BUMBLEBEE CONTROL

   This article is about BUMBLEBEE CONTROL.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   The following article is about bumblebees.
It will discuss basic biology, detail what to
expect from local infestations and then list 
the products needed to control the nest. To see
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   Bumblebees are the most popular picture young
children will draw when asked to create a picture
of a bee. Although everyone likes honey bees, 
bumblebees are more recognized and accepted. They
are very pretty, their strength is legendary
and the sight of them foraging for pollen on
flowers is synonymous with spring and summer. 
(So popular are they that we actually sell
BUMBLE BEE HOUSES so people are able to attract
them to gardens and other landscapes needing pollinators.)
Their black and yellow bodies are similar to
a carpenter bee, but they live very different 
lives. If you think you are having a problem
with the wood boring carpenter bee, go back to 
our article archive by following the link above
to learn how to control them.  This article is 
about nothing but bumblebees.  
   Large yellow and black bees usually flying
in and around flowers, bumblebees are wonders
of nature.  How they are able to fly has always
been a mystery to engineers that have long
maintained the design and structure of bumblebees
is such that they are defying the laws of
physics every time they take to the air. Bumblebees
are heavy to begin with and sometimes loaded with 
pollen to such a degree that flying can be difficult.
Bumblebees are one of many flying insects that
contribute to the pollination of plants and flowers
throughout the world. However, their stingers and
aggressive behavior when man messes with their
nests have given them a bad name.
   Bumblebee nests start in the spring. A fertile
female or queen will emerge from a long winter
to seek an adequate nest sight. She has been
ready for this moment since the following year.
Now she awakens, flies off to find the new sight
and promptly starts to lay eggs. If she chooses
the right sight, her eggs will prosper. Within
two months, the nest will be an active population
of over a hundred bees.  All members contribute
to the nest.  Some seek food, some tend to the
offspring and others will guard and fix the nest.
Bumblebees are yellow and black. They may be 
1/2 inch to 3/4's of an inch long.  Their body
appears to be hairy when observed closely. Carpenter
bees differ in that their abdomen is metallic
looking; shiny and smooth.  Bumblebees can sting.
Their stinger delivers potent poison which is
sure to irritate most people and may cause
severe allergic reactions including swelling,
cramping, respiratory congestion, nausea and
temporary blindness.  In general, it is best
to watch but not to irritate them as they go 
about their business.  Be sure to let them
forage as they want.  Bumblebees don't want
to fight; they are merely gathering food
and going about their day to day responsibilities
when you see them.  Avoiding direct contact
is usually easy, but sometimes conflict is
inevitable.  People and bumblebees will come
to conflict when nests are in close proximity
to where we like to picnic, work or play. When
nests are located around active people, someone
is sure to get stung!
   As mentioned above, working bumblebees will
be indifferent to you. They have a job to do and
don't have the time to waste chasing every
person or animal that gets close.  However, that
same bee will be completely different if you
come too close to it's nest.  Bumblebees like
to nest under flat objects.  They like to feel
something on top and underneath them as they
nest.  This leads them to find nests under
boxes, under low profile decks, under rocks,
under wood chips or pine straw, between wood
logs of a wood pile or landscape timbers, under
a patio slab, under a tarp or just about any
manmade or natural object which is lying on
the ground that they are able to crawl under.
The most common way people find a nest is
when they are finally cleaning something out
of their yard which should have been cleaned
out years ago and when they move it, they 
uncover an angry bumblebee nest!  Although
nests are abandoned every year, it is common
for a new nest to start close if not in the
same location as a nest the preceding year.
Bumblebees are opportunistic.  If you give 
them the chance to have a great nest sight,
they will take it.  Be sure to remove as
many likely nest locations that you have. 
This will help to keep bumblebees from nesting
in your yard.  But if you already have a nest,
you will have to do some pest control in order
to get your property back from these territorial
bees.
   Once a nest is active and established, be
sure to keep children and pets away.  Bumblebees
may die after stinging, but they are not afraid
of this consequence.  And although passive when
away foraging for food, bumblebees are a different
bee when you get too close and invade their
"nest" space.  If you do it by accident, they
don't care.  Hopefully you will realize what
has happened before you get stung.  In general,
get away as fast as possible and wait until
dark to treat the nest.
   There are two ways to treat a bumblebee nest.
