CLOSED: Ouch! what a sting.

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mar110 Pittsburgh, PA(Zone 6a) Sep 25, 2009

I have raised beds. Halfway through the gardening season I noticed bees flying thru the openings of the bed. There are holes in the mud all around this bed and in other places in the area of the other raised beds. I was doing some clean up in the beds and thought I might put a small fence around this particular bed. I should also mention I have lots of dogs come and visit us (I have a year and 1/2 shih-poo) and the dogs love running in our fenced in yard. As soon as I stuck an iron fence around this bed, the yellow and black (they are small) bees came out of their holes and the bed and started chasing us. I was stung in the back of my head. It still hurts after an hour and 1/2. What kind of bees might they be (no pun intended)? I certainly don't want to harm the bees considering the loss of bees, but I have so many dogs visit us and I certainly don't want my baby stung by tons of bees. these bees are very aggressive when any one approaches their laird. Please help!

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Sep 26, 2009

It is quite possible that these are ground-nesting wasps rather than bees. Ground-nesting bees seldom are as aggressive as you describe. It may be difficult for you to do so, but a photo of one of these (even if you have to dispatch it) would be helpful in making a positive i.d.

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mar110 Pittsburgh, PA(Zone 6a) Sep 26, 2009

Hi Suunto. I think I might have answered my own question. I am pretty sure these bees are yellow jackets not ground-nesting wasps. They were rather quite small, under an inch and definitely aggressive. I was stung in my scalp and even though it is hours since the sting, it still hurts. The article I read (Gardens Alive) said if they are smaller than an inch and aggressive they are most likely yellow jackets. At this time of year they are foraging for food (there can be 5000 bees in the nest at this time of year). I believe in live and let live, but the article said these yellow jackets are most likely the bees that can cause a hospital visit for people who are allergic to bee stings. I am calling a professional to remove the nests. Too many dogs and people visit my back yard. I don't want any more bee stings.

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suunto Sinks Grove, WV Sep 26, 2009

I should have been more specific in my previous post, as I intended to include yellow jackets under ground-nesting wasps. In addition to the familiar aerial 'paper' nests, some yellow jackets (there are several species that go by this common name) do make underground nests. I once accidentally dug into one of these, and paid dearly for my mistake. Again, these should not be confused with bees of any sort.

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