DIGGER WASP AND BEE CONTROL

   This article is about DIGGER WASP/BEE control.
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   This article is will detail both digger wasps and
digger bees.  These pests are prevalent throughout
the entire United States. There are over a hundred species
of wasps which fall into to this category and several
types of bees. Because there are too many to name and
detail, this article will describe some common behavior
of these pests and then offer solutions for their control.
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   Every spring and throughout the summer months, many
different species of wasps and bees will emerge from
lawns and turf.  They have been in the ground all winter
developing in the third stage of being an insect called
the pupa.  As the soil warms, pupa hatch. Adult bees
and wasps will emerge, begin to look for good nest sites
and quickly dig their new homes. They come in all sizes
and colors.  Some of the wasps are black, blue, brown,
white and orange, yellow, and probably mixes of any listed
above.  Digger bees tend to look more like common bumble
bees, but can look like a yellow jacket, a honey bee
or certain types of flies.  Most all of these species have
common behavior which make them easy to control and
understand. 
1)  Nearly all are solitary. Although it appears you have
thousands of "nests" in the yard, in fact they are all
independent nests owned by different bees or wasps.
2)  Most like to fly around their "airspace" at different
times of the day or season. This may have something to do
with mating, air temperature or simply staking territory.
3)  Most are not too aggressive, but stay clear of them.
One never knows if they may be allergic to a certain sting
or venom. Don't let children or pets play around nest sites.
4)  The first year these pests start to nest in a yard, they
usually go unnoticed. It is easy to miss a few holes. Every
year this will grow exponentially. Within 3-5 years, expect
to have several thousand!
5)  Although nests may be under pine straw or wood chips,
most species prefer to dig on bare ground between grass
and plants.  Holes are easy to mistake for worm castings.
6)  Most are predatory feeders foraging for grubs, small
flying insects and ground dwelling pests. It is not uncommon
for nest sites to be established in a yard which has little
food supply.  Because they can fly, food can be found in
adjoining property.  Nest locations may only be taking
advantage of the free place to live without offering any
help in controlling your pests! Once food is found, it is
stung to death, brought back to the nest and buried. Eggs
will be laid on it, in it or close to it so that hatching
larva will have a ready food supply.
7)  Some are pollen or other organic food feeders; not all
are predatory.
8)  Most nest sites tend to be where sunlight, moisture and
soil density meet some requirement they like.  Once a nest
site is started, expect it to expand each year and become
larger and larger.  Although nests are abandoned each year,
they are not reused. New nests will be made adjacent to
old nests and most old nests fill in over the winter.
9)  Expect populations to vary from year to year, based on
things such as the severity of the past winter, local insect
levels, rain patterns, humidity and temperature.
10)  Most live a full year, emerging from pupa stages in the
spring, building nests, laying eggs and then dying in
the fall. Their offspring will emerge next year to continue
the cycle.

   Digger bees and wasps are not desirable pests for several
reasons.
1)  Most people fear their presence. Although they usually
will leave you alone if you don't bother them, nests pose
a hazard when built in play areas of the yard.
2)  Infestations will start small and rapidly grow. If you
have a nest or two, expect to have several more in the
next year. This will quickly grow out of control if left
alone to develop.
3)  Nest sights will become unsightly.  It is not uncommon
for thousands of holes to be created within a few thousand
square feet. 
4)  Large nest sites are scary when the species nesting goes
into their hovering activity.  During these times, you will
expect to have thousands of them flying low to the ground,
around 1-3 feet high, simply flying in circles.  Be sure to
keep children and pets away during this activity.
5)  In every case, small infestations will eventually get
too large and move into areas of the yard where you don't
want them. Be sure to prevent this by taking care of initial
infestations before they grow.

   Once you have found the general nest sight, control is 
easy to do and very effective. All you need to do is treat
an area slightly larger than where they are nesting.
Here are your options based on level of activity and
area to be treated.

