JeffHs
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 10:40 AM |
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Killer Bees!
I like my wildlife-friendly garden and was very pleased to see a colony of tree bumble bees (bombus hypnorum) take over an empty blue tit box, but the
little buggers have suddenly turned nasty. We've had them for about 6 weeks and they've been no bother at all but now they take exception
to anyone going near the nest. They've chased my wife out of the garden twice so she daren't go into the greenhouse to water and I was
stung yesterday in a swift unprovoked attack.
I need to get rid of them but beekepers don't want to know because they're not honeybees and pest people don't want to know because
they're bees!
Any (safe) ideas?
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daviep
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 10:45 AM |
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How about the homemade flame thrower...........can of deoderant and a lighter, torch the little buggers 
Davie
“A truly great library contains something in it to offend everyone.”
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loggyboy
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 10:56 AM |
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...Lazlow
Mistral Motorsport
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maccmike
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 11:01 AM |
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Id imagine theyre suddenly attacking for a reason. Can you not give them bit longer? Other than that pay an exterminator. Or hire hornets :-)
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mookaloid
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 11:03 AM |
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friend of mine has a similar problem but in the wall of his house. he had to go to hospital with about 20 stings last week 
After unsuccessful attempts by a local bee keeper to smoke them out he has borrowed a bee keepers suit and attached a long pipe to his Dyson and is
collecting them up rapid fire a thousand or so at a time!
He is hoping that the queen will get sucked in at some point and then the other bees will lose interest and go away.
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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RedAvon
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 11:22 AM |
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I had several nasty wasps nests over the last few years and found - don't laugh - putting my finger over a hose pipe to create a fine mist over
my head protected me from them flying close enough to sting - in good weather like this it's quite refreshing.
I then quickly directed the full force of the hose onto the nest and drowned them all - took a few goes but this smashed up the nest with the force of
the water. Never got stung once and on one occasion gave them a sporting chance by wearing shorts and no tee-shirt.
I've now got from Aldi a useful can of wasp nest destroyer - only a few pounds which sends a foam jet from around 3 metres away - this has a
knock down agent allowing you to get closer and closer until you foam the nest and kill them all.
Not tried anything on bees - yet !
Ian
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nick205
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 11:29 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
friend of mine has a similar problem but in the wall of his house. he had to go to hospital with about 20 stings last week
After unsuccessful attempts by a local bee keeper to smoke them out he has borrowed a bee keepers suit and attached a long pipe to his Dyson and is
collecting them up rapid fire a thousand or so at a time!
He is hoping that the queen will get sucked in at some point and then the other bees will lose interest and go away.
This sounds like pretty good sport to me 
How do you go about emptying the vacuum though????
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mookaloid
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 12:03 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by nick205
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
friend of mine has a similar problem but in the wall of his house. he had to go to hospital with about 20 stings last week
After unsuccessful attempts by a local bee keeper to smoke them out he has borrowed a bee keepers suit and attached a long pipe to his Dyson and is
collecting them up rapid fire a thousand or so at a time!
He is hoping that the queen will get sucked in at some point and then the other bees will lose interest and go away.
This sounds like pretty good sport to me
How do you go about emptying the vacuum though????
Apparently the force of them hitting the tube and bends on the way down kills them so it's not a problem.
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
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JeffHs
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 12:15 PM |
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Must admit the Dyson crossed my mind too.
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ReMan
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 12:38 PM |
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jet washer sounds good
www.plusnine.co.uk
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TimEllershaw
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 12:47 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by ReMan
jet washer sounds good
I would have thought the danger there is you explode the nest and spread a load of angry (but a little damp) bees all around the garden ?
http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/
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ashg
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 01:03 PM |
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petrol and a match in the night works pretty well.
Anything With Tits or Wheels Will cost you MONEY!!
Haynes Roadster (Finished)
Exocet (Finished & Sold)
New Project (Started)
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nick205
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 01:06 PM |
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What about a CO2 fire extinguisher?
Creep up in the dark and smother the nest with CO2 then bag it and torch it.
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Irony
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 01:39 PM |
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I would be tempted to wait until their sleeping and quickly bung the hole up and then drop in a water butt.
