Invasion of bees in garden - Ask Extension
Last year I had miner bees (or so I thought)). They thoroughly invaded my garden but were gone in about 3 weeks. They are non aggressive but there a...
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Invasion of bees in garden #869474
Asked May 21, 2024, 2:32 PM EDT
Last year I had miner bees (or so I thought)). They thoroughly invaded my garden but were gone in about 3 weeks. They are non aggressive but there are thousands of them buzzing the garden every day. This year they’ve stayed for about 6 weeks and are still here. Any advice on how I can get rid of them? I’ve tried soaking holes with water - doesn’t work. I’d prefer a non- lethal approach since they are bees. I can’t get close up pictures as they never rest.
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
We are so happy to hear that you allowed those beneficial native bees to live last year.
What you describe does sound like our beneficial native ground-nesting bees, which are attracted to dry, sandy areas of soil that that have thin or absent cover of plants or mulch.
If they have been active for 6 weeks they should be gone soon and we would suggest putting up with them. (It may be prolonged this year due to weather).
Putting a sprinkler on the area may help but I suspect that if they are far enough along, as it sounds like they are, they are less likely to abandon their work.
Here is our page on them:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/mining-bees-lawns/
For next year, getting the soil covered would help, either with thicker plantings/groundcovers, a good layer of mulch, or putting a sprinkler on the area periodically early in the season when you first see them arrive.
Christine
What you describe does sound like our beneficial native ground-nesting bees, which are attracted to dry, sandy areas of soil that that have thin or absent cover of plants or mulch.
If they have been active for 6 weeks they should be gone soon and we would suggest putting up with them. (It may be prolonged this year due to weather).
Putting a sprinkler on the area may help but I suspect that if they are far enough along, as it sounds like they are, they are less likely to abandon their work.
Here is our page on them:
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/mining-bees-lawns/
For next year, getting the soil covered would help, either with thicker plantings/groundcovers, a good layer of mulch, or putting a sprinkler on the area periodically early in the season when you first see them arrive.
Christine