If the nest is under a slab, a big rock or a 
flat piece of wood such as the floor of a deck
or shed, dusting is the preferred method.  This
is because you are not able to use a liquid to 
treat over the top and have it soak in since 
the top is covered with a solid object.  Dust
is perfect for this job.  DELTAMETHRIN DUST is light,
floats like smoke and will penetrate back to 
the heart of the nest.  Apply it with a 
HAND DUSTER through the entrance
hole.  There should be more than one hole
which is active and you can usually find them
during the day by simply watching the nest for
an hour or two before you treat.  Once the
sun has set and all the bees are back in the
nest, load the duster with Deltamethrin Dust and 
treat.  In most cases, they won't know what
hit them.  The Deltamethrin Dust will float back
to where they are resting.  It will kill all
of them quickly and quietly.  Most will die
before they can emerge. Some will emerge, but
will be covered in dust and too distracted
or weak to present a hazard. However, if the
nest is large or if you notice they are active
into the evening, it would be a good idea to
equip yourself with some BEE FREEZE. This is
a quick acting aerosol type product that will
drop them immediately when sprayed. It's really
designed for when you need a strong spray that
will kill on contact. Most importantly, it 
doesn't do well when sprayed into spaces or
voids where bumblebee nests are hiding. For
this, you will need the Deltamethrin Dust and be sure
to pump at least two duster fulls when treating.
This assures you have enough applied to provide
residual for the eggs which will be hatching
for some time following your treatment.  By
stopping the eggs, you will be preventing
a recovery of the nest.  It is suggested that
you monitor the sight for at least four days
to insure there is no activity before you
conclude the nest is dead.  If no activity
is seen after seven days, it has been treated
successfully.  You will now be able to go
about your gardening, playing or working
without a hazard in close proximity.
   The other way to treat bumblebee nests
is when the nest is under some type of 
loose material like pine straw, wood chips
or compost pile.  This type of nest can
be difficult to treat because it is hard
to tell just where the entrance holes
are located.  Dusting will not work since
you are not sure if there is even a void
for the dust to penetrate.  The best way
to treat such nests is with liquid.  It will
take a lot to penetrate deep enough, but
in a week or two, the nest will be dead.
The best material to use for this treatment is
ESFENVALERATE.  Apply it with a HOSE END SPRAYER
and saturate a gallon of material for
every 25 sq/ft you think may have a nest.
You can use one of our other SPRAYERS as well.
Since you want the material to penetrate the
soil, you will need to add SPREADER STICKER
to the hose end sprayer.  This additive will
enhance the performance of the Esfenvalerate
so that it will sink down to the bumblebee
nest quickly.  Add one ounce of Spreader
Sticker for every ounce of Esfenvalerate used.
Like the dusting, it is best to treat at
night. Simply hook the sprayer up to your
garden hose, add the Esfenvalerate and
the Spreader Sticker along with some water
and spray until all the material is gone.
Esfenvalerate is fast acting.  You will be
killing the bees immediately.  Others will
be dying during the next few days. Unfortunately,
the nest may be more than a few inches down
which means it may take several days, longer
than dusting, before the nest is completely
dead. In some cases, the nest may be so deep
that second or third treatments may be needed.
To prevent this from happening, apply some
CYFLUTHRIN GRANULES over the area prior to spraying.
These are slow releasing and will provide much
longer protection than the Esfenvalerate by itself.
Since you may not know exactly where the nest
is located, the most conservative approach is to
apply about 5 lbs of granules over an area which 
is 10 feet by 10 feet. Use a GRANULE SPREADER to
get the material spread evenly. Again, do this
work in the evening or just after dark when all
the bees will be in their nest. Once applied
you can go ahead and spray the Esfenvalerate. This
one-two punch will assuredly get to the nest.
The granules need water to be activated and the
water from the spraying will serve that purpose. 
This method of treatment is ideal when you are 
in a rainy or wet period and Esfenvalerate treatments
may not work long enough due to the excessive water.
It's also a sure fire way to get any nest with 
your first attempt since the granules will be
working long after the Esfenvalerate is gone.
  Bumblebees are attractive and one of the
many wonders of nature. However, their nests
can make our yards a scary place for children
and adults alike.  Use Deltamethrin Dust to treat
nests which are under solid flat objects.
Esfenvalerate can be applied with a hose end sprayer
to thick mulch and ground cover where nests
may be but hard to find.  Either method will
take care of both adults and eggs.  Once the
nest is killed, you will be able to go
about your business without the fear of
being stung.

    If you have any questions about bumblebees or 
any other pest control problem, please give us a call.
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