In North America, a minimum of 4,000 various bee species live in woodlands, meadows, deserts, and yards.
Four separate families of species build their nests in the ground. Very few of these female bees are aggressive, and their benefits outnumber their drawbacks.
As these insects are most active in early spring, they offer far less of a threat by the moment summer approaches. Yellow-jackets are solitary wasps, although they look like bees and are about the same size as bees.
They are highly gregarious, unlike many other solitary ground bees and there can be hundreds of them together in a single colony. Unlike other ground bees, these are active in summer and fall, not in early spring.
Yellow-jacket wasps are not pollinators and are voracious.
Yellow-jacket wasps have a smooth, almost glossy surface with a small amount of fluff just above the thorax. Fuzz covers the majority of bees.
Be cautious if you come upon a yellow-jacket nesting in a woodpile, underneath a pile of leaves, or even in the center of your lawn. If you come closer, they will attack to defend the nest and you will almost certainly get stung multiple times.
Ground bee queens are very gentle and unable to sting, causing no harm to humans. If you don't annoy ground bees, they won't trouble you.
Stingers are present in females, but they will not sting you unless they feel intimidated. Male ground bees are frequently seen hovering over buried nests. These males lack the ability to sting or harm you.
That is pretty much the general guideline for each bee or wasp nest you come across. When you're attacked by a bee, you're left with more than just an uncomfortable bump. The venom of the bee, and the venom sac attached to it, will frequently linger in the skin.
Stingers are not always left behind by stings. Just a few bee species have barbed stingers that pierce your skin.
Ground bees are pollination bees, not honey bees, which makes them beneficial insects. These mining bees are drawn to pollen, but they are repulsed by the natural odors that other plants emit.
Wasps and honeybees are kept away by planting these throughout your yard. Homeowners who have a garden or yard may find themselves in a scenario where they need to know ways to get rid of ground bees from their yard.
To prevent ground bees from breeding, the most natural answer is to keep the soil around the entrance to the nest moist and free from pollen.
You can also conceal the entrance to their underground nests on your lawn. You can limit the bees' access to their eggs by pouring soil or stones on top of the eggs.
When the soil is dry, ground bees prefer to stay in their underground nesting. That's why their nests are usually found on the outside of the garden.
If you're having trouble, it might be time to search for and contact a professional service. You can search around and choose the best pest control services that are near your house.
Expert pest control professionals have the related experience and equipment to control or even kill ground bees safely. They're also updated on the most efficient ways to keep mining bees or honeybees out of your yard.
Do ground bees sting?
Ground bees stingers are not aggressive, unlike social bees and wasps. If you don't annoy ground bees, they won't bother you. Stingers are present in female ground bees, but they will not sting you unless they feel threatened.
Male ground bees are frequently seen buzzing over buried nests. Males lack the ability to sting or harm you. The only bad thing they do is be a pest.
If you consider any bee-like flying insects that construct their homes in the ground by 'ground bees,' then you can definitely get stung by them. Yellow-jackets are wasps, yet they have the appearance of bees.
These yellow-jackets also fiercely defend their nests, which they, fortunately, relocate season to season.
Therefore, if you confine your worries to actual bees, your possibilities of being stung are minimal. Many ground-nesting bee species' males lack stingers, so if you're stung, it'll almost certainly be by female bees who are guarding their nests and eggs.
Solitary species, with the exception of social bees and wasps, really aren't aggressive flying insects, regardless of the fact that females have stingers. Until disturbed, these bees will not seek to sting humans. Male bees never sting and most of the movement around their nests in early spring will be males searching for females to breed with.
What to do if a ground bee stings you?
A small amount of venom is contained in the stinger of a bee. If it gets trapped in your skin, take it out as soon as possible.
To assist in drawing out the ground bees' painful stinger, carefully scrape the region with a perfectly flat metal instrument, such as a butter knife or the side of a credit card.
