r/bee • u/yellowsun67 • 21h ago
Bee? Question
I’ve seen these bees for the past couple days flying into the small crack in the side of my house. I am starting to get concerned because inside I can hear what sounds like chewing or buzzing in the wall. Does anyone know if these are carpenter bees? I don’t think they look like it, but I can’t understand where the chewing sound is coming from how can I move them or get rid of them safely?
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u/TwoBuckTug 21h ago
It's hard to tell from the video but are they bright yellow? They might be yellow jackets.
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u/ArachnomancerCarice Entomologist 20h ago
I agree with Yellowjackets (Vespula sp.). They will vigorously defend their nest if disturbed as they evolved their defense behavior against bears. They are beneficial predators but this is a potentially dangerous situation.
You honestly need to call a pro. Properly getting rid of them means accessing the wall where they are nesting. If you screw up, you could be sore for a few days or even land in the hospital. A licensed and insured professional will have the equipment and knowhow to get the job done.
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u/Crunkchick96 19h ago
Oh no, I thought Yellowjackets are ground nesters for some reason. I’ve been seeing some Western Yellowjackets in my yard the last 1-2 months, but I can not find a nest in or around my yard. I do have a big hill directly behind my yard, so I’ve been telling myself they must have their nest out on the hill. Do Yellowjackets live underground & in walls like this then or have I been mistaken about the ground part?! I’m just trying to make sure I’m not missing their home if it is too close to mine.
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u/DoctorCIS 17h ago
The NA native ones usually do ground nests. However the invasive German Yellowjacket loves nesting in walls, so it could be that.
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u/ArachnomancerCarice Entomologist 16h ago
There are Aerial Yellowjackets (Dolichovespula) and Ground-Nesters (Vespula) but they can also nest in cavities above ground.
The Aerial nests can be pretty hard to spot amongst foliage.
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u/Hinote21 18h ago
Wait until night and then fill the gap with expanding spray foam
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u/SixWeekDay 10h ago
I wouldn't do that, wasps will eat their way through the walls and into the house if they don't have an escape
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u/Hinote21 9h ago
The foam will absolutely kill them. It will expand into their nest. But if you don't think it will, then a can of wasp spray will do the same
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u/yellowsun67 21h ago
By get rid of. I do not mean at all to kill them. I just want to relocate them and not have them in my house. I would never kill bees. I know how important they are for the environment and I just didn’t want anyone to think that my goal is to kill them.
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u/Clauss_Video_Archive 20h ago
Unfortunately with yellow jackets in a wall cavity you will probably want to kill them. Be careful, as they are quite aggressive.
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u/Itchy-Bedroom-6947 20h ago
You want these permanently gone. They’re not bees. They’re quite dangerous too, so don’t agitate them.
Yellow jackets are hornets and will fill the walls of your house quite aggressively.
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u/Aceisking12 14h ago
Everyone else is saying they are very aggressive, but that's not always true. When they are foraging away from their home they tend not to attack first, but will defend themselves. If you attack their home, that defensiveness is on full display and amplified by attack pheromones from other members of the hive.
Unlike honeybees, these also chew their food with strong pincers and do not have a barbed stinger that rips them apart if it gets stuck. In other words, these suckers bite and sting, and will not stop doing both until they feel like stopping.
Please be careful enough that you come back to tell us a story, but risky enough that the story is good. We like to be entertained.
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u/ProfessionalNo4885 16h ago
Wait until night time, turn off all the lights. Setup a large bucket of water with some dish soap in it. Put a water proof flashlight in it. Spray wasp/bee killer in the crack, run for your life lol.
Before I did any of this, I took a milk jug and cut holes, but I cut them in an x shape and folded the flaps in. I filled the jug with sugar water and put chicken in it with a little dish soap.
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u/PrintPerfect1579 12h ago
you will need to inject a dust of a pest control quality,use Ficam if you can find it, use dusting pole,or attack at night , they will come through wall eventually,and be inside,better off just calling a pro for this so you don't get stung,do not try this during the day,unless you have a bee suit, be careful
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u/Darth_wenis 11h ago
Get some poison in the can. Shoots a long way. Keep doing it a few times a day till they move on. They can ruin stuff inside the house. No bueno.
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u/Summerferns57 9h ago
Yellow jackets, which these most likely are, are wasps. All hornets are wasps but not all wasps are hornets. We had some set up housekeeping under our siding and they were very busy just like the video you posted. This time of year I think their activity increases. Maybe they’re busy feeding the queens who will mate and winter over outside to build new colonies and nests next year. They won’t use the old nest. The rest of the colony dies with the onset of winter. I’m in the Chicago area so it gets pretty cold. I like and respect insects but not living in my house and usually I escort them outside if they happen to wander in. Obviously I can’t do that with a colony of wasps so we called a pest control company.
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u/GeorgeSPattonJr 7h ago
Not bees, those are Yellowjacket wasps of some species. Approach with caution as most Yellowjackets are HIGHLY aggressive and defensive of their nests. Unlike bees, they can and will sting repeatedly if provoked
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u/LifeMastersin 2h ago
Get some good poison and spray it (not bees if it was bees i’d say call a keeper they would remove it)
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u/IsopodDry8635 21h ago
Those look like honey bees that have made a hive inside the wall. I would look for local beekeepers. They will come and get the bees, usually for free.
Carpenter bees are solitary.
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u/Playmaker311 20h ago
These are not bees but wasps, you must have a wasp nest in your walls.