Bees play a major role in pollination, and humankind would be extinct if not for the bees; while we do appreciate that, but if your garden is a breeding ground for bees, then this could be absolute havoc.
The bees may chase and hover around you or sting you, which can be life-threatening to some. We’ve figured out ways to keep bees away from your garden and we’d like to share it with you!
Why should you keep bees away from your garden?
Even though helpful, bees can be dangerous, and here are the reasons why you should get rid of them.
- You could be allergic to bees so much that a sting could prove to be fatal. If you have a family member allergic to bee stings, you need to be alert and remove them from your garden.
- Bee stings hurt, and if the bee nest is on the ground, this can increase the chances of many bee stings, which are especially dangerous to pets and children playing on the lawn.
- If bees get aggressive, dealing with them could get hard. They may be offensive because of the lack of any flowers in the area, hot climate, or protection of their nest.
And thus, getting rid of bees is inevitable.
Ways to keep Bees Away
Here is what you should do to get rid of the bees.
1. Avoid a lot of flowery fragrance
Bees love the smell of flowers because they taste the sweet nectar. While your garden would be full of such flowers, you can deter them through other scents. These are scents that are pleasant to humans but repulsive for the bees.
Adding thyme, eucalyptus spearmint, and peppermint in your garden helps. These plants are also available in the form of essential oils, so you may want to spray them in some places in the garden. Bees are also averse to citronella oil, lavender oil, lemon, vegetable oil, olive oil, and lime
2. Look out for nests proactively
Regularly inspect your garden to look out for any bee nests. These are the places where the bees are territorial and aggressive. You will be able to find them along the garden fences and porches. Tarping, the nest, is an environmentally friendly option.
However, it is risky. In this technique, tarps are placed on the nest with bricks, stones, and some heavy items placed on every side of the tarp to hold the tarp in place. You will need to do this at night when all the bees are in the nest, not to agitate them and let them sting you. Wear dark clothes if you wish to set the tarp yourself, as dark clothes draw less attention
3. Use D-Force HPX
If you wish to use chemicals to get rid of the bees in your yard, then using D-Force HPX helps. D-Force HPX is an insecticide that is kept in a pressurized can. It contains a synthetic pyrethroid called Deltamethrin which is its active ingredient. The chemical attacks the bee’s nervous system and paralyzes it, causing the bee to die eventually.
The D-Force HPX lets you target a specific part of the yard which means that you do not need to spray it everywhere. It can be applied on the nest or right on the bees. Make sure to wear protective clothing when you spray the chemical and keep pets and kids away. Other insecticides can be used to get rid of the bees. Just make sure to follow the instructions well.
4. Water the lawn at frequent intervals
If there are bees on the ground, then watering it frequently helps. The ground bees build their nests in sandy and dry soil. The nesting females are attracted to dry soil. When you water regularly, it lets the soil stay moist and deters the bees from building a nest on the ground. This method drives the bees and does not let them come back again.
5. DIY methods
Bees are attracted to sweet smells, but they deter some scents like cinnamon and peppermint. Make a repellent spray using a drop of tea tree oil, peppermint oil, or cinnamon oil mixed in a cup of unscented kids shampoo and put the mixture into a spray bottle. Then spray it in the areas where you suspect bees. This helps to keep bees away.
- You may try keeping cinnamon outdoors or sprinkle some grounded cinnamon around the hive. The bees deter this smell and may decide to relocate elsewhere.
- Hanging mothballs is another great idea as the scent of mothballs prevents bees from building their nests. Just hang them in some strategic locations all over your garden.
- A vinegar spray is also an option to consider. Mix water and vinegar in equal proportion and spray it on the nest at night, which is the time when the bees are usually dormant. Wear protective clothing to avoid any bee sting. You can spray the mixture on flowers, plants, and bushes where the bees are usually active.
- A soda bottle trap can also be tried to get rid of bees. Cut the soda bottle in half and fill it with sweet soda at the bottom. Place this trap near the areas where you find the bees active. The sweet smell pulls the bees to it, and then when they dive into it, the bees drown in the soda liquid.
- Hanging zappers lure the bees to its sweet scent. And when the bees get attracted and come to the zapper, they get electrocuted when they touch the grid.
6. Make a bee garden
Make a bee garden to create balance. These are garden patches that are planted with flowers that the bees love. But you do not have to plant these flowers throughout. Make a patch where you plant the trees that bees love and others areas with plants that the bees deter. The bees will stay where the concentration of nectar is, letting you enjoy roam freely in the other parts of the garden.
7. Hire a beekeeper
A beekeeper will remove the bees without harming or killing them. With the bee population already in trouble, this could be the best option. The beekeeper removes the bees and the nest. How much they would charge you for the service is dependent on how difficult it was to remove the nest.
The beekeeper will cut the honeycomb with the brood still inside it. The honeycomb is then placed on frames and then is transferred to a hive box. A vacuum may be used to get rid of the bees if the nest is in a hard-to-reach place. The process does not kill the bees.
8. An exterminator can help
If you are OK with whatever method helps to keep bees away from your garden, then call a professional exterminator. They employ some drastic measures to kill bees, so understand the cons and then take this decision. Pesticides will usually be used to get rid of the bees. There is a risk in removing the nests, so be prepared to pay a high price.
Also, a single treatment may not be enough to eliminate bees from your garden. The first treatment will kill the bees that are close to the top surface. The extremist will revisit your garden to kill any new pupa that may have emerged. There could be further treatments needed to eradicate the bees permanently.
The exterminator kills the bees, but the responsibility of removing the nest and the dead bees lie on you. Also, if there is any trace of a honeycomb left behind, this will let the rotting honey emit a foul odor. If you decide to clean up yourself, ensure that you handle things with care, as the bees and the nests have been treated with pesticides.
Conclusion
Flowers are beautiful, and they naturally attract bees to them. Bees are important. After all, our food supply is dependent on them. These industrious pollinators maintain our ecosystem, and we need to ensure that the little creates do not get extinct. But they sting and can be fatal to some, which is why trying out these effective ways will help to get them to buzz off from your garden.
However, should you find a nest in your garden, do not be the hero trying to remove the hive yourself? Irritating the bees can be severe, so do not attempt to disturb them nor remove them without professional help. The professionals know of safe ways to get rid of the bees without causing any harm to you or the bees. So it is best to hire one to eliminate bees from your garden completely
