ground bees, anyone?

[wsmoak]

We have LOTS of these little bees that live in holes in the ground. The holes range from crochet or knitting needle sized to pencil sized.

They buzz around just above the ground, but are not aggressive and don't sting (or haven't yet). You can walk right through them, no problem.

We do have to spray the house every year for the #$&@! carpenter bees and last year the guys sprayed the worst of the ground bees which are right beside the front porch steps. Apparently they are hard to kill, they're still here.

They're annoying, but at least THEY don't eat my house, and a quick search says they are good pollinators so... I guess they get to stay.

Does anyone else have them?

-Wendy

 

[AmyRey]

We have a bunch of little holes in the ground too, but I haven't known what they are. Maybe this is what we've got. Our holes look like you've stuck a golf tee in, then pulled it straight out. No mound of dirt around the opening, like it's an earthworm.

 

[vfem]

I got these little buggers, and they are in the dogs run area at the edge of our deck. I just watch the dog snap them out of the air and eat 'em. YUCK!

We have carpenter bees too... I go around looking for holes in the deck, and then in the evening fill the holes with putty so there is no coming back.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i love my fuzzy, fat bees! i always thought they were considered bumble bees till someone posted an article about all the different types there were! i no longer fear that they will chase me around the yard, never really feared them but now if someone i see seems to fear them i will tell them they are not an aggressive breed!

 

[wsmoak]

i love my fuzzy, fat bees! i always thought they were considered bumble bees till someone posted an article about all the different types there were! i no longer fear that they will chase me around the yard, never really feared them but now if someone i see seems to fear them i will tell them they are not an aggressive breed!

The fuzzy fat ones chasing you around the yard are likely male carpenter bees. They are very curious about anything that moves. No, they don't sting (the females do, but they're busy eating the house.)

Those are not terribly useful -- they are destructive, and they're not very good pollinators according to an article our ag extension agent wrote in the local paper.

We keep badminton racquets around for those, and swat them. Bee-minton!

-Wendy

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

We have a bunch of little holes in the ground too, but I haven't known what they are. Maybe this is what we've got. Our holes look like you've stuck a golf tee in, then pulled it straight out. No mound of dirt around the opening, like it's an earthworm.

We have these holes.... and not to creep you out or anything, but spiders come out of ours.
I do NOT like spiders, so of course this is a CREEPY thing for me to find in the yard....