LynnF Posted August 9, 2009 Posted August 9, 2009 Help! I have a bee's nest underground right beside my front porch. It's a bee's nest, not a wasp nest. We got some foam and have sprayed the crap out of the crack and surrounding area to try and seal it but all we've done now is seal it up and made a whole bunch of bees really mad who want to get back in. Can't even walk out the front door. Any suggestions, short of hiring an exterminator, are much appreciated. The exterminator route is a last resort. Oh...and please don't suggest what the 12 year old at Home Depot did: put on a snowsuit and whack the *hit out of the nest with a stick. So helpful. Quote
theiceman2 Posted August 9, 2009 Posted August 9, 2009 The thing I have noticed in the past few years the government has been removing the really strong chemicals from the hardware stores. YOu can still buy a water based product called Ambush. You dilute it in water and can either apply via a pressurized garden sprayer, or just mix up a bucket and dump it on the crack. I think its $13 for a jar that makes 10 gallons and its water based so it will not go into the food chain like the old insecticides (IE DDT). This stuff is made for shrubbs veggies and garden application. I just took care of a nasty hornets nest under my front stem this morning. Spray the *hit out of it and cover the crack before you go to bed. If that doesn't work my next guess would be the stick Good Luck Quote
Wolfie Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 not doubting you but what type of 'bee', if it is bubble bees...no worries, honey bee..hmm..but if it is "yellow jackets" spray with..'hornet's Spray'...BUT...ONLY when the lights go out...then seal it up!..............Wolfie Quote
LynnF Posted August 10, 2009 Author Posted August 10, 2009 it would appear that Raid fly and mosquito killer seems to do the trick. Just might need a few cans - and you pretty much gotta be in the danger zone to use it LOL Hopefully the foam keeps them from coming out and kills them - but I'm not optimistic. My SIL told me her nest chewed threw foam and duct tape before they made their great escape. Quote
murray Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 it would appear that Raid fly and mosquito killer seems to do the trick. Just might need a few cans - and you pretty much gotta be in the danger zone to use it LOL Hopefully the foam keeps them from coming out and kills them - but I'm not optimistic. My SIL told me her nest chewed threw foam and duct tape before they made their great escape. Lynn, a few years ago, we had a wasp nest in the foam insulation of our hot tub. Our solution was to call an exterminator to deal with it. This was after lots of unsuccessfull attempts ourselves. The reason for my message isd to suggest what the exterminator guy told us. He said that the spray, foam oven cleaner is made from similar stuff they sell under the name of wasp killer. The good thing is that it;s cheaper too. Good luck on the Bees Lynn. Murray Quote
maxwell Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 just blast teh sh*t out of it with a garden hose! can u get too it sorta? Quote
SupremeLeader Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 There is a shortage of bee's in the world; use the back door. Quote
Hawgstoppah Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 Had the same thing happen in our place, there was a underground nest in there somewhere... what I did was all of what you tried to no success... until I poured BOILING water down the hole they lived at, in the winter. Prob could have opned that puppy up and made some of those really neat ice cubes with bees in them, never saw them again! Quote
Meeks Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 I had an underground wasp population causing much grief. Tried the water hose, only result was more stinging. Got some wasp killer foam, which shoots about 6' with the nozzle tube. If you can get that close, spray the foam over the cracks they are using. Then wait a few minutes, the foam will thicken a bit and act as a barrier. Then put the nozzle tube through the foam into the crack and spray for awhile. This worked for my wasps. Quote
robert Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 First of all, if you have honey bees, do call a bee keeper - most will gladly take them off your hands. Bees seem to be dying off over the last few years and nobody really understands why. They are one of the most beneficial creatures on the earth due to the pollenation they do to produce the foods we eat. If it's anything other than bees, try this. It's very safe and it works. you'll get a laugh at it too. My ex had 2 wasp nests in her back yard - seemed like overnight the nests got huge. There was one in the corner of the house where the concrete had a crack in it - the other was in a brick retaining wall. Tried everything from sprays to filling it in, nothing worked. Here's what you do: Take a regular pop bottle, cut the top off where it curves to the full width of the bottle. Now you have a funnel. Get a shop vac, that funnel you made should fit in the end of the hose, tape it off so it doesn't come out. If you have a few hoses you can tape together, all the better, more distance between shop vac and funnel. Put a few inches of water in the shop vac and a teaspoon or so of dish detergent. Get the funnel as close as you can to the opening of the nest - do it at night time while they are quiet. come morning when the bees/wasps are fully active, just turn the shop vac on, sit back with a beer and enjoy the show. They will come out of the nest to attack the funnel and get sucked right in. You'll have to leave the shop vac on for a while - then turn it off for a bit to let them settle, then back on. It's fun to watch from a distance - no stings involved. I've done this and was amazed at how many wasps got sucked up in no time and yes, the wasps will die in the shop vac - no worries about getting stung when pulling the top off. After you're satisfied enough wasps are gone, fill the holes with wasp killer and spray foam. Quote
Harps Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 I'd recommend leaving them alone or Bee keeper if it's bees. Hornets... shop vac idea sounds great. But... I really like the idea with the snowsuit... just set up a video camera before you do it! Reminds me of my childhood.... Quote
LynnF Posted August 10, 2009 Author Posted August 10, 2009 Funny about the Shop Vac idea - Mike had the same sort of idea! The hardened foam seems to be holding and I've only seen a couple flying around so I don't think they're getting out which is good. I don't think they're honey bees...their nest is underground somewhere. They are yellow and black with a red ass end - any idea what they are? But I did go buy some oven cleaner - was cheaper than another can of Raid - so thanks for that tip! Quote
bigbowtrout Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 what type of 'bee', if it is bubble bees.. What the hell is a bubble bee? http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/g2/bubble.htm Quote
Harps Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 There are species of bumble bees with orange marks... Carpenter bees too. Quote
kipper Posted August 10, 2009 Posted August 10, 2009 HINT: always wait until after dark to spray the nest as they will all have returned for the night. If you spray during daylight hours you have a whole bunch of pi**ed off wasps coming back and no where for them to go. Been there done that. Quote
Guest girlsfishtoo Posted August 12, 2009 Posted August 12, 2009 Some great ideas and I like the shop vac one. If anyone reading this is having wasps problems, a few years ago had an issue with wasps in the back yard and under the deck. I hung a few plastic wasp traps in the trees, bought at Co-op Hardware I think?, that you put a can of orange pop or sugar water in and the wasps go in the top and then they can't fly back out. The trap had 100's of wasps in it in no time. Eliminated the wasps. LynnF I hope you are able to use your front step soon! Quote
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