Bees....Help!!!!

[oasis1]

Hi, We just had a deck built a few weeks ago, since then we have tons of bees in our pool!! We can't get under our deck to see if there are any nests, there is a spot on each side that isn't close off completely that I think wasps are getting in at. Does anyone have this problem? Is it okay to spray the bug spray so close to the pool? Any other way to handle the problem? Any advice is appreciated!!!

 

[Sportsman]

we always have bees in our pool and I just scoop them out. We do not have bees swarming. I have lots of flowers and the pool is a source of water for the bees, albeit a fatal source most of the time.

I have had wasps build a nest under the rail and I just sprayed it like normal.

 

[Lana537]

What kind of bees do you have? Bumble bees, honey bees, or yellow jackets, or wasps?

Two years ago I noticed that there was a yellow jacket nest in the garden rather close to the pool. In a foolish experiment, I tossed a tarp over the area/entrance to their nest. Within an hour, hundreds of these creatures were trying to come home for the day. The next day I called the exterminator and that problem was taken care of.

My point is that perhaps your deck was built over a fairly natural and relatively harmless beehive or home, and now the deck makes it hard for them to find their way back home, so they are floundering around your yard and pool.

You could spray them individually, but there could be hundreds.

Good luck with this.

Lana

 

[Mike18]

If they are honey bees contact a beekeeping equipment dealer in your area to have someone remove them to their bee hive place. My Uncle has done this.

 

[Samantha_in_AL]

We have had red wasps building nests underneath our deck all summer. My husband buys the cans of wasp spray that shoot 20' so he can spray it under there without having to get too close and risk getting stung. We then stay wasp free for about a week before more come back to take their place. This is the first year we have had a problem with them. Me and both of my daughters are highly allergic to bee stings. I wish we could get rid of them for good!

 

[tgmb]

Get a beekeeper out to the property. If they are Vespids, (wasps, hornets, yellowjackets) they are aggressive carnivores that will attack you. You cannot live with Vespids on your property- they must be destroyed. (The ENTIRE nest must be dug out and destroyed- spraying the top does not kill the underground inhabitants.)

If they are Apis (Honeybees) they are herbivores, and will not attack unless provoked. (If they are Africanized bees, though, treat as Vespids.) If they are Apis, the beekeeper will try to take the colony, as many beekeepers get their colonies from wild swarms. Some charge, but it is worth it. Go on craigslist, or call the county- they usually have beekeepers on call for this sort of thing. Don't do it yourself- you could be injured or killed. ( I was in a bee suit last week, and still got stung 5 times, by honeybees.)

Some things you can do to trap them. Mountain Dew, 2 Liters open top, half full, a few drops of dish soap to trap them. They will enter, and drown. Also, the salmon trap works well.(http://www.alaskaoutdoorjournal.com/Dep ... ket50.html ) Just put the traps away from your pool, so you don't inadvertently draw them in.

And for what it's worth, a fountain between you and bee territory can do a world of good, as far as keeping bees out of the pool.
Here's a picture of our fountain, by our hives, thirty feet from the pool. They don't come to the pool, though, because once they learn a water source, they use that source.

 

[loop_pea]

We had a wasps nest inside our chemical store this spring. Took me by surprise when I first saw it because it was between me and the door in a narrow shed

We sprayed the nest to get rid of it, but there are still quite a few wasps flying around, and now the numbers seem to be increasing again. There are quite a few down by the pool edge.

I am convinced there must be another wasps nest nearby, and I've gone looking but I can't find it. Any tips for finding where they have come from?

 

[tgmb]

Wasps return to their nest at dusk; you would look then. If you do find the entrance, you would wait until later in the evening to spray into the entrance hole itself, wrapping a rag around the entrance hole so nothing gets out to attack you.
Having said that, I would recommend trying the traps first-mountain dew is cheap, and the fish trap is too. If you trap enough workers, the nest will collapse on its own.

Whatever you do, just be safe..

 

[Ohm_Boy]

Wasps/yellowjackets/hornets or bees... If you really do have bees, you should try not to disturb them and let them 'bee' as much as possible. They are not usually aggressive and are highly beneficial.

If you have wasps, yellowjackets, or hornets, then you will want to get rid of them. Do some detective work to see if you can locate the nest (safely). They are less active at night, and most of them will be home then. That is the time to bomb them with some good, commercial quality wasp&hornet spray, which is designed to paralyze and kill very quickly. A couple of folks with a can in each hand can can effectively knock out a pretty big hornet's nest. Yellowjackets, which like to nest underground, will have another entrance other than the one you find. I'm just sayin'.
Watch your back.

 

[oasis1]

See that's the problem, we can't get under our deck to see if there are any nests!!! I got stung twice yesterday while in the pool. Ouch!!! I've We did hang one of those W.H.Y. traps on our shed (about 15 feet away from pool) didn't catch anything but gnats!! the ones in the pool, i'm not sure if there honey bees or yellowjackets. I do know i've seen a hornet flying near the small opening that isn't closed off to our deck.

 

[Sportsman]

I've never been stung by a honey bee unless I was messing with them. My vote is yellow jackets (which live in the ground) or wasps. Yellow jackets are nasty and aggressive. I was stung once while riding a three wheeler over a nest (accidentally of course).

 

[tgmb]

If they were bees, they would have left their stingers in your skin. However, it is very unlike honeybees to attack without provocation, africanized bees being the exception. ( If they are floating in the water and happen upon you, they may sting.)
Get half a dozen 2 liter bottles of mountain dew. Dump out a little. Put in a few drops of soap. Set them around the deck, and wait. You should see results. You can also try the fish trap. (See previous post.) Since Vespids are carnivorous, they like fish.