Bees, Hornets, Wasps - Central Valley living near Almond Orchards (house, buy)

[HeadShotSRQ]

We are moving and considering some places which are right next to almond orchards and wondering if there will be heinous pest problems with the various bees that come to the flowering trees.

We would like to be able to go out in our yard and sit - or maybe have a BBQ or walk the dog without getting attacked.

Does anyone have real world experience with this either way?

[DCMann2]

Leave them alone and you'll be fine. Bees are defensive of their nests and wasps are not interested in you.

[HeadShotSRQ]

Thanks DC - in my experience it's not the case that they are not interested/leave people alone.

Ask my husband who had a wasp fly up the leg of his shorts while golfing - or my son who was similarly attacked up the shorts and stung dozens of time by a hornet at an outdoor BBQ - or my golden retriever who was outright attacked by a hornet without warning - or the time I was stung by a wasp for just opening my mailbox. Each of these there was no intrusion or reason other than these demons invade spaces far from their nests and gleefully sting anything that moves.

[gemstone1]

True bees, aka honey bees do not have "nests"...they are referred to as hives. Yellowjackets, are sometimes confused with bees because they are similar in shape to a honey bee do live in underground nests. These critters can be aggressive usually in the fall when they are foraging (like at a picnic), or when someone gets close to the nest opening in the ground...like when mowing the grass. Wasps and hornets can be aggressive, when surprised, or when you get too close to their "nest". I recall entering on old house used as hay storage in AR, and being nailed three times in the back of the head in the blink of an eye because I had invaded the space where their nest was...just above the door. Something every telephone man can relate to...and one place I always used caution was the when I was up a pole, about to enter the termination boot...wasps loved them for their nest...nothing is more of a surprise than opening the boot at eye/chest level, when standing 20'+ off the ground on a set of hooks and being attacked by angry wasps....and having nowhere to run. For the most part, when stung by an insect, you are seen by them as the aggressor and their action is purely defensive.....but there are exceptions.
Living close to almond orchards should be of no concern, honey bees are busy pollinating the flowers and are flying to and from the hive to orchard way above your height, and they are only concerned with foraging. Search out a local beekeeper and ask if you can observe some of his/her hives and the coming/going of the bees...they are amazing creatures.

Regards
Gemstone1

[evening sun]

We lived near many orchards for a while, & never even saw a bee. The flies were more bothersome.

[janellen]

My late husband was a beekeeper so I'm used to having bees around. I still let one of his friends put 400 hives on the back part of my land. He'll be moving them out to the almonds in another couple of weeks. They can be a pain when they're first moved in from his place in Colorado because they're thirsty. They clog up my water bowls for my animals even though I run water for them out by their hives. After a few days they settle down and I rarely see one. They sure do keep out trespassers, lol. Domestic bees are pretty docile.



Wasps are a different story. They're a nasty piece of work.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by HeadShotSRQ

We are moving and considering some places which are right next to almond orchards and wondering if there will be heinous pest problems with the various bees that come to the flowering trees.

We would like to be able to go out in our yard and sit - or maybe have a BBQ or walk the dog without getting attacked.

Does anyone have real world experience with this either way?

You could get one of those square-shaped cloth-roofed pavilion things for the yard, that create an instant gazebo, and attach mosquito netting to the sides, that could be rolled down when you're sitting in it...

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by HeadShotSRQ

Thanks DC - in my experience it's not the case that they are not interested/leave people alone.

Ask my husband who had a wasp fly up the leg of his shorts while golfing - or my son who was similarly attacked up the shorts and stung dozens of time by a hornet at an outdoor BBQ - or my golden retriever who was outright attacked by a hornet without warning - or the time I was stung by a wasp for just opening my mailbox. Each of these there was no intrusion or reason other than these demons invade spaces far from their nests and gleefully sting anything that moves.

There were reasons for these attacks. You just didn't understand what they were. All of them sound defensive to me. A wasp or hornet (ie yellow jacket) out foraging, investigating someone and getting caught in clothing would probably sting. A dog wandering near the entrance to a hornet's nest would probably be attacked. Same thing for you at a mailbox. The insects risk injury or being killed when they sting an intruder. They don't take the risk without a good reason.

If you want less risk of being stung, buy a house with a screened in porch and have your BBQs there. The heat and cooking odors can attract yellow jackets and wasps.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

There were reasons for these attacks. You just didn't understand what they were. All of them sound defensive to me. A wasp or hornet (ie yellow jacket) out foraging, investigating someone and getting caught in clothing would probably sting. A dog wandering near the entrance to a hornet's nest would probably be attacked. Same thing for you at a mailbox. The insects risk injury or being killed when they sting an intruder. They don't take the risk without a good reason.

If you want less risk of being stung, buy a house with a screened in porch and have your BBQs there. The heat and cooking odors can attract yellow jackets and wasps.

Heh. Insects don’t “reason” ... they react. But I agree with your observations and advice.

[JGC97]

Nothing will bring wasps faster than a steak cooking on the grill. Wasps are everywhere, not just around orchards. I live in the burbs and every year they try to build a nest under the eaves. Wasp and hornet killer spray takes care of them super fast.