I work on a large complex that used to be a working farm. The business has retained it's original groundsmen from way back. He's a cross
between groundskeeper willie (The Simpsons), Greengrass (Heartbeat) and Tom Good (the Good Life). I couple of years ago we had a wasp nest in the
grass near my office window. I informed him of said nest and he said he'd sort it. I watched him wander over from his office (a haven of junk
he's collected over the years) with a funnel and a can of petrol. He stuffed the funnel in the largest entrance and filled it with petrol. He
stomped on the other entrances to the nest. When the entire funnel had soaked away he pulled out a squeezy bottle of yet more petrol and squeezed out
and long line to a safe distance. He then pulled out a box of matches.................small muffled 'wump', no more wasps.
PLEASE PLEASE do not try the above.............
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TimEllershaw
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 03:17 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Irony
small muffled 'wump', no more wasps.
PLEASE PLEASE do not try the above.............
http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/
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scudderfish
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 04:15 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by TimEllershaw
quote:
Originally posted by Irony
small muffled 'wump', no more wasps.
PLEASE PLEASE do not try the above.............
But if you do, put the video on youtube for us
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 04:21 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
quote:
Originally posted by nick205
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
friend of mine has a similar problem but in the wall of his house. he had to go to hospital with about 20 stings last week
After unsuccessful attempts by a local bee keeper to smoke them out he has borrowed a bee keepers suit and attached a long pipe to his Dyson and is
collecting them up rapid fire a thousand or so at a time!
He is hoping that the queen will get sucked in at some point and then the other bees will lose interest and go away.
This sounds like pretty good sport to me
How do you go about emptying the vacuum though????
Apparently the force of them hitting the tube and bends on the way down kills them so it's not a problem.
I imagine flying down a bendy pipe at 150mph is rather dangerous
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AndyW
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 05:08 PM |
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or try a bomb
you
tube madness
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I predict a Riot
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 08:42 PM |
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Try the RSPCA.
They put us in touch with a local Bee expert a few years back.
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Dusty
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| posted on 22/5/12 at 08:46 PM |
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As 99% of the little loves snuggle up and go bye byes at night do what you have to at night. In the morning you will find a few stragglers who stopped
out late will be flying around looking for home but they will disappear in 24 hours. Cavity wall foam works well if there is only one entrance.
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ChrisW
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| posted on 23/5/12 at 11:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
quote:
Originally posted by nick205
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
friend of mine has a similar problem but in the wall of his house. he had to go to hospital with about 20 stings last week
After unsuccessful attempts by a local bee keeper to smoke them out he has borrowed a bee keepers suit and attached a long pipe to his Dyson and is
collecting them up rapid fire a thousand or so at a time!
He is hoping that the queen will get sucked in at some point and then the other bees will lose interest and go away.
This sounds like pretty good sport to me
How do you go about emptying the vacuum though????
Apparently the force of them hitting the tube and bends on the way down kills them so it's not a problem.
I imagine flying down a bendy pipe at 150mph is rather dangerous
I've done this with wasps on a couple of occasions and can tell you from experience that it works. You do need to leave the vacuum on for an
hour or so at least, and will have to repeat 2 maybe 3 times over the course of 24 hours. I've found that drops the population sufficiently for
you to get enough time to fill up the entrances to the nest with whatever is laying around. Expanding foam works well, as does a bead of gripfill (or
similar) if the holes are small.
I'll see if I can find a photo....
Chris
My gaff my rules
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ChrisW
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| posted on 23/5/12 at 11:36 PM |
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http://video.chrisw.net/Jg4We29K
Chris
My gaff my rules
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James
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| posted on 24/5/12 at 12:15 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by I predict a Riot
Try the RSPCA.
They put us in touch with a local Bee expert a few years back.
I have to agree.
Bumble Bees are severely endangered.
And Bees in general are utterly vital to pollenisation of all our food crops (globally)- and they're populations are in big trouble- as will we
be if they die out.
Please don't just kill them!
Cheers,
James
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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Peteff
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| posted on 24/5/12 at 07:38 AM |
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Move to Worcestershire, apparently they don't like it there
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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