Bees. (how do i get rid of them ?)

[funkymoped]

hiya peeps. for the third year running, ive got bee`s udner my shed. i dont want them, but i dont want to kill them either. im wondering if they are protected by any laws and if there is a way to remove them without damaging them.

the little things are nesting underground i think. ive got a dog that is chasing, and catching them. dont want her needing an emergency vet visit, so the bees have got to go.

any ideas ? thanks in advance.

[Gale_Snail]

to be honest i do not think there is a law protecting them, and although i know you do not want to damage the bees your dogs saftey is a number one priority. my advise would be to buy a bee killer, get rid of this years lot, and since you've been getting them every summer 3 years running maybe in the up coming year you should spray under the shed in advance to avoid killing any more. (however this is only what i would do as i had this problem with ants last year) hope it's usefull

[Thunderbird+]

What kind of bees are they ?

If they are honey bees, a local bee keeper or socciety may like them for their hives, maybe you could contact them.

If they are Bumble bees, then I think I'm right in saying they dont sting. ( I may stand corrected, lets wait and see )

[Clanad]

Goodness! Only at a last resort should you consider killing them. If they are actually honey bees, check your phone directory for Apirists or Bee Keepers, or check the label on a jar of honey for an Apiary near you and give them a call. Having raised and kept bees for several years you should find that the bees you have are very valuable to an apirary. The bees are actually quite harmless and will only sting if provoked. I realize this is little comfort if you're frightened by them, but try not to kill them. You'd be amazed at the benefits they provide for your neighborhood's flowers, trees and gardens... Best of luck!

[WendyS]

I've just checked on the internet and discovered that bees ARE a protected species, although wasps are not. Therefore I suggest that you do your best to find a beekeeper in your area who will probably be happy to smoke them and collect them from you. Possibly Googling Beekeepers, followed by postcode or County lived in might locate somebody.

[heathfield]

It may sound dodgy, but I'd leave them alone unless they're a real niusance to you and others when you're in the garden. It's the old adage - if you don't bother them, they won't bother you. If your dog is stung by catching one, it will simply have been taught a valuable lesson, and certainly shouldn't suffer any lasting harm

And thunderbird - bumble bees do sting. Oh boy, do they sting! (Personal experience, aged 8)! Unfortunately, as with all bees, having stung they then die.

[spudqueen]

A few years ago we had bees nesting in our lawn. After many, many phone calls we eventually discovered that the local Police keep the phone numbers of bee keepers. After the Police got in touch with him a bee keeper did turn up but just turned his nose up saying that they were wild bees and we should use wasp killer on them. Needless to say we didn't, we just kept disturbing the nest by pulling the top off, they went after that summer and we never saw them again.

[Thunderbird+]

Inspired by some of the answers, I checked out - bumble bees.org and found a wealth of info there, along with a FAQ's section and according to them, the males cant sting, as that part is used for mating and unlike the honey bee, they do not die after stinging, as the sting its self has no barb. So I think I was about 1/2 right.

[funkymoped]

big thanks to each of you.

even though i dont want to kill these bee`s or their nest, my dog comes first. she`s a great little dog and rather than take the risk of her getting stung in the mouth/throat ide sooner loose the bee`s ! will do a bit of searching locally and try to get them moved.

thanks again. :-)

[heathfield]

Well, thunderbird, we live and learn !! I never realised that about a bumble bee's stinger. Reason being that when as a lad I was stung on the thumb by a bumble bee, the sting, and part of the guts attached to it, stayed in my thumb when I dislodged the bee. I can only assume now that it was the way I brushed the bee off that caused that to happen. But ever since that day, I've been under the impression that bumble bees were like honey bees, and died after stinging. I stand corrected. Thanks for that info !!

[dancecaller]

Actually a honey bee could sting and survive if you stood still and let her get it out (the person who taught a beekeeping evening class said that it spiraled round to unscrew it as it is barbed).

[dancecaller]

If they are underground they are not honey bees so bee keepers won't want them