How To Get Rid of Ground Bees
Ground bees are some of our most productive pollinators, but you can get rid of them in your yard without killing them by using natural remedies.
Written by Abbey Orzech
Reviewed by Melanie Reiff
You can get rid of the ground bees that are causing a nuisance in your yard and garden by putting your lawn sprinkler on a regular schedule, covering up their nesting holes, or sprinkling cinnamon or peppermint on their nesting holes.
Ground bees, while typically not harmful, can cause somewhat of a mess around your yard. Their little bodies burrow into the earth to lay their eggs, leaving their constructed dirt mounds behind. As crucial pollinators, these bees are important to keep in the environment—but if they’re becoming too big of a nuisance at home, you may wish to get rid of them.
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How to tell if you have a ground bee problem
You are the most likely to notice a ground bee problem in the spring and early summertime when a new generation of bees emerges from their hovels for the first time. You may see bees hovering near a specific spot on the ground, or you may simply notice the dirt mounds that form their nests.
Ground bees aren’t necessarily harmful—just messy. They aren’t aggressive unless provoked, and even then, the females are the only ones with stinging capacity. They don’t cause any structural damage to your home.
Generally, ground bees are solitary insects that don’t form large colonies, so if you’re seeing huge swarms of bees or a lot of bee interaction, you’re likely not looking at a ground bee nest.
What do ground bees look like?
Since “ground bees” can essentially refer to any bee that nests in the ground, there is a wide variance in their looks. Some of the most common species, however, include the leafcutter bee, sweat bee, mason bee, and mining bee.
Ground bees are usually no bigger than honey bees, and they can either be furry or not. Their coloration depends on their species.
However, don’t confuse the mostly harmless, humble ground bee for ground-nesting wasps. Wasps have defined waists, are usually a very bright yellow or black, and are aggressive—so be cautious and look out for these wasp traits when approaching what you think to be a ground bee nest.
What attracts ground bees?
Ground bees will invade your yard if you have the ideal soil type. They form their nests underground, so they prefer to dig and tunnel in loose dirt. If your soil is pretty gravelly or has a sandier texture, ground bees will be more prone to use your backyard as an egg incubator.
They also are attracted to rock gardens and brick piles where they can still find an “underground” without burrowing tunnels.
Essentially, ground bees are attracted to places where they feel they can safely lay their eggs for the next season.
5 natural ways to get rid of ground bees
Ground bees are some of our most industrious pollinators, they also aerate our soils, are vital to our ecosystem, and are not outwardly aggressive. If you can stand to have them around, please do.
But we get it, outside of all the good they do for our world, it can still be incredibly frustrating to have those plump bodies digging tunnels throughout your fresh landscaping. If you’ve decided you’ve had enough of the dirt mounds dotting your yard, try to get rid of them without killing them. Here are a few good methods to try.
1. Set a regular sprinkler schedule
Since ground bees prefer to tunnel in loose, sandy dirt so they don’t have to do as much work, try watering your yard regularly. Keeping the ground damp will keep the soil more compacted and thus harder to excavate.
Keep in mind that this won’t be an immediate solution. The bees may remain for the season—]only about one month long—but they’ll be unlikely to try your yard again next year.
2. Block their nesting holes
This one is simple. If they can’t get access to their nests, they’re likely to move on. For this, all you’ll need to do is place items over the top of any entrance holes your find, or fill them in with rocks or more compacted dirt.
3. Sprinkle strong smells
Ground bees, like most things with scent receptors, have aversions to particular scents. Some of these aversions are so strong that the presence of these smells will ward the bees off. Try sprinkling cinnamon, eucalyptus, garlic, or peppermint on their nesting holes so they won’t want to return.
4. Spray vinegar water
A simple water-vinegar solution does wonders to keep away several pests—ground bees included. Use one part vinegar to one part water and spray the area you see bees coming in and out of.
If it’s in your garden, you’ll have the added bonus of taking out gnats and fruit flies.
5. Add grass seed
Remember that loose soil is a ground bee’s favorite spot, and bare soil is more likely to be loose than soil that is supporting grass. Where you have bare spots on your lawn, plant grass—this will make the ground heartier and make excavation more difficult.
Why you should never use insecticide
Although the seemingly quick fix of an insecticide can seem enticing, it’s better to pass if you don’t absolutely need it.
Ground bees are crucial to the environment so it is highly recommended that you do not use lethal insecticides to get rid of them. On top of contributing to declining populations of ecosystem powerhouses like ground bees, insecticides also contain harmful chemicals that are toxic to us, other insects and animals, and the environment.
And if you have small children or pets, or you spend a lot of time in your yard, spraying these harmful chemicals around your space is not ideal.
When to call in pest control
If you’ve exhausted all the above suggestions and still hit a wall in your efforts to get rid of ground bees, or you have a bee allergy, it may be a good idea to call in pest control. They will have the expertise to guide them in getting rid of the ground bees and can likely provide you with tips to keep them away.
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Why does my yard attract ground bees?
Ground bees choose places to nest based on what they consider to be the ideal nesting ground and an easy place to burrow and tunnel. This can be loose and dry soil, rock piles, and brick piles.
Are ground bees aggressive?
No, ground bees are not known to be aggressive. In general, they’re pretty docile, but females do have stingers and may attack if provoked.
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