If you see way too many bumble bees in your garden, and some insects tend to fly in your kitchen, it’s time to deal with these species for good. Although these species may not look hazardous at first, there are several dangers of having bumble bees in your area.
In this article, I discuss ways of exterminating these insects effectively. You will learn about the pros and cons of each of the methods of controlling the bumble bee population in your garden. So, let’s examine how you can get rid of these insects in your garden.
- Contact a professional pest removal service.
- Use Bumble Bee Spray.
- Use a special powder to control bumblebees.
- Get Rid of Bumble Bee with Insecticides.
- Make a homemade trap.
- Get rid of bumblebees with Zappers.
- Use cinnamon or vinegar solution.
- To ward off bumblebees in the future, use a special product.
Are You Sure You Have a Bumble Bee Infestation?
Since there are different treatments for different pests, you need to be sure that the bumble bees are at the center of your problem. It would be upsetting to waste time and money on getting rid of bumble bees when the insects you were dealing with turn out to be hornets or wasps.
So, how can one identify a bumble bee? The most common and apparent things are, of course, the tail color and its texture. If the tail is fluffy and the colors are either off-white, black, and yellow, or red and black, or ginger and black, then you most likely have bumble bees at your place.
As you can see from the color themes, there are three main types of these species. If you are still in doubt about whether you’ve detected the colors correct, search on the web for bumble bee photos and compare them with the features of the insects you spotted outside.
I want to say that the abdomens of the other flying and stinging insects differ from that of a bumble bee. So, there should be no second-guessing whether you have a bumble bee infestation problem or other species invaded your garden.
Why Bumble Bee Control Is Important
Though these species are often associated with words “fuzzy,” “cute,” and “lovely” in pop culture, they can be hazardous to humans. If you have ever been stung by a bumble bee, then you know what kind of threat these species can pose.
Now, imagine that you have a nest of these insects right in the middle of your garden. It poses a huge danger, as dozens of bumble bees will not just fly around your garden but also try to fly in the house, smelling something sweet from your kitchen. Let me stress the main dangers that come with having these insects as your not-so-friendly neighbors:
- Stings. Female bumble bees have stings, and they can bite you, protecting themselves, their nest, or the food found. If you get bitten, the body’s reaction to the venom, in most cases, results in painful swelling. Therefore, try to avoid these insects as much as possible, besides the time you are dealing with infestation treatment.
- Allergy. In some people, a bumble bee’s sting can provoke an allergic reaction that leads to the bitten person’s airways being blocked off. If not treated in time and correctly, such a response can be fatal. Moreover, the more times you have been stung in your life, the higher are chances to develop this allergy.
- Damage to the house. This type of bees can drill holes in the wood for building nests, storing food, and larvae. A year of neighboring with these species can result in extremely damaged wooden surfaces of your house, garage, or even your garden.
How to Get Rid of Bumble Bees around Your House
Letting these insects damage your garden and wooden structures of your home is not a good idea. I strongly recommend getting rid of these insects as soon as you assume that they have built a nest at your place, but what can one do about it? Below are my expert recommendations on how to kill bumblebees and eliminate this problem for good.
Repel Bumblebees with Professional Help
The easiest way to deal with bumble bees in your garden is by contacting a professional pest extermination service in your local area. However, make sure to take your time, research companies, and compare their quality of work and cost. You do not want to hire different extermination services several times because the first professionals didn’t do their job properly.
Therefore, read Google and forum reviews where people share their stories and feedback regarding different services. Also, be sure to check how long the company has been on the market and if the specialists have the necessary certifications.
Use Bumble Bee Spray
If you want to take the matter of driving these insects out into your own hands, then bumble bee sprays are the right option for you. Here is how to get rid of bumble bee nest in ground: find the bumble bee nest, use the extension tube for the spray, and apply the treatment directly into the holes of the nest.
Then, after twenty-four hours, cover the sprayed holes with soil. Such antipest remedies kill on contact, so you will just need to spray on the nest, and the insects will quickly die.
Make sure to wear protective gear when using any insecticides. Also, bear in mind that the insects will not enjoy the treatment, so wear thick clothing to not to get bitten during the spraying process.
How to Get Rid of Bumble Bee Nest with Powder
It is an even quicker and effective way to deal with a bee nest. While the spray method may require you to do it a couple of times to drive bumble bees away completely, using powder is only a one-time action.
You will need to fill in the nest openings with the powder to make it work. I recommend doing it in the evening so that most of the bees are already in the nest. On the next day, most of the insects will be gone.
Specifications:
- Active Ingredient: Deltamethrin, 0.05%
- Item Weight: 1 pounds
- Yield: 1 lb. covers about 2,000 sq.ft
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 3.8 x 1.9 x 9.63 inches
- Target Species: Ants, Bed Bugs, Boxelder Bugs, Cockroaches, Crickets, Fleas, Firebrats, Silverfish, Termites, Carpenter Ants, Carpenter Bees, Centipedes, Ground Bettles, Millipedes, Scorpions, Spiders, Sowbugs, Wasps, Bees, Webbing, Clothes Moths, Carpet Beetles, Pantry Pest, Plant Pest, Slugs, and Ticks.
Powder products have a long-lasting effect and, besides getting into the nest itself, such a treatment spreads with the wind throughout the area and stays for a couple of months. This way, even the bumble bee larvae won’t be able to start a new colony.