   If all you have is a few holes - less than 30 - and you
want to get control of the problem before it gets control
of you and your yard, get some DELTAMETHRIN DUST. This product
works fast, lasts long and will kill off all which are
active at the time of treatment. Do the application in
the evening when all adults are back in the nest. The
best way to treat is to use a HAND DUSTER and simply go
up to the hole, squeeze 3-5 times insuring thorough
coverage and then quickly seal the hole with one of
these PLUGS. Sealing the hole will serve you for many
reasons. First, it insures the adults stay in the 
treatment and can't escape without contacting a lethal
dose. Second, it helps protect the chemical from excessive
moisture. Though this dust will hold up well to water
and moisture, plugging it will insure it lasts that much
longer just in case it rains or if you have an irrigation
system. The longer you allow it to last the better
performance you will get. Remember, it can only work
on exposed adults. Since most nests have eggs and pupa
which are still developing, having the dust in the nest
for extended periods of time insures there is something
around to knock out young that will hatch throughout
the season. Lastly, plugging the holes lets you know
for sure just which ones you treated and which ones
you need to address. If treating in the dark, it is
sometimes hard to see all which may be present. Plugging
lets you know for sure and prevents any from being
missed. Once treated, expect to kill most instantly. 
However, it is very common to have some new holes "pop"
up from nowhere within a week which will need immediate
attention. Furthermore, if the nests treated have a lot
of eggs and pupa developing, you will assuredly get some
new nests at some point in the future. If you treat
them as described above you should be able to break
their cycle so little to no activity will emerge
next season. However, don't be surprised if there
are a few survivors for a week or so following the 
application. These usually die off but if you want 
to kill them right away, use some of our fast acting 
WASP/HORNET/BEE FREEZE. This aerosol product shoots up 
to 20 feet and will knock out any which survive the 
dusting. It's also a good idea to have a can of it
available with you when you actually do the dusting.
It's quick action can be quite helpful if the nest
turns out to be a little larger then anticipated!
As effective as dusting can be, it's not
a practical treatment when you have 30 or more nests.
Such infestations are fairly common and will require
a more general approach. However, this blanketing
treatment will prove very effective and time saving.
   If you have 30 or more nests active in turf and mulch
areas, dusting will prove to be time consuming, costly and
not efficient. There are two other products which work
better for such infestations. Though either can be used
by themselves, it is best to do both. We recommend this 
one-two combination for quick and complete control.
First, apply some CYFLUTRHIN GRANULES. These granules are
slow releasing, will filter down into nests and onto the
paths they travel and will last a long time. This residual
action is needed so that emerging young and hatching
pupa can be controlled once they are active. Apply them
with a GRANULE SPREADER to insure good distribution. However, 
it is important to understand that the granules are not
fast acting. They must be activated by watering them
in and though you could use a water sprinkler to
do the watering, the best option is to treat over the
top with some ESFENVALERATE. Esfenvalerate is very safe around 
people and pets.  It is odorless, easy to apply and works 
fairly quick on wasps and bees.  Apply it over the top of
the nests using a DIAL-A-MIX SPRAYER.  Do the treatment
immediately after a rain or after you water the lawn.
This extra moisture will insure the Esfenvalerate will
soak in deep enough to reach nests. Make an effort to
get entrance ways and tunnels wet. This will insure
Esfenvalerate will provide a residual so that bees and
wasps that go out and into nests will pick up a lethal
dose and die. The water used to apply the Esfenvalerate
will serve you by carrying the chemical as well as
activating the Granules.  Treatments done late
in the summer and fall will provide immediate control
of existing adults, but expect to have a spring hatch
which will need treatment the following spring. Even
though the granules will be working throughout the
winter, all eggs and pupa won't hatch. No chemical
can affect them till they hatch so treatments done
late in the season might not knock out entire
infestation. This is to be expected. Remember though
that treatments done in the summer and fall will
be killing adults which are trying to lay more eggs.
This will have a big impact on breaking their cycle
so don't wait till spring to treat - do it any time
of the year when you see them active.
   Digger bees and wasps are common problems in the
yard.  If left alone, their nest sights will grow to
be several thousand.  Their activity is unnerving to
people and pets. Apply Deltamethrin Dust directly to nests
if you only have a few. This treatment will be quick,
easy and effective. For larger infestations, a 
combination of Cyfluthrin Granules and Esfenvalerate
will prove most effective in elimination. Late summer and 
fall treatments will provide immediate relief, but
expect some to emerge the following season.
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