Hi,

I am totally new to this group but figured it would be an appropriate
place to ask this question.

About two months ago I got stung several times by bees while mowing
the lawn. After re-inspecting the area I realized that there is about
a 2-3 inch wide hole in the ground where bees were entering and
exiting. At the time it wasn't bad, and I'm not into killing bees
just because they sting.

However in the last month it has gotten pretty bad. My daughter and I
have both been stung a few times and the dog has been stung also. I
allow(ed) neighborhood kids to play basketball in my driveway and they
started getting stung too (waiting for the lawsuits). I've been told
they can't be bees, that they must be yellow jackets, but I've spent
plenty of time watching them exit this hole, and they are DEFINITELY
bees of some sort. I'm not a expert, but I'd swear they were standard
honeybees. They get pretty upset if you get too near the hole.

Well, they need to go. My father came over with a "sure fix" which
was to pour gasoline down the hole and ignite it. This killed a bunch
of them, but this morning it is business as usual.

I live in Illinois (if that helps anyone identify the bee type).
Can't keep letting people get stung by these critters.

Has anyone else had experience with this problem and can help me
figure out the best and most fullproof way to get rid of these pests?
I've inspected pretty thoroughly and am fairly convinced there is only
one hole. I've been told a lot of remedys (garden hoses, simply
plugging the hole) but been told they don't work. Since I risk
getting stung multiple times if something goes wrong, I'd really like
to get this right the first (well...actually second) time. It would
also be nice if whatever solution didn't hurt my lawn...

And in case you couldn't tell after being stung multiple times I'm
getting pretty afraid of them too...

Thanks in advance.