weft2 wrote:
We've had some sort of big bee colony burrowing under our garden shed
for the past several years, and though I treated it somewhat
successfully a few years ago, I can't remember what the name of the
dust I used on it was. I got it at a Pest Removal store now long out of
business, and the only other Pesticide places around now won't sell to
the public, ie, they have to come and do it for you at great cost. They
also won't tell me what I need or where I can get the small can of dust
that I used before. I know it was made by Wilson, and that the Pest
store sold me a little accordian plastic bottle to puff the dust into
the bees' burrows. Is there some kind of similar product I can buy at a
Home Depot type store that will do the same job? I remember the dust
worked pretty well, but required several applications, and after the
bees were gone for a couple of years, I sort of let it slide- but now
they're back with a vengence.

I assume these are bumblebees and not carpenter bees (?), because
they're making holes in the dirt/ground around the bottom of the shed,
and not right through the wood. There's a large gap under the whole
shed floor that is only filled with concrete dust/light gravel, so
there's still lots of room for anything to get in under the subfloor.
Probably around 3-4"s.

The problem is, the shed is in a very small, enclosed area at the side
of the house, and since it's now October, I can't wait any longer to
start to clean it out and prepare to load the winter storage items in
it. But every time I step into the shed near the door, the bees come
flying out from their burrows right at us, and we've been stung a
couple of times, espc. since there's little room for us to move around
and get through. Even walking by the side of the shed, without going
into it, is difficult, because the bees will still come out as you walk
by.

We probably would have been stung even more if we had tried to access
the shed more often, but the bees are definitely keeping us away.
Shouldn't the little devils be closing up shop by now, since it's
October? I know we've had some pretty warm days this Fall (Zone 4 or 5
Ontario/Quebec border), but what is the lifespan of these things?

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2143.html
"Control
"If ground-nesting bees and wasps can be ignored and their tunnels
tolerated, do so since they are valuable in agricultural production and
helpful by controlling pests in nature. If nests are in locations
undesirable and stinging is a great possibility, control is justified.
During the day, carefully watch where the nest entrances are located.
After dark, tunnels and the surrounding area can be treated with dusts
of carbaryl (Sevin), bendiocarb (Ficam D) or diazinon when the nest is
in the ground. Use pyrethrins, permethrin, resmethrin or propoxur
(Baygon) when the nest is in the side of a building. Other lawn and
garden insecticide sprays can also be used, but dusts have the
advantage of not soaking into the soil. Those who are allergic to bee
stings, should contact a licensed, professional pest control operator
to perform the control job. Always read the label and follow directions
and safety precautions."