On 6/24/2016 11:37 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
songbird wrote:

in the many years i've been here and with the many
bees around i've not been stung that often (perhaps
five times in all these years). the one that got me
was very aggressive, i don't know if it was the same
one that stung Ma, but eventually i was able to squash
it when it kept going inside my croc (it must have
sprayed something on the croc because it really went
after it). unfortunately the squashing of it also
meant it was not identifiable...

i work in many gardens with bees just a few inches
from my face or hands. i like them, would not really
want to kill any of them. even the hornets, wasps,
etc. are plentiful here. they like the large rocks
and build nests behind or under them. then once in
a while the raccoons come through and pull the nests
out and eat them. they must be able to smell them
or something. i have to go around the house once in
a while and knock the nests down.

the ones that do mud on the rock walls i leave
(mud daubers?) and the ones that do the plugs i leave
alone too. i like them, they're black or bluish and
very shiny and pretty and i also like how they flit
around. they have a lot of character...


songbird

Are you sure these aren't yellow jackets ? You said you've seen them nest
in the ground , the only honey bee that nests in the ground is AHB's , those
are the africanized ones - and they will attack en mass when disturbed . But
you live way north of their range . YJ's are slightly shorter , more slender
and more brightly colored than honey bees . If slightly larger than honey
bees , I'm not sure , but around bumble bee size there are several
varieties, some of which have already been discussed .
If they are honey bees , going in with some smoldering rags (or put the
smoldering rags in a tin bucket and sit it just inside the door) will help
to short-circuit their alarm pheromone , making them less likely to attack .
You'll want to look for comb building , one identifier of honey bees . If
you see comb , call a local bee club and someone will probably come and get
them ... feral survivor bees are highly desired by many beekeepers . If
they aren't honey bees , you can probably kill them with one of the house
fogger canisters , might use 2 to be sure you give them a lethal dose .
I currently have 5 colonies (hives) of dark Russian varroa-resistant honey
bees , 3 of which have produced a honey crop for me this year - probably
harvest around 50-60 quarts . The other 2 were just started this spring and
are still getting their houses in order .

Damn Snag, you the man. I can honestly say I have never been stung by a
honey bee. Wasps, yes, bees no. One of my Dad's friends about sixty
years ago was a bee keeper and taught me how to handle them with a
smoker so we could get their honey. Brought back some good memories to
this old head. Now bumble bees living in the ground are another memory
and not so good, particularly when I drove the bulldozer over their
nest. Rascals hit me in my back so many times they knocked me out. If I
had known they were there I would have left them alone.

George