Underground Bees Nest

BrtnDan · Addict Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 609

Was mowing the lawn the other day, when I drove over a bees nest.

That hurt.

Was wondering if anyone has any experience getting rid of these nests. I shot Raid into the nest last night, and covered it with a rock, but they found another way out. I obviously need to keep looking for other holes, but any other ideas short of burning my entire lawn would be appreciated.

dbismyname · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 7:38 am Post subject:

there is a foam you spray. They're yellow jackets. they'll hit you like a bullet and just stick in. Very painful. The foam has like a 10 ft stream and you should be able to wipe em out.

nmballa · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 7:40 am Post subject:

Find several of the wholes, drop smoke bombs downs, and cover. If you see smoke coming up anywhere throw some dirt over the hole to cover it. Once you get a couple of the holes covered I would think that should suffocate them.

boardordie · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 7:42 am Post subject:

Is it honey bees?

If not diesel fuel and a match! Twisted Evil

If it is honey bees... look in the local phonebook for bee keepers. They'll come out and collect all the bees for free. Typically they'll even leave you a jar of honey.
The honey bee populations world wide are extremely low and exterminators are not allowed to kill the bees anymore. Bee keepers are reporting populations of 100,000 bees in a colony dying off to 10,000 bees in a matter of weeks with no causes known. The big concern is the pollination these bees help perform is not getting done due to the lower bee population. Wild flowers and fruit bearing trees might start to disappear with the bees. Shocked

dbismyname · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 7:53 am Post subject:

Prob not honey bees. Only bees I've dealt with in holes like that have been yellow jackets.

finkle · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 22 Sep 2003 Posts: 4067

I have never seen a honeybee hive underground.

Yeah, haven't you seen Bee Movie? If there aren't honeybees pollinating the plants there could be issues. Seriously though.

Honestly my first idea was diesel fuel as well. It's cheap, effective, and fun.

tball · Wakeboarder.com Freak Joined: 24 Feb 2004 Posts: 3953

I have been through this. I initially thought they were bees, but I think they were yellow-jacket type wasps. I was stung about 12 times. After trying to get rid of them with insecticides (none completely got rid of them), I used about a cup of gasoline, let it soak in, and lit it with a long burning stick. I used a rake to turn the dirt over (be careful, obviously). I found an underground hive the size of a hockey puck about 3 inches below the surface. F**kers.

Anyway, they haven't come back.

BrtnDan · Addict Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 609

They're Yellow Jackets.

I got stung 6-8 times in a 5 second period while mowing the lawn. 20 minutes later got stung again in my house by one who hitched a ride in my shorts. Not happy at all.

I may just call Terminex.

jryoung · Ladies Man Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 7664 City: Man Jose

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

The $65/mo I pay my gardener just keeps looking better and better! Shocked

TnR6Rida · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 8:52 am Post subject:

Gasoline

dbismyname · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 9:01 am Post subject:

yeah I hit a hive with a trencher, when you slice open the entire nest they can hit you like 8 times in the legs before you even understand what's happenin Crying or Very sad

Also not good to yell holy chit in front of the customer. But he understood my reasoning when he got hit too Laughing

He had a problem with them because he already had a can of the foam stuff. It worked in about 15 mins I was able to go back to the trencher and start right where I left off with no problems. Would have been nice if he'd of let me know about the pre-existing condition BEFORE I trenched Rolling Eyes

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

dbismyname · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 9:12 am Post subject:

I have even worse wasp story but can't type it now. I am forever left with a wasp complex. If I see wasps flyin around a shed or some area, I steer clear.

ontrider · Ladies Man Joined: 30 Jul 2003 Posts: 16491 City: Russia

Hollywood · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 11:25 am Post subject:

Damnit that sucked when it happened to me too. Running around the yard like a frickin' idiot kicking and punching. Then 2 weeks later it happened at a different yard, the handle bumped into a bird house that was filled with bees.

BrtnDan · Addict Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 609

Skwake · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 3:39 pm Post subject:

we had a really bad problem with european wasps in my city a few years back, I hate those things more than any spider or snake!!! Evil or Very Mad

Luckily our bumblebee numbers have increased and that seemed to kill off the wasps a bit. ( I'm pretty sure they kill them somehow?)
We had a nest in our backyard that was bigger than a wheelbarrow after we dug it up!!

Skwake · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 3:42 pm Post subject:

this is the little bastards im talking about! I hate them!!!!! arrrrrrrrrrr!! Evil or Very Mad

Aubs · Motorboat Queen Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9167

I got stung in the a$$ once by a yellow jacket. Hurt like hell.

Ohioboarder · Addict Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 520 City: Over there

I walked through a yellow jacket nest while cutting up a tree with a chain saw one day. I looked down and had 8-10 stuck into my jeans and there were more swarming. I ended up dropping the saw and running swatting them off of my pants legs as I went.

Dave Twisted Evil

Junkee · Posted: Jul 24, 2009 5:41 pm Post subject:

WilsonH · Posted: Jul 25, 2009 12:08 pm Post subject:

I laughed so hard at this thread. Bee stings are HILARIOUS just because they suck so bad.

latergutgert · Criminal Joined: 24 Jul 2009 Posts: 54 City: ORL

Ontrider that video is hilarious!

jjaszkow · Posted: Jul 26, 2009 7:34 pm Post subject:

I hate these things so much. Last year they decided to build a nest in one of the exterior basement walls of my house. Paying the exterminator to kill them all off was money well spent. Didn't get stung once. They somehow got into the house after the exterminator killed the hive, so I had to spend the evening making sure our pets didn't eat any of the poisened yellow jackets.

pyrocasto · Posted: Jul 26, 2009 9:13 pm Post subject:

Wow, I just got stung on a 200 yard trip on my motorcycle today. Not really allergic to bees but my arm has been swollen for 10 hours now. Got some benadryl in me though so hopefully I'll be good in the morning. Mad

Aubs · Motorboat Queen Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9167

Junkee - That'd be kinda sad if your comparing a bee stinger to your....

wsuwakeboarder · Posted: Jul 27, 2009 6:34 am Post subject:

BrtnDan, I use a 2:1 of dish washing liquid (like dawn) and water, I have only used this on nests above ground but i am sure if you dump a lot on it should do it. The soap and water seizes them up, they can't fly and they suffocate.

dbismyname · Posted: Jul 27, 2009 7:30 am Post subject:

Junkee · Posted: Jul 27, 2009 9:17 am Post subject:

Aubs well played.... well played..

churchy · Posted: Jul 27, 2009 9:24 am Post subject:

BrtnDan · Addict Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 609

Bit the bullet and hired Terminex.

Now I get to sit back on my porch with a beer and watch a massacre. So pumped.

chavez · RIP MHL 04/25/1958 - 01/11/2006

churchy, it's pu$$y magnet yellow.

Aubs · Motorboat Queen Joined: 12 Jan 2003 Posts: 9167

churchy - he borrowed it from Flixmaster for a while...

8824 · Posted: Sep 09, 2009 11:35 am Post subject:

Just found one of these underground hives, how can I tell if they are honey or yellow jackets?