Bumble bees

[whynot]

This summer we cleaned the blackberries up from the side of shed. There had been black plastic spread out as a barrier and weighted down with two car wheel ramps. I yanked the plastic up and this weird thing was protruding from the ground with a hole in it. Suddenly bees were flying out of it, but not just any kind of bee. Large black ones that get the yellow butt. Than slow of brain I realise my situation. I had just torn and yanked the top off a bees nest. The thing protruding out was a nest or comb. I felt bad and went to cover them back up, but it was too late, they were flying everywhere. But when i expected a stinging group of critters to attack, they instead went to collecting from the nest and disappearing. It took 4 hrs to be able to get close enough with gas and exterminate.

Is this normal bee behavior or did i somehow do something where they didn't attack? Edit: There was a crying toddler next door over the low chain fence and others sweeping nearby whom also were not harmed. It was mid day, hot. Could i'd somehow taken the queen out?

 

[Daedelus]

Did you save one or get pictures? Identifying the critters would help explain their behavior. Ground nesting has to be particular to some species.

 

[Read-Only]

I had two similar experiences with ground-nesters. Seemed to me that rather than defending the nest, as one might expect, they were more interested in salvaging their larvae and moving them to safety.

 

[MacGyver1968]

Oooohhh...Enmos is going to give you some shit for pouring gas on them. If they were indeed bumble bees, they aren't particularly aggressive. You probably could have just left them alone, as they are beneficial pollinators.

 

[whynot]

Did you save one or get pictures? Identifying the critters would help explain their behavior. Ground nesting has to be particular to some species.

They're large black bumble bees.

 

[whynot]

Oooohhh...Enmos is going to give you some shit for pouring gas on them. If they were indeed bumble bees, they aren't particularly aggressive. You probably could have just left them alone, as they are beneficial pollinators.

Oh, the gas thing was done by the owner of the place. The place has plants that attract bees and humming birds. It was too big a nest to allow for the threat to the surrounding neighbors in close proximity with kids. If it was out in a field they probably would of let them be.

 

[Ellie]

They're large black bumble bees.

Could be wasps.

 

[whynot]

I had two similar experiences with ground-nesters. Seemed to me that rather than defending the nest, as one might expect, they were more interested in salvaging their larvae and moving them to safety.

Thats exactly what they did. They were coming and going for hours. Flying to their new place or something carrying from their nest. But I do not doubt for a moment they would sting me or attack if I was stupid enough to upset them more. I've been stung years before by one. Luckily I was not allergic to them like the small honey bee which Im very allergic to. I had to take a antihistamine for a week from getting stung by a honey bee. Even large european wasp hurt but im fine with. Honey bees must have something different.

 

[whynot]

Could be wasps.

No, they were large fat rounded bodies, not long and tappered like a black wasp. i would say they looked alot like the tachnid fly(sp?) But these were bumble bees in the ground with a very large comb with a big hole going down over 4 inches round.

 

[Enmos]

This summer we cleaned the blackberries up from the side of shed. There had been black plastic spread out as a barrier and weighted down with two car wheel ramps. I yanked the plastic up and this weird thing was protruding from the ground with a hole in it. Suddenly bees were flying out of it, but not just any kind of bee. Large black ones that get the yellow butt. Than slow of brain I realise my situation. I had just torn and yanked the top off a bees nest. The thing protruding out was a nest or comb.

Bumblebees die when they sting you, so they usually don't attack until they absolutely have to (little did they know that you were about to exterminate them, they should have stung the hell out of you).
It's different with wasps, they can sting you over and over again.

I felt bad and went to cover them back up, but it was too late, they were flying everywhere. But when i expected a stinging group of critters to attack, they instead went to collecting from the nest and disappearing. It took 4 hrs to be able to get close enough with gas and exterminate.

Let me get this straight...
You felt bad about disturbing them but then happily proceeded burning them alive with gasoline?
Since you didn't even realize that they were there until you accidentally found them, did it ever cross your mind to just let them be? :bugeye:

 

[MacGyver1968]

Just be glad they weren't Africanized bees. My father's cousin disturbed a nest of them while clearing brush and was stung 100's of times. All of the poison exasperated some health problems he already had, and he died a couple of weeks later.

 

[leopold]

bees do not usually sting when swarming.
bees swarm when forming a new nesting area.

i had a similar situation but with yellow jackets and a lawn mower.
i ran over the nest (it was in the ground) with the mower.
needless to say they stung the crap out of me.
at least 12 times.

i got even later that night.
got a can of beans, dumped the beans in a bowl, and filled the can with gas.
snuck out to where the nest was and upended the can over the hole, they couldn't get out.
let the can sit there about a minute then fired 'er up, (heh, heh).
knocked the can over to give it some air and those bees started flying out burning their wings off.
went out the next day with a shovel and wrecked what was left.

 

[Enmos]

Oh, the gas thing was done by the owner of the place. The place has plants that attract bees and humming birds. It was too big a nest to allow for the threat to the surrounding neighbors in close proximity with kids. If it was out in a field they probably would of let them be.

Then the owner is an idiot, you can tell him/her I said that, and you shouldn't have reported the nest. Those bumblebees wouldn't have hurt anyone.
God forbid those children should live in the real world

 

[Enmos]

let the can sit there about a minute then fired 'er up, (heh, heh).
knocked the can over to give it some air and those bees started flying out burning their wings off.
went out the next day with a shovel and wrecked what was left.

Why do you think that is funny? Are you proud of yourself?

 

[leopold]

Why do you think that is funny? Are you proud of yourself?

yes.
and yes.
AND YESSSSSS.

 

[Enmos]

yes.
and yes.
AND YESSSSSS.

Then I hope that some day someone will burn you alive. See if you think it's funny then.

 

[leopold]

Then I hope that some day someone will burn you alive. See if you think it's funny then.

i would deserve it if i inflicted the pain those bees did.

( here we go! )

 

[Ellie]

Then I hope that some day someone will burn you alive. See if you think it's funny then.

Surely you don't find those to be equal.

 

[leopold]

Surely you don't find those to be equal.

he's a tree hugger.

 

[Orleander]

Probably digger bees. And I can't believe you killed them. You are aware that killing some bees is illegal. :bugeye:

..These bees can be beneficial - serving to pollinate plants or destroy harmful insects. They will probably only be around for four to six weeks and then disappear until next year...