getting rid of bees?

SusieBW

We went to grill dinner the other night, and DH found a hive under each tray on the sides of our grill.  He immediately got out the Raid bee killer and commenced spraying, and I cringed in the kitchen, watching Raid fall all over my potted tomato plants on the deck.  I had no other suggestion, so I didn't even try and stop him.

What could we be using to get rid of the bee hives, instead of icky Raid?

and

What can I clean these tomatoes with so that we're not eating Raid?  Please tell me thay're not a lost cause.

hollyfp

Were they bees or wasps?

SusieBW

Bees.  Why, are there different ways to get rid of the two?

Alisha_A

Wow I couldn't understand wanting to get rid of bees, but on your BBQ... well I guess that's understandable!

YIKES Raid? On your BBQ and tomato plants. I would just wipe down the tomato plants as best I could, mostly the fruits, and of course the BBQ, and then spray them with water. I don't think there's much else you can do.

In the future you should be able to get rid of bees more safely with soap. I bet the Dr. B's peppermint soap spray would work.

SusieBW

Alisha - I know.  I was cringing and super annoyed, but DH was in rare form the other night - it was close to a million degrees out, he had just spent a whole bunch of time getting this steak all set and he was so excited to eat it (I don't eat cow, and I usually cook, so it's rare that he gets to eat it) - and then the bees showed up.  He was apeshit, and I didn't want to annoy him any more by telling him not to use Raid when I knew of no other suggestion.  The grill lid was closed when he was spraying it, and we washed off the grates really well anyway, but still.  I'm grossed out, and I knew there had to be a better way.  How can I find more about this Dr. B's stuff?

Alisha_A

Oops, sorry! Dr. B's = Dr. Bronner's. It an organic, fair-trade castile soap with a gazillion uses. The peppermint supposedly works well on insects.

http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/39031438.aspx

I did read that you could kill bees with soap, but that its really only recommended if its a very small colony. Even that made me sad. Bees are so important, and struggling! I am not sure how you'd find them but one site recommended finding a bee keeper to come adopt your bees. Awww...adopting bees!

 

pixy_stix

1.  I highly HIGHLY doubt they were bees.

2.  If you did kill bees then you better cringe for your plants, because they most likely won't be pollinated and will produce very little fruit.

Next time call a beekeeper to relocate them.  Don't kill bees.  Ever.

treesapplaud

pixy_stix:

Next time call a beekeeper to relocate them.  Don't kill bees.  Ever.

This, killing bees is a big no. I'm sure it will be illegal one day. 

SusieBW

I know, I know.  I also am sad for the bees, but alas, I cannot convince DH to be.  I know a few people who raise bees, and while I adore the idea of having them come to adopt my bees, DH wasn't going to wait days and days for one of them to be able to come over to take out a one inch hive.  If I ever had a big beehive, I would absolutely call someone to come and get them.

Pixy, I'm not sure why you're so positive that they weren't bees, though.  Is it really that crazy for me to have bee hives around my grill?  Really?  My tomatoes are doing quite well.

hollyfp

treesapplaud:

pixy_stix:

Next time call a beekeeper to relocate them.  Don't kill bees.  Ever.

This, killing bees is a big no. I'm sure it will be illegal one day. 

This is why I asked!!  You should never kill bees...the populations are already struggling-

http://news.discovery.com/animals/honey-bees-disappearing-still-a-problem.html 

pixy_stix

SusieBW:

Pixy, I'm not sure why you're so positive that they weren't bees, though.  Is it really that crazy for me to have bee hives around my grill?  Really? 

Really.  Your post confirms it, you had wasps or hornets, not bees.

Bee hives are enormous.  When they swarm, the whole hive moves.  It's a giant cloud of bees, and they clump together (hundreds of bees at once).

A one inch "hive" was probably the start of a wasp nest.   They favor grills, etc.

This is why bees get such a bad rap, people can't identify their flying stinging insects.

derky17

Yeah, hornets, wasps and yellow jackets sometimes also form cylindrical shaped homes, similar to what most people would associate a "bee hive" to look like. We too have had hornets build hives under the hand rails of our deck, under our deck tables and chairs--they look for covered over hangs.  While I'm not expert by any means, its very obvious for me (and Dh) to tell the difference between our hard working bees and the picnic nuisances.  Remember, bees aren't aggressive naturally and you guys can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think most bees have a taste for human foods the same way wasps, hornets, yellow jackets etc do. 

We've put out some old soda 2-liter bottles, cut off the top of them, inverted them and put some vinegar and something else into the bottom of them to trap the nuisances.  So far, it's worked pretty well for us.   Google "Natural Wasp Traps" or something similar.

Good luck!