bumble bees

[mynewplace]

Are jousting over my deck. One seems to have laid claim to the area, and he's trying to run another one off. I FUCKING HATE bumble bees! And so does Scarlett - they terrify her. These are fucking huge, about an inch long and half that around. They give me the heebie-jeebies.

So now I can't go out on my deck. Goddamnbees. Does anybody know what I can use to get rid of them? I am NOT afraid to spray chemicals, if that's what it takes. BAH!

Comments

[sharkbait.livejournal.com]

We have what a friend called "wood bees" that buzz our deck constantly. The buggers look just like bumble bees but don't sting (so George the carpenter swears). They still annoy me to death though, I'm not a fan of having anything flying at me, stinger or not. LOL They're after the wood on the deck for their nests I assume, and I'd say somebody at Lowes could tell you what to put on it to make it non-attractive to them if nobody here has any ideas.

[sapphirescarlet.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm very interesting. I'll look into it. Thanks!

[sharkbait.livejournal.com]

I'll have to keep checking back here for replies, maybe I can get mine to not love the taste of my deck too.

Mine.. like they're MY bees... LOL maybe I just need to learn to love them? Become the crazy neighborhood bee-lady or something.. G**

[sapphirescarlet.livejournal.com]

Bah! NO WAY! Kill them all!!

Soon as you learn to love them, you'll find out George the carpenter was wrong, and they DO sting.

[sharkbait.livejournal.com]

LOL true! Thats the way my luck runs.. and then I'd have to hunt George down and kill him :)

[myroxylon.livejournal.com]

They gross me out..plus I'm scared of them touching me or stinging me...when I had this problem, I went to Lowe's and bought some chemical spray something or the other that an employee recommended and sprayed the shit out of my deck and grabbed my cats and stayed away from my deck for many hours.... didn't have bumble bee problems after that...

I also found this:

http://www.pestproducts.com/bumble-bee-control.htm

[sapphirescarlet.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm thinking they are actually wood bees, like sharkbait says. But there doesn't seem to be a nest nearby, just one bee, fighting off another. But I don't know, they don't look exactly like the bumble bees in the picture. They're bigger. And not as much yellow. So anyway, I'm going to treat my deck like you did. Maybe Thursday night, then we'll go out of town Friday morning. That will keep Ming inside all weekend, until the stuff dries.

[gymorama.livejournal.com]

I'm allergic so I have no qualms spraying them. just keep it away from Ming. You should watch them some and make sure they aren't building a nest in an eve or something near by.

[sapphirescarlet.livejournal.com]

I will.

[gymorama.livejournal.com]

because if they are building a nest, killing a couple won't stop it.

I can still remember my kids playing when they were little. We had built them a clubhouse int he yard out of old computer crates from my job. We went down to it in the spring and when they went in there was this HUGE nest hanging in the middle of the ceiling that you couldn't see from outside. Nobody got stung, thank god, but that was the end of the clubhouse use. scared the crap out of all of us. Anyway, I tell you that because you never know where you're going to find a nest/hive and you don't want to walk into something and then get stung and find out you're allergic (very scary)

[sapphirescarlet.livejournal.com]

Yes it would be. And I will watch them today, to see where they go. I know one hovers a LOT under the deck upstairs. But there's no nest there at all. I'm a bit more reluctant to look under my own, but I will.

[gymorama.livejournal.com]

it might not be an exposed nest. I know we have gaps in the mortar of our chimney and they fly in through the holes and must have something in the space inside. Since we don't use the fireplace at all (once a year at most) they don't get "cooked" but you'd never know they were there unless you watched them disappear. So do watch if they seem to be coming and going

[yohimberedhead.livejournal.com]

BLOW TORCH!!

[sapphirescarlet.livejournal.com]

hmmmmm