My beloved hillwork conditioning trail at the barn has underground bees in an area that can’t really be detoured. I am concerned about my horse getting attacked one of these days.
Does anyone have any experience with getting rid of underground bees on the trail?? What’s the best method?
Figured the knowledgeable folks on the hunting forum would likely have an answer for me 
TIA
Go in on foot at night and spray insecticide down the hole. Run. 
I like those cans of wasp spray where you can stand 20-some feet away and the spray comes out of the can like a firehose. Gives you a head start at least :lol:
[QUOTE=lxt;4353457]
I like those cans of wasp spray where you can stand 20-some feet away and the spray comes out of the can like a firehose. Gives you a head start at least :lol:[/QUOTE]
I like those, too, but not super effective if you only spray the entrance of the nest. A little will run down inside, and some will be killed when they pass over the wet area on the way in and out, but the rest will just be mad. Although it might be worth a try. Don’t go there the next day, though!
One of the old fellars around here told me to pour gas down the hole and set fire to it. (making sure not to start a brush fire, of course)
[QUOTE=Equibrit;4353622]
One of the old fellars around here told me to pour gas down the hole and set fire to it. (making sure not to start a brush fire, of course)[/QUOTE]
I’ve heard of using gasoline. Not sure you even need to set it on fire for it to kill them.
call theexetrminators
call an exterminator PLEASE:yes:1 also, get epi pens for you and your horse:yes:; I lived on the farm of Jan Reutz who was killed when stung by ground wasps; This time of year:yes: , too!
Just pour gas in the hole, you don’t even have to light it. It kills them dead. (But do it at night) That works better than any spray we have tried.
Try Sevin dust poured over & down the hole. Sneak up…dump…walk calmly away…they can smell fear!!! :winkgrin:
Or…Dress up like an eskimo, goggles, baklava, hat, gloves…you get the picture…and spray wasp nest spray stuff (the kind that has a stream) all over the entrance & down the hole…sneak up…spray…walk calmly away…until one gets in the crack of your outfit and stings you THEN run…:eek::lol::lol::lol:
Carol is right. These guys can be nasty PLUS the gasoline idea is pretty damaging to the environment.
[QUOTE=wateryglen;4356070]
Dress up like an eskimo, goggles, baklava, hat, gloves…you get the picture…and spray wasp nest spray stuff (the kind that has a stream) all over the entrance & down the hole…sneak up…spray…walk calmly away…until one gets in the crack of your outfit and stings you THEN run…:eek::lol::lol::lol:[/QUOTE]
Did that method just yesterday. We rode through one of our favorite trails - a nice narrow trail with a couple of jumps. Horse got stung, so we went back with the golf cart and wasp spray to seek revenge!
I don’t think bees live in ground holes. Most likely, these are wasps. Are they yellow/black?
[QUOTE=spotted mustang;4356752]
I don’t think bees live in ground holes. Most likely, these are wasps. Are they yellow/black?[/QUOTE]
I think these are regional variations in the name for what I call yellow jackets or hornets.
I am in the “call an exterminator” camp. You have no idea how big that nest is underground. If a horse were to step into it, open it up, get stung and dump the rider right there, a deadly scenario could ensue.
If you dump gasoline and light it be sure to have someone a safe distance away who can catch you and extinguish your flames. Gasoline vapors will explode, duh.
Lighter fluid, diesel fuel, or kerosene would be much safer. You can safely put a match to them without getting those painful skin grafts at the hospital (BTW, B & W Salve heals nasty burns at home, without skin grafts, quickly with no pain and no scars).
I have found that permethrin (same stuff I use on my animals) kills wasps very quickly when I spray it on them. I would rather use petroleum products and flames for a nest in the ground
As far as the exterminators being better for the environment, I doubt it, it’s just different stuff and more expensive than what you do yourself.
Make sure you do your exterminating at night when they are sleeping in the nest.
diesel before gasoline for sure
Thanks everyone for the suggestions thus far. It sounds like this issue is far more complicated than I imagined:eek:.
The suspected bees are down a trail beyond some fields at the barn where I board. The likelihood that I could get out there where the bees are located at night is pretty slim. I also dont’ know exactly where the bees are, we just suspect there are bees in this area as my friend and I have heard them.
Just how late into the fall season are bees active? When will they be dormant? Can I expect it to be safe after the first frost? Looking for a plan B, I think I can figure out an alternative hillwork spot in the meantime.
Not likely to be bees if they are ensconced underground. Take a bucket of really soapy with dish detergent water and dump that down the hole. Might have to do a second application when things settle down again. Wear long sleeves and long pants. Wrap something around your head, and wear glasses of some sort. You have to know exactly where the hole is for this method by the way. The idea is to coat the wasps with soapy water.
Soapy water definitely kills them but as angel said, it has to coat them…not always easy when they are in an unknown sized void…you may run out of soapy water before you fill the void…also beware of “back doors”…bees and hornets on the rampage are like HazMat with a brain. Be very careful in searching for the main entrance. The nest may be spread over a pretty large area and you wouldn’t want to find them the hard way.
Night time is usually safer but if they are agitated they will attack after dark too, and they are attracted to white light so no flashlights. Not sure about hornets but bees keep their hives warm so they show up if you look at them thru a thermal imager. If you have any friends on the fire department maybe they’d be willing to have a look over the field with their TIC (thermal imaging camera) and locate the nest that way. You can also get an idea of how big it is if that method works. Seeing how it is a public safety hazard they might agree to look.
If you can hear them, are there trees nearby, they may be honey bees in a cavity nest or high in the branches?
If this is the hornets (may be the wrong term) that live in the ground in Virginia mountains, they will CHASE you. All the way back to the car. :eek::mad::uhoh:
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