Ground bees!

30/06

Twelve Pointer
I know I post about this every couple years. This year has been the worst I’ve ever seen. Gassed 6 nests and sprayed one so far this year. Found a big one on the neighbors too just across property line. It’s so bad I make a couple sweeps a week around the yard especially before I cut the lawn. So far I’ve been lucky.

8 nests though in about a 2 acre area is crazy. Had 0 last year that I remember. Why so many in one area? Hope no one else is dealing with these evil little buggars.
 

Deep River

Ten Pointer
Contributor
I got snarled up in them five different times over the last two weekends. More bee stings in those two weeks than I think I have probably suffered in the rest of my life. Aggressive little bastards.
 

DCD77

Four Pointer
Bad at my place too. Gassed 3 nest in my yard. Seen a lot around the farm also but haven’t located the nest. Probably will next time I rotary mow around the fields
 

darenative

Twelve Pointer
Thankfully none this year in the yard.
Last year i had 1 or 2 nests in the yard i found with the mower🤬. One of em i had to leave the mower running until it ran out of gas. You couldnt get within 50' of it without getting stung.
 

surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Thankfully none this year in the yard.
Last year i had 1 or 2 nests in the yard i found with the mower🤬. One of em i had to leave the mower running until it ran out of gas. You couldnt get within 50' of it without getting stung.
No joke. I hit a latent brick pile with a mower years ago and disrupted a yellow jacket hive that was in the bricks and ground below.

I unassed said mower and ran for the hills.

My wife grabs a garden hoe and a can of bug death, wades into the fracas, and proceeds to unearth the nest and hose it down - without getting stung - then rides the mower out. (She's been mowing ever since)

Best I could figure, when it comes to bitter, vindictive, stinging, pain inducing harbingers of doom, the winged spawn simply could not attack one of their own.... :whistle:
 

Rubline

Twelve Pointer
No joke. I hit a latent brick pile with a mower years ago and disrupted a yellow jacket hive that was in the bricks and ground below.

I unassed said mower and ran for the hills.

My wife grabs a garden hoe and a can of bug death, wades into the fracas, and proceeds to unearth the nest and hose it down - without getting stung - then rides the mower out. (She's been mowing ever since)

Best I could figure, when it comes to bitter, vindictive, stinging, pain inducing harbingers of doom, the winged spawn simply could not attack one of their own.... :whistle:
Hahaha!!
 

45/70 hunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I got into a nest push mowing a couple weeks ago. First one hit my ankle so hard I thought a snake bit me. Before I could get to the house another little devil hit my other ankle. I've never had bee stings hurt so bad or long. 12 hours later they still hurt.
 
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bwfarms

Old Mossy Horns
I learned the hard way if you see them on the first pass, don’t make a second pass. If you see them while pounding a post… just stop.

I was mowing the tall grass where a Hardee tilt trailer was previously parked. Saw a couple of Carpenter Bees, came for a second pass and Hades itself unleashed a thick cloud. I bounced off the still running mower stripping as I headed to the house. Granny comes out scolding me for letting the mower run across the yard then laughs at me once realizing the bastards kept gnawing on me. She finally lathers me in God knows what! 17 year old me naked on the porch full of welts. PawPaw and I went out later with a vengeance and burnt that hole.

Years go by not a another incident. 30 year old me raking hay. As I traversed a known bump in the field, I look back as I watch the hay flip… I exposed a hornets nest and my body TWITCHED and butt puckered. When I came by later with the round baler, at this time I was still using an open station tractor, I put that tractor in road gear and went over it praying I wouldn’t get stung. Managed to go unscathed.

Pounding post a yellow jacket stung me in the eyelid. Swelled shut. I quit for the day.

Opening and closing a gate while sorting cattle I felt something stabbing my calves so I slapped the top of my muck boots not realizing two dozen yellowjackets were stinging me. Talk about not able to walk, the stings nearly immobilized my ability to get my muscles to listen to my brain.

Now that I have a cab I laugh as I watch the buggers smack the glass as I momentarily chop the vegetation above their nests.
 