You can remove the stinger with tweezers, but be careful not to over squeeze the venom with the tweezers. This can result in more insect venom being injected into the skin.
Scraping the sting region is not a good idea. Scratching can aggravate itching and inflammation while also increasing the risk of infection.
An allergist is a specialized doctor who can help you discover and manage your allergies and possible treatments. If you're allergic to bee stings, you can discuss immunotherapy with your doctor. It's a therapeutic option that could save you from a severe reaction if you're stung again.
Use an ice block or a chilly, moist towel to soothe the area.
Apply ibuprofen which is an over-the-counter pain medication.
Calamine lotion can be used to relieve irritation and swelling.
To relieve pain, burning, and swelling, apply a paste made of baking soda and water to the stinger location.
Wash the region with vinegar and put a vinegar-soaked cloth on the infected area.
To relieve pain and irritation, apply a mixture of meat tenderizer and water to the sting location.
Apply a wet aspirin pill towards the bee-stung site.
Ground Bees Sting Reaction
If you're allergic to wasp or bee stings, then you may experience a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. Extreme swelling, vomiting, dizziness, and unconsciousness are some of the symptoms. If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, seek medical help right away.
Wasp and ground bee stings are a transient, albeit painful, annoyance for the majority of people.
A blister may form all around the sting, but it fades after several hours and can typically be relieved with an anesthetic ointment or a pain reliever like aspirin or ibuprofen.
If you had been bitten by a bee rather than a wasp, the sting could still be in the area, and getting rid of it will help relieve it. Their stings aren't dangerous in most circumstances.
The ground bees painful sting may be quite sore and dangerous if you have a strong allergic reaction to bee stingers or if you are stung several times.
However, if you aren't allergic to bee venom, you could experience modest, local symptoms like itching at the stinging site, soreness or related stinging where you have been stung, a white area at the sting region, inflammation or edema around the sting.
If you have a ground bee sting sensitivity, you may experience a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.
Although even if you don't even have an allergy, you could still have a severe reaction if you get bitten many times in a short period of time.
The following are signs and symptoms of a severe reaction: skin that is flushed or pale, hives or skin pimples that swell, headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, stomach spasms that make you pass out, dysentery, inability to swallow, inability to breathe, blood pressure drop, a heartbeat that is slow or fast.
Ground Bees Sting Treatment
If you have a bee sting allergy, get medical help straight away. To get rid of a bad reaction, use an epinephrine autoinjector (EpiPen). Even when you've used an EpiPen, call an ambulance or go to the nearest medical room right away.
If you've been stung by more than one bee, seek medical attention right away, even if you're not sensitive to bee stings. A doctor will prescribe various treatments for an even more significant reaction to insect bites in addition to the epinephrine (EpiPen) injection. These are some of them:
You can assist yourself to breathe by inhaling oxygen through a mask.
Hydrocortisone cream can reduce inflammation, warmth, and itching, while cortisone (steroid) medications can help alleviate the swelling.
It is better to remove the stinger using a card or some cloth. Tweezers may pinch the stinger, allowing more poison to enter your body.
We Want Your Photos!
Do you have a photo you are happy to share that would improve this article?
With over 3+ years of professional experience, Olanrewaju is a certified SEO Specialist and Content Writer. He holds a BSc in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. Throughout his dynamic career, Olanrewaju has successfully taken on various roles with startups and established organizations. He has served as a Technical Writer, Blogger, SEO Specialist, Social Media Manager, and Digital Marketing Manager. Known for his hardworking nature and insightful approach, Olanrewaju is dedicated to continuous learning and improvement.
1) Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the Buy Now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published but we cannot guarantee that on the time of reading. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
2) At Kidadl, we strive to recommend the very best activities and events. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability. Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
3) Because we are an educational resource, we have quotes and facts about a range of historical and modern figures. We do not endorse the actions of or rhetoric of all the people included in these collections, but we think they are important for growing minds to learn about under the guidance of parents or guardians.