How to deal with ground bees/mining bees in Suffolk (house, construction)

[Glad2BHere]

Has anyone ever had a problem with ground bees/digger/mining bees? They look like honeybees but are blacker in the stinger area. Well they have made a home outside my house. We have probably over 50 anthill tunnels outside the front of our home that we see the bees go in and out of. Last year there were just a few and then they went away in about 4 weeks after they first appeared. Maybe only 1 or so got into my home. And last year we weren't really sure last year if they were coming from the ground or just liked one shrub by our window. Well this year we are sure...there are so many! And unfortunately some of them are getting into my home so I am trying to figure out how to tackle this before someone gets hurt. I know they say to water the area to discourage them and also mulch it. We did not realize these conditions (dry sandy soil and no plants or mulch) made the area attractive to them until reading about it just this week. And yes, that area is bare and very sandy and very dry so we know what is attracting them. So not sure if it's too late to address until they leave for the season (we read 4-6 weeks, and last year they did literally disappear in about 5 weeks). I fear if I address them now (flooding the area with water, etc) that I will drive them into my home since somehow there are some getting in. There are just so many outside the front of my home that I imagine some are getting confused in their underground tunnels and somehow making it in. Or are getting under my siding. I found a few in my basement and a few in my home so far. Not sure if the ones from the basement are making their way up or the ones in my home are coming in through cracks around the window (we caulked just the other day to help hopefully) or getting into the ceiling and coming in through high hats. But I can't figure out how they are getting in so not sure how to stop them.

I am in Western Suffolk, any recommendations appreciated and just wondering what can be done b/c I am afraid if I water the area and saturate it, or mulch it, I might drive more bees to go further underground and get into my home.

[Galicia#1]

I had a bunch of these last year while doing construction and the grounds not finished. These were pretty large about the length of a cork. I was able to take care of them with a tennis racket and blowtorch.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by Galicia#1

I had a bunch of these last year while doing construction and the grounds not finished. These were pretty large about the length of a cork. I was able to take care of them with a tennis racket and blowtorch.

I think those are more of the carpenter bee kind. These are smaller, a little bigger than a honeybee or so. I have read about those as well, but these are different I think. And there are just so many, at least 50 -100 tunnels I guess.

[dman72]

Not that this probably helps much, but everything I just read online about these guys seems to say they are pretty much harmless and will probably go away soon. Also, they are beneficial bees, not wasps which basically should be annihilated. .

You could just wait for the activity to die down and then flood everything and put some plants in..or you could just do that now if you hate the environment . .

Most likely they are getting into your house through cracks or sneaking into open doors.

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by dman72

Not that this probably helps much, but everything I just read online about these guys seems to say they are pretty much harmless and will probably go away soon. Also, they are beneficial bees, not wasps which basically should be annihilated. .

You could just wait for the activity to die down and then flood everything and put some plants in..or you could just do that now if you hate the environment . .

Most likely they are getting into your house through cracks or sneaking into open doors.

I also read that females only sting and males cannot. But since we are finding them in our home (one was one our couch last night) it would be pretty easy to sit on one and get stung in that manner, or step on one, etc. When they were just outside, I let them be. But now that they are getting in and we have to be afraid to walk barefoot in our own house or check our couch or bed before we use it, that's a nuisance. Also I have no clue if any of us are allergic. We have never been stung.

[OhBeeHave]

My dog had an allergic reaction to one. I chased him from their holes, he insisted on sniffing. Grrrrrr.

[Peter B]

Get two or three cans of Raid Wasp & Hornet killer, wait 'til the bees are not active ( early morning or just after sunset ), and empty the cans into the holes. Has worked every time I had a ground bee/yellow jacket issue

[Glad2BHere]

Originally Posted by Peter B

Get two or three cans of Raid Wasp & Hornet killer, wait 'til the bees are not active ( early morning or just after sunset ), and empty the cans into the holes. Has worked every time I had a ground bee/yellow jacket issue

I dont think it is the type that have one main hive underground (like wasps). I read these are solitary bees, with each hole having one bee that was from an egg laid there. I think we have a good 100 holes. So it's not like I can drop a bomb down one hole and get them all, kwim?

[kayfouroh]

They are creatures of the animal kingdom. Don't go commiting insecticide. These wonderful creatures are innocent.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2

[AndreaII]

I called Terminix for our ground bees. At the time I thought we had yellowjackets - they look almost the same as ground bees.

I was told by Terminix that they were ground bees, they don't have a nest anywhere, don't have stingers, and are good for the environment. Terminix wouldn't touch them to get rid of them. The bees disappeared in about 2 weeks, but each year they come back roughly around the same time of season and in the same spot on our property.