You dig a hole and the bees move in...

[Bitpipe]

Had to dig down a few feet in a to-be turfed area next to house to sort plumbing for a garden tap. 

 

While the hole was open, a colony bees has moved in, digging a little tunnel for themselves.

 

Not really a nuisance and happy to have them in the garden but when I fill in the hole & turf over they'll be a bit shagged so wondering what the best option is?

[Declan52]

Petrol and a match.

[jack]

4 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

Petrol and a match.

 

But bees are nice 

[Bitpipe]

1 minute ago, jack said:

 

But bees are nice 

 

Agree, I think they're miner bees which are non social (i.e. its not a hive but lots of individual queens). Apparently the males of some species are stingless but don't want to find out.

 

I think they just hatch a few eggs and then bugger off - If it gets too damp for them they tend to move out so maybe i'll put the sprinkler on them if they're still there when I need to work on that area.

[Bitpipe]

8 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

Petrol and a match.

 

Spoken like a true Norn Iron man Declan   

 

Seemed to be the solution to most things in Derry in the 70s & 80s ...

[A_L]

13 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

 

Agree, I think they're miner bees which are non social (i.e. its not a hive but lots of individual queens). Apparently the males of some species are stingless but don't want to find out.

 

I think they just hatch a few eggs and then bugger off - If it gets too damp for them they tend to move out so maybe i'll put the sprinkler on them if they're still there when I need to work on that area.

 

I think males of all bees are stingless, certainly hive and bumblebees are. No room for stings and reproductive organs in the abdomen.  You are unlikely to encounter many though, mating requires fatal disruption of abdomen.

 

They lay a few eggs in tube like structures and seal them over and then start on a new tube, usually immediately close by. Yes they do like hot dry conditions.

[vivienz]

Could you attach some sort of tube to where they've dug their own tunnel and fill in around it to give them access whilst the next is there?  The tube could be removed and filled in at the end of the season.

[jamiehamy]

@Bitpipecan you get any close ups of them? Could be Mason bees or carder bees looking for somewhere to rear queens - they won't stay there forever but maybe a couple of months. I administer the Facebook page for our local Beekeepers association and had lots of enquiries like this last year - they are completely harmless, I usually suggest just leave them - if in a porch or garage, make sure they can get in and out (otherwise you will get problems), if in the grass, put a table of chair over the nest until they are gone - they can come and go and no-one will step on them. You can sit pretty much next to them and watch all the comings and goings! 

 

Or you could get rid of them which would be a shame! However you're on your own - few pest companies or local authorities will destroy bees nests. 

[Declan52]

58 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

 

Spoken like a true Norn Iron man Declan   

 

Seemed to be the solution to most things in Derry in the 70s & 80s ...

Old habits die hard. Can't stand bees or wasps.

[Bitpipe]

19 minutes ago, Declan52 said:

Old habits die hard. Can't stand bees or wasps.

 

Until I had kids I was the same - famously as a teenager I once jumped into the path of an Ulsterbus to escape a wasp - luckily it was going slow enough to avoid me

 

I didn't want to pass on the fear so learned to be chilled out and now am not bothered by either.

[Bitpipe]

47 minutes ago, jamiehamy said:

@Bitpipecan you get any close ups of them? Could be Mason bees or carder bees looking for somewhere to rear queens - they won't stay there forever but maybe a couple of months. I administer the Facebook page for our local Beekeepers association and had lots of enquiries like this last year - they are completely harmless, I usually suggest just leave them - if in a porch or garage, make sure they can get in and out (otherwise you will get problems), if in the grass, put a table of chair over the nest until they are gone - they can come and go and no-one will step on them. You can sit pretty much next to them and watch all the comings and goings! 

 

Or you could get rid of them which would be a shame! However you're on your own - few pest companies or local authorities will destroy bees nests. 

 

Very happy to live and let live as they're not really bothering us but at some point we'll need to fill in the holes and turf over so will see what can be done. Caught one inside yesterday and released - next time will try and take a pic.

[Declan52]

5 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

 

Until I had kids I was the same - famously as a teenager I once jumped into the path of an Ulsterbus to escape a wasp - luckily it was going slow enough to avoid me

 

I didn't want to pass on the fear so learned to be chilled out and now am not bothered by either.

Should have hijacked it and left it sideways across a roundabout on fire.

[Bitpipe]

4 hours ago, Declan52 said:

Should have hijacked it and left it sideways across a roundabout on fire.

 

This is why we can't have nice things. I remember watching (form a distance) a local 'lad' in his balaclava waiting for the bus to arrive to hijack it.

 

It was running late and before he could accomplish the mission, his ma called him in for tea.

[Declan52]

41 minutes ago, Bitpipe said:

 

This is why we can't have nice things. I remember watching (form a distance) a local 'lad' in his balaclava waiting for the bus to arrive to hijack it.

 

It was running late and before he could accomplish the mission, his ma called him in for tea.

Sure his ma would have beat him harder for missing his tea than if he had got caught hijacking the bus.