How can I get rid of the bees that just invaded my little frog habitat?
For months, I've been watching the tadpoles grow, and the mosquito fish swim in a tiny 3-foot long by 10-inch wide by ten inch deep "frog habitat".
I stuffed an old blouse and put reeds in there and kept the water level high and frogs found it. So did the mosquitoes so I added two mosquito fish to control the larvae.
Everything was fine until the bees found it. Now they buzz around so much that I'm afraid to watch over my little tadpoles.
How can I get rid of the bees w/o killing the frogs and fish? (What are the bees doing there anyway; it doesn't take all day to drink!)
Sorry I can't tell you how to suppress your bee problem; just wanted to congratulate you on your good fortune in your little froggie world there.
Many years ago I was lucky enough to enjoy a similar accidental ecosystem, in Arizona of all places, under a dripping hose bib that created a tiny little pond that became home to tadpoles. Enjoy it while it lasts!
It may be that the 'bees' if they indeed are actual bees may be looking for water. So suggest place some water somewhere else convenient to them but out of your way! Higher up on a shed roof for example. BTW congratulations on being interested in the frogs etc. Well done. We had a question today on a local news group about controlling mosquitoes/midges using some sort of laser device! Alternatives could be wasps or bats; both of which consume mosquitoes!
If they are Honey bees, don't kill them. Honey bees are necessary for almost everything you eat, or plant, and they are dying off for some reason. Google them if you don't know the difference between them and Wasps. Unless they are africanized honey bees, they are not aggressive unless you disturb their nests. If you have swarms of them, call a local beekeeper. He will remove the nest. Beekeepers rent out their bees for pollination of commercial farms.
the bees are unlikely to be any kind of trouble to you if you don't swat at them.
just observe them as you would your tadpoles and you may be surprised. :)
for many years i have grown a large patch of cosmos and i'm out there sometimes thinning or harvesting seeds or taking pictures and the various bees, hornets, wasps, etc. have never stung me more than one time and that was because i didn't see that i had grabbed a flower along with some seeds and that flower had a small bumblebee on it. this is despite the fact that more times than not i am surrounded by bees and have them within inches of my face or hands... of course i do not move fast or thrash things around, but overall i am not being super cautious either, just being generally aware and not swatting and making sure to not wear things that bees can accidentally fly in and get caught. oh and i don't usually wear anything that smells like flowers either. :)
remember for most bees the sting is fatal to the bee. they don't use it lightly. hornets and wasps are other things (and they do use them more willingly), but they still generally don't hang around water to defend it like they would their nests.
so basically, if there is no nesting going on around that water/pond then it's pretty unlikely you will be stung as an observer if you are not swatting at or grabbing the bees/hornets...
First, unless your allergic, getting stung by a bee isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was. I didn't get stung until I was 27, nad it wasn't bad, and that was inside my mouth, my cheek. He flew in while I was eating. It only hurt for about 10 minutes and not much even then. I used to be so scared but now I let them fly around me when thy're around and I hven't been stung again in 35 years.
For some reason this occurs to me. I haven't tried it. How about a vacuum cleaner with a hose. Hold the hose near them and suck them in. Rubber band a cover over the hose before turning off the vaccum. Later take the vacuum far away and take the cover off the hose. Or suck up something to kill them, but there is a shortage of bees these days. Hive Disappearnace Syndrome. OTOH, maybe not where you live and it's not like they're going to ride the rails looking for work in California.
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