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Ground Bees Soon to Annoy
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Taken from the P.E.S.T. (Pest Evaluation and Suppressiona Techniques) Newsletter
Dr. David Shetlar (OSU Plant Entomolgist) in partnership with Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association |
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I know that these little annoyances will be out before the next PEST. I saw some at a rest stop in Kentucky last week, so they will start in Ohio soon. These little solitary bees are usually dark brown with some light bands visible on the abdomen. The females dig burrows, primarily in thin turf, bare ground or in flower beds with ground showing. Each female will throw up a small mound of soil that can be two to three inches in diameter. On sunny days, the male’s zigzag over the nesting area and the females often bask in the sun on top of their burrow openings.
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Since they are “bees,” homeowners are often afraid that they or their children will get stung, but the only way you might get stung is to physically pick up one of the females with your bare hands. I’ve stood in the middle of some pretty large colonies swatting the passing bees and never got stung. (I demonstrated this to a homeowner a couple of years ago).
Frankly, we should welcome these early bees as they are important pollinators of flowering plants. If you really want them to be gone, I prefer to modify the habitat rather than trying to nuke them with pesticides. The best, long term remedy is to thicken up the turf, grow a thick ground cover or use a layer of mulch that completely covers any bare soil. |
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