Removing bees from trees - not a hive

Hi

I've got 2 trees in my back yard that the bees are loving at the moment, there's no hive there, they just come to collect the pollen, or whatever bees do.

This doesn't bother me, but I have 2 very young kids and one of them was stung a few days ago, so I'd like to move the bees away from my kids.

Are there any products I can get to get rid of the bees? Or should I just call a pest guy?

Cheers
Jonathon
 
Ordinarily a bee keeper can remove bees when the queen can be located. As there is no hive, this will not be an option.

A pest guy can kill the bees, but as there is no hive to poison there may not be much he can do.

Your only hope may be to somehow repel the bees. I'm not aware of how this can be done.

Bees are extremely important to the environment and should avoid being harmed if possible. I would encourage you to leave the bees alone and simply take care when your children are outside.
 
They collect nectar for honey production. Pollination is a fortunate byproduct as it catches on their legs and is then transferred to the next flowers they visit. This fertilises the flower and allows the plants to produce "fruit" (doesn't always look like fruit we eat) containing seeds for future generations.

I reckon you just teach your kids how to live with bees. They wont be there all year round and are part of the world we live in.

When I was a kid we had a hive in the backyard and yeah I got stung. But usually it was my own fault for hitting the hive with a stick and running off too slow or similar 6 year old actions.

Use them to teach your kids about the life cycle of plants. You are lucky your area is healthy enough for bees - I hear they are dying off and we may have issues in the future with pollination for food growing. Especially orchards and the like.
 
I'm all for teaching my kids to respect nature, for example we never kill ants, spiders, etc outside the house.

However, my kids are 9 months and 2.5 years old, so still a little young to get them to behave sensibly around bees, especially the 9 month old.
 
Is funny how society has changed in one generation.

I am not having a go at you but would your parents have considered having a persistent poison sprayed on their backyard trees to keep bees away so you wouldn't get stung?

Mine would have said a sting won't kill you, here's a bandaid and a biscuit. Probably would have used vinegar or soap or bicarbonate on it - whichever was the old wives tale of the day :)

Anaphylaxis aside -and you know one of your kids is OK now which is actually a good thing. My youngest is peanut allergic and I am glad we found out in our own home with us present and not at a strangers home after school when she had a peanut butter sandwich.

I am rambling now. But goodluck with the bees - I am not even sure if a pest guy is allowed to kill bees. Let us know what you find out.
 
I am not having a go at you but would your parents have considered having a persistent poison sprayed on their backyard trees to keep bees away so you wouldn't get stung?

Mine would have said a sting won't kill you, here's a bandaid and a biscuit. Probably would have used vinegar or soap or bicarbonate on it - whichever was the old wives tale of the day :)

My parents certainly brought me up like that - they were loving but there was never much sympathy for anything that wasn't serious, although as I grew up in Ireland, there was nothing dangerous whatsoever - about the worst thing that could happen to you outdoors was to stand in a fresh cow pat.

Mind you, notwithstanding what I said in an earlier post, I'll kill a red back or white tail in the garden instantly, while my kids are very young. Once they're say 4 years old then they're old enough to appreciate the danger. Luckily we're in relative inner city, so there aren't any snakes within 2 km to worry about.

Cheers
Jonathon
 
I am not having a go at you but would your parents have considered having a persistent poison sprayed on their backyard trees to keep bees away so you wouldn't get stung?

If it's even possible for a pest guy to spray a tree to repel/kill bees, the residual poison will likely be more harmful to your kids than a bee sting (assuming the other kid is not allergic).
 
Yes, not many things in Ireland to be afraid of. I knew a bloke who moved out here from Ireland and he couldn't believe how many ways there were to die in this country. He was amazed that we bear with honour the fact that we have nine out of the ten deadliest snakes in the world etc etc.

To do anything about your bees, I guess you would have to stop the trees flowering somehow? Or chop them down.
 
Agree with tree removal as better than killing bee's. Enough of them are dying as is, causing major concerns for biodiversity/food production.

Its not a Bottlebrush is it?
 
If it's even possible for a pest guy to spray a tree to repel/kill bees, the residual poison will likely be more harmful to your kids than a bee sting (assuming the other kid is not allergic).

I looked it up and they use pyrethrin dust which is organic and relatively safe but I imagine the bees would be back after it rains.

I had a pest guy complain to me that he wasn't allowed to use anything effective these days. He reckoned you could drink most of the poisons in his van.

But it must be a good thing if he has to reattend annually instead of spraying a chemical with a 20 year lifespan :)
 
Yes, not many things in Ireland to be afraid of. I knew a bloke who moved out here from Ireland and he couldn't believe how many ways there were to die in this country. He was amazed that we bear with honour the fact that we have nine out of the ten deadliest snakes in the world etc etc.

But the funny thing is they won't believe that you got to go looking for these things to find them in most cases. They think we have them in all of our backyards (I know some people do).

In my years of Army field time I have seen a handful of snakes and always as they were retreating.

Did walk down a cutting near Port Arthur with my girls once to pass a tiger snake going the opposite way in the gutter but both he and we were relatively unconcerned and the three of us found it a fascinating thing to watch.

Along with the funny echidnas ambling their way across our path.

Even saw two lots of platypuses (platypi?) playing in the rivers - one well within a towns borders too. First time in my years on earth!

Sorry - I am taking this thread down a tangent now .....

Back on track :)
 
Yeah my mum comes down here twice a year and she's terrified of snakes and spiders. I've been telling her for years that it's the flies that freak people out, I think after last suimmer she's finally realised that.
 
i have a few trees around that attract bees, and although i am mildly allergic, i would never consider killing the bees to stop myself of my young kids getting stung. the trees flower for only a few weeks and then the bees are gone again.

what i do do is lop the branches up trunk, far enough up the tree so that i can pass underneath with around 1/2m of headroom. then the bees and i are happy to leave each other alone.
 
We had a bee swarm on the weekend (not just a few bees) that made a huge buzzing mass on our wattle in the front yard. The wattle is quite small and wasn't even flowering and it is the only tree left in the wasteland that passes for our vacant block so I don't know why they were there.

They moved on within 3 days. They were right next to the rubbish pile we were working on but we left them alone and they left us alone.

ETA: the funny thing is both Child Elder and partner have been stung by bees recently. One never looks at what she is doing and just grabbed a tap with a bee sitting on it, and the other had a bee on the outside of his pants or top or something, pulled his pants down to go to the loo and got stung somewhere quite delicate ... ouch.
 
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