Problem Bumble Bees in Fall

We've had some sort of big bee colony burrowing under our garden shed for the past several years, and though I treated it somewhat successfully a few years ago, I can't remember what the name of the dust I used on it was. I got it at a Pest Removal store now long out of business, and the only other Pesticide places around now won't sell to the public, ie, they have to come and do it for you at great cost. They also won't tell me what I need or where I can get the small can of dust that I used before. I know it was made by Wilson, and that the Pest store sold me a little accordian plastic bottle to puff the dust into the bees' burrows. Is there some kind of similar product I can buy at a Home Depot type store that will do the same job? I remember the dust worked pretty well, but required several applications, and after the bees were gone for a couple of years, I sort of let it slide- but now they're back with a vengence.

I assume these are bumblebees and not carpenter bees (?), because they're making holes in the dirt/ground around the bottom of the shed, and not right through the wood. There's a large gap under the whole shed floor that is only filled with concrete dust/light gravel, so there's still lots of room for anything to get in under the subfloor. Probably around 3-4"s.

The problem is, the shed is in a very small, enclosed area at the side of the house, and since it's now October, I can't wait any longer to start to clean it out and prepare to load the winter storage items in it. But every time I step into the shed near the door, the bees come flying out from their burrows right at us, and we've been stung a couple of times, espc. since there's little room for us to move around and get through. Even walking by the side of the shed, without going into it, is difficult, because the bees will still come out as you walk by.

We probably would have been stung even more if we had tried to access the shed more often, but the bees are definitely keeping us away. Shouldn't the little devils be closing up shop by now, since it's October? I know we've had some pretty warm days this Fall (Zone 4 or 5 Ontario/Quebec border), but what is the lifespan of these things?

Reply to
weft2
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Reply to
JoeSpareBedroom

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"Control"If ground-nesting bees and wasps can be ignored and their tunnels tolerated, do so since they are valuable in agricultural production and helpful by controlling pests in nature. If nests are in locations undesirable and stinging is a great possibility, control is justified. During the day, carefully watch where the nest entrances are located. After dark, tunnels and the surrounding area can be treated with dusts of carbaryl (Sevin), bendiocarb (Ficam D) or diazinon when the nest is in the ground. Use pyrethrins, permethrin, resmethrin or propoxur (Baygon) when the nest is in the side of a building. Other lawn and garden insecticide sprays can also be used, but dusts have the advantage of not soaking into the soil. Those who are allergic to bee stings, should contact a licensed, professional pest control operator to perform the control job. Always read the label and follow directions and safety precautions."

Reply to
told2b

you might want to read the thread on misc.consumers.house posted today entitled "Bee Wars - How I Won the War".. This person used one of those electronic bug zappers (the purple things that plug in and usually hang on the wall) to kill her entire swarm of bees (~500-600 of them).. All without using any pesticides, etc.. Perhaps this might work for you -- just be careful when you place the thing out and do it at night when they're (supposedly) sleeping.

Reply to
Rick F.

When you write "bumble bees" are you sure you're not referring to yellow jackets (a wasp)? Because yellow jackets have a nasty habit of burrowing near the base of a building.

Wasps bite and one can/will bite a number of times. Where bees use their stinger once and they're done.

Patrick

Reply to
NoOption5L

In article , snipped-for-privacy@aol.com says... :) weft2 wrote: :) :) When you write "bumble bees" are you sure you're not referring to :) yellow jackets (a wasp)? Because yellow jackets have a nasty habit of :) burrowing near the base of a building. Bumble bees usually are found low near the ground on nesting on the ground such as under sheds or under loose grass/leaf matter such as a pile of hay or an abandoned pile of leaves. :) Wasps bite and one can/will bite a number of times. Where bees use :) their stinger once and they're done.

Honey bees use their stinger once and are done...Bumble bees, as wasps can use their stingers multiple times.

Reply to
Lar

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