Rescue44

Old Mossy Horns
I learned the hard way if you see them on the first pass, don’t make a second pass. If you see them while pounding a post… just stop.

I was mowing the tall grass where a Hardee tilt trailer was previously parked. Saw a couple of Carpenter Bees, came for a second pass and Hades itself unleashed a thick cloud. I bounced off the still running mower stripping as I headed to the house. Granny comes out scolding me for letting the mower run across the yard then laughs at me once realizing the bastards kept gnawing on me. She finally lathers me in God knows what! 17 year old me naked on the porch full of welts. PawPaw and I went out later with a vengeance and burnt that hole.

Years go by not a another incident. 30 year old me raking hay. As I traversed a known bump in the field, I look back as I watch the hay flip… I exposed a hornets nest and my body TWITCHED and butt puckered. When I came by later with the round baler, at this time I was still using an open station tractor, I put that tractor in road gear and went over it praying I wouldn’t get stung. Managed to go unscathed.

Pounding post a yellow jacket stung me in the eyelid. Swelled shut. I quit for the day.

Opening and closing a gate while sorting cattle I felt something stabbing my calves so I slapped the top of my muck boots not realizing two dozen yellowjackets were stinging me. Talk about not able to walk, the stings nearly immobilized my ability to get my muscles to listen to my brain.

Now that I have a cab I laugh as I watch the buggers smack the glass as I momentarily chop the vegetation above their nests.

"If you see them while pounding a post… just stop"

Don't have time to stop due to Olympian 100 meter dash. Well, maybe not a hundred. Yellow jackets will make you hurt yourself!!
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
Years ago I was in a club on Nash/Halifax county line. Had a work day and they wanted to put up a skinning pole. They were using a cross beam nailed on one side to an old barn. Poor guy putting up the beam was on a scissor lift. While nailing it in the yellow jackets that had taken up residency in the barn took offense and tore him up, seemed like the lift took an hour to get to the ground.

Poor fella took a lot of stings before getting back to terra firma. I probably woulda jumped for it!
 

agsnchunt

Old Mossy Horns
I don’t hate many things in this world, but yellow jackets are very high.

I once bailed off the tractor while bush hogging when I got lit up. I thought I’d set the brakes , but nope. It rolled not a tree.

my dad was laughing so hard he couldn’t even be mad.
 

MJ74

Old Mossy Horns
Found 4 right on my property line with the neighbor. I sprayed them with some cheap stuff I found at Lowes and they were gone the next day.
 

hunthard2

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I hate to even read a thread about them. I hate them with every ounce of my being. If I run into a nest of them, it ruins my ability to enjoy being outside until deep winter. I’ll embarrass myself in front of God and everybody to get away from a yellow jacket/wasp/hornet etc
 

30/06

Twelve Pointer
The nest under my shed is giving me fits. Sprayed it twice, last night I crawled 1/2 under the shed and stuck the nozzle down the hole and emptied most of the bottle, this morning they're still flying in and out, must be a tunnel parallel to the ground and not getting deep enough. Tonight they will be getting some gas. One way or another they're getting evicted, if I have to burn the shed down and let it fall on top of em I will.
 

wncdeerhunter

Old Mossy Horns
The nest under my shed is giving me fits. Sprayed it twice, last night I crawled 1/2 under the shed and stuck the nozzle down the hole and emptied most of the bottle, this morning they're still flying in and out, must be a tunnel parallel to the ground and not getting deep enough. Tonight they will be getting some gas. One way or another they're getting evicted, if I have to burn the shed down and let it fall on top of em I will.
Last hard to reach one I had got a fistful of seven dust. That is no joke.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
The nest under my shed is giving me fits. Sprayed it twice, last night I crawled 1/2 under the shed and stuck the nozzle down the hole and emptied most of the bottle, this morning they're still flying in and out, must be a tunnel parallel to the ground and not getting deep enough. Tonight they will be getting some gas. One way or another they're getting evicted, if I have to burn the shed down and let it fall on top of em I will.
Throw a handfull of sevin dust on the hole. That will be the end of them in less than 12 hours.
 

