Concern about bees from Phoenix homeowners is something that we hear A LOT when it comes to backyard pond management. With the Africanized bees and the Honey bees inter-breeding, there have been a lot of scary incidents on the news over the years. Most of those, however, are due to someone interfering with the bees in some way, whether intentionally or not.
That being said, it’s always a good idea to use caution when dealing with a potentially dangerous situation. Don’t scream or use any loud equipment around a known hive. And please use a professional beekeeper for removals, not a pest management company. Bees are an essential part of our ecosystem: no bees = no food = no humans.
WHY ARE THE BEES IN MY POND?
Most bee hives simply want to be left alone to do their thing. When it comes to bees around a backyard pond, remember that the bees are there to collect water, one drop at a time, to take back to the hive to cool it. And what better water than a living, all-natural backyard pond? Can you blame them for wanting the best they can get?
A bee is programmed to do a specific job for the “collective,” and no more. Guard bees do their job within 100 feet of the hive, so those are not the ones collecting water from your pond. The bees at your pond are specifically genetically programmed to get water to the hive, post haste, without detour. The only way they sting is in self-defense. And when they sting you, they die, so it’s really not their first choice!
CAN I MAKE THE BEES LEAVE MY POND?
If bees are fetching water from your pond, you can talk to them (we think they like it), or even pet them (Paul does, but most people think he’s nuts, go figure). But don’t scream at them, they don’t understand. And never molest them or hold them up — they have blackbelts in beejitsu! 😉
If they are collecting from a spot that is inconvenient for you, such as right next to your sitting area, you can discourage this pretty easily — another bonus of having an ecosystem backyard pond with natural rock & stone! Here’s how:
- Wait until there are no bees around (typically after dusk).
- Wash the rocks down in the area to remove the pheromone left behind by the bees to guide others to that particular spot.
- Then re-arrange the rocks to make it a less attractive landing space.
If this doesn’t work the first time, try again until you get it right. They will get the hint and find another spot, preferably further away from where you want to sit and enjoy your water feature.
BEE REMOVAL SERVICES
Bees are an integral part of our global ecosystem, and we recommend living in harmony with them whenever possible. In fact, without bees pollinating our food plants, we would have no food. No bees = no people.
However, if you have a hive on your property, or there’s one on your neighbor’s property, have it removed by a professional. Here’s a great lady that we recommend highly: https://gardenvarietylife.com/. See video below featuring Cricket.
A GREAT VIDEO ABOUT BEES:
Serving Phoenix, Scottsdale, Glendale, Arizona (AZ) & Surrounding Areas
To Learn More About Pond Management: https://pondgnome.com/pond-maintenance-phoenix-az/
