All About Ground Bees
Many people experience a situation in which their landscape has ground bees. These bees are often found as a result of their multiple mounds throughout your yard. They can also been seen flying nearby. Identifying and exterminating these bees is not always recommended since they are relatively harmless. Throughout this article we will explore all you need to know about these ground bees.
Believe it or not, these bees are solitary creatures; as a result, your yard will only have one bee per mound. Therefore, unless your yard has multiple different mounds it is very likely that only one or two bees are living nearby. There is not one single way to identify these bees because they come in a variety of different colors and can be anywhere up to three-quarters of an inch long. Another situation that makes these bees a bit harder to identify is that some wasps build mounds and live individually within them as well. Wasps are more harmful and more likely to sting than your typical ground bee (mining bees or digger bees). It is important to note that some people refer to bumblebees, hornets, and a variety of wasps as ground bees.
Even though these nests within the ground are used for only one bee or wasp, the females do raise their young here as well. Therefore, if the bees are breeding there may be a mother and multiple smaller bees within the same mound. Despite their annoyance in digging up your yard, they are relatively tame bees that do not present much of a problem. Not only are they unlikely to sting; you are probably able to mow the grass and manage your yard without having to worry about these bees. However, if you or someone with your family is allergic to bees, extermination may be recommended to minimize the likelihood of being stung.
Again, unless allergies are the issue it is best to allow these bees to be around for a month to two months since they tend to disappear after this time period. These ground bees may actually be beneficial for pollinating surrounding plants and combating insects that are harmful to your plants. However, if extermination is deemed necessary as a result of allergies, be sure to use cultural controls instead of ones that are chemically-based. You are likely to control these bees by watering the surrounding soil one time a week in the absence of rain. You can also minimize your infestation by increasing the thickness of the surrounding grass or by using mulch. The use of pesticides is far more harmful than putting up with these bees for up to two months a year.
However, if you must use pesticides it is recommended that you use the dust forms. Check out where the entrance to their nests are and apply the dust (such as carbaryl or bendiocarb). These should be applied instead of liquid forms that moisten the soil. If you are allergic to bees please seek a professional to do the dusting instead of risking your health.
In conclusion, these ground bees prove to be relatively tame and are unlikely to cause a great disturbance to you and your family. The bees tend to only be around for up to two months and are actually beneficial to pollination and fighting off bad insects. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you let nature take its course and resume your daily life like they do not exist. However, if these mounds are within a playground area in which children are likely to be stung or present a problem to those with allergies, it is recommended that natural extermination procedures be administered before resulting in pesticides.
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