous. As a result, those who are allergic to bee stings may die from a bumble bee sting. When a bumble bee is encountered and stung, it may cause anaphylaxis in someone who is allergic to bee stings or venom in general.
An allergic reaction called anaphylaxis is characterized by a series of symptoms brought on by bee venom. Hives, breathing issues, nausea, shock, unconsciousness, and ultimately death as a result of insufficient treatment or an extreme reaction are some of these occurrences.
A high likelihood of developing sensitivity to bee stings exists in those who have been stung by bumble bees, other bees, or other unpleasant insects.
Bumble bee colonies and other insect nests should be avoided if anyone in your family is allergic to bee stings or insects. Preventing them from becoming a major issue would be ideal.
In their ideal environment, bumble bees are drawn to areas with plenty of food sources and shelter. In order to feel secure with her colony, the queen bee must find shadowy areas to build nests.
As a result, the queen bee frequently draws attention to birdhouses, abandoned rodent burrows, cracks and crevices, hollowed-out trees, and underground openings.
The nectar and pollen of plants are what bumble bees, which are herbivores, consume, so you can always find them in gardens with a lot of lovely flowers and greenery.
Since they consume sweet foods, like the majority of bees, they are drawn to fruits, soda, and juice. They are drawn to the sweet smell of these substances, and they typically build their nests close to places where they can find such things.
In order to survive, bumblebees also require water, so you can find them near open water sources or stagnant water around your house.
Knowing what draws bumble bees to your property can be useful information for creating prevention strategies.
Here are a few ways to prevent bumble bees from invading your property or nesting in your garden and yards:
Contrary to carpenter bees, bumble bees usually don't pierce wood or other materials. They typically reside, though, in abandoned rodent burrows or holes in the ground.
The bees may need to excavate the underground cavities leading to these locations in order to build nests because they like to go as deep as they can.
The process is somewhat different from the usual boring into wood or other objects, but the more the bees establish their nests in underground spaces, the more the surrounding areas deteriorate and become infested.
Therefore, always look for indications of bumble bee activity in underground holes. Bee sightings or buzzing sounds are typical indicators of this. The next step is getting rid of bumble bees if you've found them on your property in underground spaces.
The following are ways to get rid of boring bumble bees:
Since soapy water coats insects' bodies and prevents them from flying, which causes them to suffocate, it is frequently used to get rid of insects.
To have the greatest impact, you should spray the bees with the soapy water directly. Because bumble bees are naturally attracted to mint, a solution of soapy water and mint kills bees in the ground. Due to the long-lasting mint odor in the hole, this ensures that the area is uninhabitable for re-infestation.
If vinegar is on hand, you can use that instead of soap since it works similarly. You can prepare a 1:1 solution of vinegar and water for the best results. Because of its potent scent, vinegar may also be used in place of peppermint oil.
The best time to complete this process is after dark, when the bees are sleeping, to prevent an attack.
Use protective clothing to take precautions, such as long sleeves, long pants, goggles, bee hats, closed-toe shoes, etc.
There are numerous bumble bee species that are in danger of extinction, but it is still possible to do so without harming them.
You can get rid of boring bumble bees by using bee repelling substances, though it might not work. Bees can be repelled naturally by mixing water with cinnamon, peppermint oil, and garlic.
In order to get the bumble bees out of the ground and stop them from reinfesting, you can also spray the mixture into the hole and at the entrance.
If there are several nests in the same area, bumble bees that nest in the ground can be quite dangerous. It is dangerous to have tens of colonies underground because a colony can only hold about forty to fifty bumble bees.
Consider hearing a loud, persistent buzzing sound in a specific area that is coming from below the ground. Then it's time to act and get rid of bumble bees as soon as you can. You can quickly and successfully accomplish this using insecticides.
Because of the residue that they leave behind, insecticide dust is beneficial for the ground nests of bumble bees. Long after the bees have died, the dust will stay on the ground and stop a re-infestation.
Bumble bee removal can be accomplished by spraying insecticides in a sizable enclosed space, but it can also be risky. To avoid disturbing the bees, do it at night when they are sleeping and wear protective clothing.
It is best to move any toys, belongings, and pets as far away from the area as you can before performing this task.
When you are scared or worried about the potential repercussions if something goes wrong, getting rid of bumble bees on your own can be quite intimidating, terrifying, and even ineffective.
The good news is that you don't have to do it yourself because there are professionals who are knowledgeable about bumble bee removal. When it is challenging to locate the bumblebee nest or you have an allergy to bee venom or stings, the experts who specialize in removing bumble bees can also be helpful.
These experts will eliminate the bumble bees thanks to their extensive training, credentials, knowledge, setup, setup, equipment, and heavy-duty protective clothing.
Home/property visitation will perform their duties, and it is done for a fee. The experts to contact when eradicating ground-nesting bumble bees are pest control businesses and beekeepers.
Bumble bees are also most likely killed by insecticides or other strong chemicals when pest control companies are involved.
Beekeepers, on the other hand, are more likely to keep the nest intact and move the bees to other suitable locations without harming them.
However, because the nests are underground, this is dependent on how easily accessible they are. You can choose which experts to hire based on your intentions toward the bees.
Before making any decisions regarding the hiring of professionals, be sure to investigate their credentials and history and to ask questions. Those close to you might suggest the beekeepers or the local pest control company. You should get in touch with them as long as their reviews are favorable.
Also Read How to Get Rid of the Following Species:
Animals:
Although bumble bees generally avoid people and other animals and are calm, they can become aggressive when threatened.
This article examined bumble bees and how, despite being helpful, they can be dangerous.
The article also covered how to get rid of bumble bees from your property, what attracts them, and how to avoid an infestation.
We hoped you found it to be interesting.
Non-toxic liquids that repel bees include solutions of water with citrus oil or almond oil. To entice the bees to leave the nest, spray some liquid around the bee holes. Play loud music with the speakers close to the area of infestation for a couple of days to scare away bees because loud noises and vibrations are known to do so.
Some of the most effective natural bee repellents include citrus, cinnamon, cloves, and garlic. To get rid of the bumble bee, scatter them throughout your home and garden. Insect repellent essential oils are another natural property.