Honeybees and Pool Water

[PBLsQuad450]

Just want to leave behind something that has worked... I had/have issues with Honeybees coming to my pool for water. I read up and tried a few things, so first off, don't bother with offering an alternative source, I have a pond back in the woods behind my pool area. They still come to my pool. Their nest was in between the pond and pool in a hollow in a tree. I initially didn't want to go after the nest because honeybees weren't doing so well, at least around here. Or so I thought. I called a few local bee keepers and they didn't want the hive, or the trouble getting it from so high up in a tree.

Tried this now three years running and I am happy to say, by and large it works. Of course nothing is 100% perfect and you may still have some visitors. Two things though... One, if the bees are dipping on the surface frequently or landing on the ladder to gather water then human/bee contact
is inevitable and it will most likely result in stung humans. Second, I thought I was done with this when a Cat 1 hurricane blew up their tree last August (28). I don't know where their hive is this year but they have come back.

Be patient. Simple! I hang out with a Badminton racket and simply kill lots and lots of them. I have not been stung doing this either. You will need to kill a bunch. Believe it or not, they actually learn that their workers that go here for water don't return, they get the certain death nature of the
mission and stop sending more workers. They have not swarmed or done anything but stop coming. I read this suggestion posted a Professor of Entymology at Rutgers. He said that you will absolutely NOT effect the health of the hive. It is far too few bees, even if you kill 30-40 (a hundred...) to effect the nest.

I like simple eco-friendly ideas! No pesticides and no destruction of the nest! Just figured I would pass it along.

[sunlove]

Good idea! I wonder if this works with yellow jackets also. Usually I just try to drown them in the net, but they take forever to drown. I think the yellow jackets have scared off all our honey bees because I don't see them any more :(

[PBLsQuad450]

I mostly use my flat net and I scoop out yellow jackets, turn it upside down over top of them and step on them (unless I am barefoot, then I use the edge of my always near badminton raquet). They don't seem to come in the constant numbers the honeybees do. And, it was the talk around here that honeybees were nearly gone, then they just all of a sudden came back in healthy numbers? Cool.

[aylad]

This method works pretty well with horseflies, too--and they're easier to hit :)

[Watermom]

This method works pretty well with horseflies, too--and they're easier to hit :)

I HATE horseflies! Thankfully, we seldom see any but when we do, it makes me not want to be in my pool. Those suckers bite!!

[aylad]

Those suckers bite!!

Not after you hit them with a badminton racquet!! :D

Jan

[kjh9835]

Well I have them in droves. I killed a few at first thinking they'd get the idea not to come back. I hold them under water for 90 seconds and flip them out dead. In the last 3 days, I've killed more than 200!!!! I can't even enjoy my pool for fear of getting stung. Read online about spearmint, thyme, eucalyptus (sp?). Too late to plant anything, it would die anyway without waterering everyday and I doubt pool water would be acceptable. I now spend an hour a day just trying to keep my landscaping alive so next year I guess I'll plant some and see what happens, another 15 mins watering with the hose is no big deal if I can use my pool afterwards.

With nothing else on hand, I rubbed the top edge of my AG pool with Vicks Liquid/Oil (like you put in vaporizers). It worked for an hour then I had to wet it down. Of course its now IN the pool also but very diluted. I don't care if it ruins my liner as I plan to go bigger/better next year (this is 3rd yr for this one). Today I sprayed it mixed with water just around the outside edge of the pool, didn't do anything. I also tried furniture polish made with orange oil just on the metal parts, nothing.

I have no trouble with wasps as I hung my own homemade "waspinator" on the edge of the garage. It looks like a nest and they are territorial so they left early in the Spring and haven't returned.

My neighbor is a quarter mile away, bigger AG pool with newly added deck this year. He has not had any bees using his pool as a watering hole so why mine? Alternative source didn't help either. I am way out in the country and the river is not even 1/2 mile away. I have no idea where the nest/hive might be as we are surrounded by trees.

Any suggestions?

kjh9835

[CarlD]

Yellow jackets can respond to their members being killed by swarming. I wouldn't recommend the racket method for them. Instead, spray their nest. If it's overhead a spray liquid is best, if in the ground, foaming spray works great. Or, for a natural solution, invite a skunk to dig up the nest. Skunks' opinion of yellow jackets is the same of a kid's about ice cream on a hot day! They love to eat them!

Then you have to deal with skunk removal, but, Hey! no solution's perfect....

[kjh9835]

I'll pass on the skunks, we've had two run-ins this year already with both of our boxers, the last time at 5am before I even had coffee!!!

I searched online for more info. Spearmint was suggested so I went and bought two plants at Lowes. Sat one on the ladder, then other on the hose by the filter. Within minutes both plants had bees ON them!!!! Squishing the leaves for more scent did nothing.

Next I put dishsoap/ water mixed 1:4 in a spray bottle, set it on mist and got back in the pool. I hovered aroud the main spot and kept on spraying prob. close to an hour before they left. They came back when I got of the pool. Next day I did the same thing, sprayed until they left.

Today is day 4. No bees anywhere close to the pool.

kjh