Get Rid of Bumble Bee with Insecticides
Killing bumble bees with insecticides is not recommended. These insects are an important part of the plant pollination process. So, if you are a farmer or a gardening enthusiast, think twice before killing these insects off. Using sprays of powders to drive these species away from your house is a more humane way.
Additionally, the use of insecticides and pesticides is one of the main factors influencing the global population reduction of bees. In the US, most of the typical insecticides for treating plants are starting to get banned. Without bumble bees, the proper pollination won’t happen because these insects spread the pollen over the territories they fly over. By using an insecticide bumble bee killer, you can kill the whole population of these species in your area so that plants will be affected by your action, too.
Specifications:
- Active Ingredient: 9.7% Lambda-Cyhalothrin
- Item Weight: 8.8 ounces
- Application: 0.2 – 0.4 oz. per gallon of water
- Item Dimensions LxWxH: 3.3 x 1.3 x 7 inches
- Target Species: Ants, Cockroaches, Mosquitoes, Silverfish, Spiders, Stink bugs, Darkling beetles, Ticks, Flies, Fleas, Scorpions, Bed bugs.
Here Is How to Trap Bumblebees
I recommend turning to this DIY solution when you can’t access the bumble bee nest, but it is still needed to drive these insects away from your garden. For this method, you will need to construct a couple of traps of your own.
As a trap, you can use even a simple two-liter bottle with the inverted top. Cut the bottle where it starts to straighten, then turn the piece upside down and attach it with a stapler to the surface. After that, fill the trap with honey and poison it with some chemicals. Hang the trap where you often see bumble bees and do not forget to clean it every couple of weeks. It will deter these insects for good.
How to Kill Bumblebees with Zappers
This method is not a long-term solution. Zappers only allow you to kill bees that are annoying you within your proximity effectively. It is the best option for picnics and other gatherings outside. Just one bit of advice, do not swing a zapper as if you were holding a baseball bat. By waving it too fast, you can miss a bumble bee that may sting you, being annoyed with the tool.
Bumble Bee Removal with Natural Remedies
If you are worried about the environment, numerous non-chemical bee-killing options do not harm the surroundings. For example, instead of using some powder insecticides, you can apply cinnamon. Spread it around the nest every day for a week, and it will drive bumble bees away.
Also, instead of applying a special bumble bee spray, you can spread a vinegar solution. Mix water and vinegar in 1 to 1 ration and apply it around the nest. This mixture will kill the insects and not damage the plants in your garden.
How to Keep Bumble Bees Away
If you don’t want to kill these species at all, you can drive them away with some solutions. One of the best options to opt for is a bumble bee repellent. Such products were specifically designed to make the bees leave your garden without killing or harming them in any way.
You need to use such repellents similar to how you would apply the kill-off sprays that I have mentioned before. Spray the solution all over your garden once in two days until you see that bees abandoned their nests. This method can take a while, but you are guaranteed to get rid of bumble bees in the long term.
The FAQ on Driving Bumble Bees Away from Your Area
In this section, I will discuss the most common questions that surround bees and bee control. Note the information below and follow my recommendations to deal with bumble bees in your garden.
Are Bumble Bees Endangered?
For the past few years, the global bee population of bumble bees has been on the rapid decline, and bee colonies are increasingly collapsing. It is a huge problem because these species are one of the world’s most significant animal pollinators. Such an issue arises systematically and should be dealt with on a global scale. By deciding to use the repellent to make the bees leave your garden without killing them, you will help to solve this problem.
Do Bumble Bees Sting?
Yes, bumble bees can sting, and you can get bitten by a female species. These insects are usually not aggressive, but if you, for example, are eating something sweet, the bees can be interested in your food. Thus, they may sting you if you try to shrug them off.
What Are the Best Ways to Get Rid of Bumble Bees?
If you do not want to deal with bee control on your own, then calling up exterminating services is your best bet. DIY long-term bee control, in my opinion, can be done best with special sprays and powders. I find such solutions the most useful. If you are out on a picnic, then bring along a zapper, as it will successfully deal with any bee flying around.
How to Repel Bumble Bees Naturally?
You can try making your repellent with natural components. However, unlike the industrial products mentioned before, DIY solutions are not guaranteed to work that great.
For example, a mixture of one drop of either peppermint, tea tree, or cinnamon oil and one cup of unscented baby shampoo can help you to drive these insects away within some time. To make it work, pour your DIY repellent into a spray bottle and treat the areas where you see bumble bees the most to deter these insects.
Final Words
I hope that the information above and a few of my tips helped you to learn more about bumble bees, how they look, and how one can drive them away in case of the garden infestation. Now, getting rid of these species should not be a mystery for you, but a simple problem that can be fixed in multiple ways.
In the article, I have discussed the main approaches to controlling the bumble bee population through extermination, as well as have addressed some common questions surrounding the subject. Now that you are finishing this article, you can be considered a bumble bee expert.
Please let me know, was the information relevant to you? Have you tried any of the methods that I have mentioned above? Did they help you to get rid of bumble bees in your area? Tell me about your experience in the comment below.
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how do you get rid of 1 to 20 bumble bees in a outside wood beam under my front porch. Tried the 2 liter bottle and that didn’t work.
Hi! We have bumblebees! The nest is under a corner of the house that I cannot get too. How would you recommend getting rid of them, especially if you cannot see the Nest.
Thank you for your time!