TKL

Four Pointer
I found my 1st nest in years while at work yesterday. Luckily only 2 stings and then the plans for revenge started! Keeping my fingers crossed that I got the last move and a victory.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I’ve been stung by most stuff that I am aware of. Yellow jackets, wasps, hornets....etc.

Worst one I remember was a bumble bee in the garden. I was probably 16 at the time and I think I was getting up cucumbers. I let out a mfer as i hit that thing like ten times. It was latched on like a bulldog and the tail was just going up and down. Dad didn’t even scold me on that word at that time.

I also got into a hornets nest getting some archery places ready for deer season. Had like 6-7 get me on one of my hand/wrist areas. I don’t remember that being near what that one bumble bee fished out.
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
There’s definitely different kinds of bees that nest in the ground. I hate yellow jackets. Pretty cool someone made this thread. Today I noticed a buncha bees by the barn. There’s a dry barren dirt embankment and each bee has its own individual burrow. At first glance I figured yellow jackets and was about to spray em. But they weren’t. I’m aware they’re not honey bees but that’s the closest thing I can compare em to as far as looks. In the name of science , and already feeling like crap from Lyme, I got closer to watch em. They were going back and forth between their burrow and different flowers and plants. I was smack dab in the middle and they completely ignored me. Figured I got lucky . But they’re in an area I don’t ever really need to be in. Interesting what @surveyor said too bout skunks. Makes sense why we have one that cruises thru that area and never goes near chicken coop or quail hutch. I think ima let em be. Or...bee? 😑 It’s nice to have pollinators around
 

JBGrizzley

Eight Pointer
Since we're on the subject, anyone noticed what kinda wasps we're having this year? Seems like some years i get brown/black and some years i get yellow/black.
 

nccatfisher

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
There’s definitely different kinds of bees that nest in the ground. I hate yellow jackets. Pretty cool someone made this thread. Today I noticed a buncha bees by the barn. There’s a dry barren dirt embankment and each bee has its own individual burrow. At first glance I figured yellow jackets and was about to spray em. But they weren’t. I’m aware they’re not honey bees but that’s the closest thing I can compare em to as far as looks. In the name of science , and already feeling like crap from Lyme, I got closer to watch em. They were going back and forth between their burrow and different flowers and plants. I was smack dab in the middle and they completely ignored me. Figured I got lucky . But they’re in an area I don’t ever really need to be in. Interesting what @surveyor said too bout skunks. Makes sense why we have one that cruises thru that area and never goes near chicken coop or quail hutch. I think ima let em be. Or...bee? 😑 It’s nice to have pollinators around
Just to set the record straight before Willy gets you yellow jackets aren’t bees. They are wasps. They are somewhat beneficial as they do pollinate some but they aren’t bees.

Those solitary bees you are talking about in the ground are commonly called digger bees. They are pretty docile and are excellent pollinators.
 

surveyor

Old Mossy Horns
Interesting what @surveyor said too bout skunks. Makes sense why we have one that cruises thru that area and never goes near chicken coop or quail hutch.

I've seen the carnage after skunks tear into yellow jacket nests on more than one occasion.

Apparently, insect larva is like crack cocaine for pepe'.

And since the enemy of my enemy is the enemy of my enemy, Skunks get a pass.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
There’s definitely different kinds of bees that nest in the ground. I hate yellow jackets. Pretty cool someone made this thread. Today I noticed a buncha bees by the barn. There’s a dry barren dirt embankment and each bee has its own individual burrow. At first glance I figured yellow jackets and was about to spray em. But they weren’t. I’m aware they’re not honey bees but that’s the closest thing I can compare em to as far as looks. In the name of science , and already feeling like crap from Lyme, I got closer to watch em. They were going back and forth between their burrow and different flowers and plants. I was smack dab in the middle and they completely ignored me. Figured I got lucky . But they’re in an area I don’t ever really need to be in. Interesting what @surveyor said too bout skunks. Makes sense why we have one that cruises thru that area and never goes near chicken coop or quail hutch. I think ima let em be. Or...bee? 😑 It’s nice to have pollinators around
Mason bees...good guys, not agressive at all.
 
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