Five ground nests of wasps/bees in our yard!

9 years ago

Five nests of yellow jackets/bees (unsure which these are) in our yard is unusually high. I'm not sure what they are; either a small yellow jacket or a small ground nesting bee. They come and go in large numbers, flying around the hole, streaming in and out. They are yellow and black and don't have the fuzzy body that bees seem to have.

This week I was cleaning out an overgrowth of weeds behind some large spirea. I noted that the spirea was reblooming again while I started to pulling out the weeds. I heard the sound of the bees/wasps and figured they were bees drawn to the spirea flowers. Unknowingly I was squatted down right over their hole and they were flying all around me. There were two or three dozen, but never once did I get stung. When I was done, I just walked away unconcerned, not knowing they may have been wasps.

I've never gotten a pass from yellow jackets before and know you can't threaten them in any way or you get stung. These didn't. What could they be? A less temperamental wasp? It's smaller than a yellow jacket, but has the same striping. Do you know what they are? How do I get rid of them? All five ground nests have the same wasp/bee.

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Comments (5)

zzackey
9 years ago
I would hire an exterminator. It's not worth getting stung because it would probably be more than one sting. Sounds like yellow jackets to me. They are ground nesters.
larry_gene
9 years ago
Could be five entrance holes to the same master nest unless they are widely separated in your yard. Any one nest of this type is normally used for just one year.

Ground-nesting wasps will often use an overgrown spot, and it is best not to leave piles of trimmings around, as that is a choice location also.
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Fori
9 years ago
If they swarmed you over the nest and didn't sting, why would you want to get rid of them? If they out of the way most of the time (except when you're clearing out the weeds), it would be perfectly fine to let them be and let them do their thing.
hoehum
9 years ago
If they are that friendly, I would leave them alone. Try a dollar store butterfly net to catch one, jar it, & take to a garden center for identification.

I have had the nasty kind--couldn't even mow the law without them attacking so had to remove. The dog learned to avoid their part of the yard but not the toddlers.

Wait until night (so everyone is home & sleeping) to pour into the hole.
-2-3 gallons of boiling water can kill a small nest
-my neighbor swears by vinegar (1-2 gallons) but the acidity may harm the plants.
- I had what must have been a deep nest or had multiple rooms. Boiling water got some (multiple tries) but the hive quickly bounced back and the bees ruled the yard. I resorted to mixing up 2 gallons of insect killer. (I hated to use for the residual killing to the worms & good bugs for weeks after, but I couldn't let the grandchildren in the yard until the bees were gone.) I've learned over the years to hit them with boiling water at the first sign of a hive--in 35 years only had to resort to chemicals twice.

You can test the 'multiple entrances' theory by laying a garden hose at one hole during the day, flooding, & watching if they suddenly fly out other holes. Any treatment must go in all holes.
eibren
9 years ago
If you kill them, a more hostile crowd may fill the ecological niche. I would let them be.

Folks in the bee forum have been encouraging a ground dwelling bee to colonize on their properties to help with pollination; they could help you identify these little workers.

I would think twice before killing something that did you no harm. Some wasps even kill flies.