birds and bees

[snowflake]

we have carpenter bees in our area I have seen them come out of the ground. they look like big fussy yellow jacket. they rarely bite, and are good for your garden. We had a nest of paper wasps in our run last year. I was worried they would get bit then I noticed the hens jumping up and sitting next to the nest.It wasn't long before there was no activity in the nest at all. all eaten, or moved out?

 

[fratmor]

Its the one on the left the have fur but they are about 3/4" long they look like giants.

 

[HeritageHens]

Quote:

I knew better than that. I should have said that I got stung by an underground nest of wasps.

BigDaddy'sGurl :

Anyway, if you do HAVE to get rid of them for the danger to your chickens, my Dad always waited until after dark and poured about a 12 oz coke bottle's worth of gasoline down the hole. Sounds inhumane

Please don't pour gasoline into the earth! Not only is that inhumane, it's really a bad idea. Yes, my parents did the same thing and maybe that's why our well water was AWFUL. Gasoline doesn't just stay in that hole; it migrates. While that much may not make a difference, it's still an awful product in this context.

Ground-nesting bees
There are other types of bees you may encounter that do not form colonies. Solitary andrenid bees are common ground-nesting bees. They are also important pollinators of native plants. They usually nest in sun-exposed, dry areas of yards. Although there is just one bee per nest, many of these bees typically nest close to each other. They are usually most conspicuous to the public during spring. Although many ground-nesting bees may be found flying around their nests in the spring, they are gentle and very rarely sting people.

Sprinkling the area of their nests with water may be enough to encourage them to move as they avoid damp areas. The same insecticides that control ground-nesting yellowjackets and bumble bees are effective against andrenid bees.​

 

[cabincrazyone]

Quote:
OK. If they're fuzzy and look like the guy on the left they're probably miner bees. You don't have to worry about them becoming harmful unless you purposely aggravate them. The chickens will most likely pick them off one at a time as yummy little snacks. I don't think they sting, only bite ... they collect pollen and nectar but don't make honey, and they're great pollinators. I'd leave them alone if it were me ... just my two cents.
I have a spot in the back yard where they've lived for quite a few years. We walk over them, sit by them, mow over them .... you don't know they're there except for seeing one occasionally.

 

[bantyhen'sfriend]

We had a nest of hornets living next to a fencepost. When my chickens would go out to free range, the only white rock bantam pullet I had at the time would go straight to the nest, and eat them as they flew outside. If they weren't oing out quick enough, she would scratch and get them mad, then eat 'em up. She would spend hours next to that nest!