Owners of private houses and summer cottages are often faced with the problem of the appearance of “uninvited guests”. Often there is an earthen bee - a large and fairly bright insect. Its wings are painted brown or purple, the body is black in color, and the legs with a head are distinguished by a contrasting red tint. The average size of the bees is about 18 mm.
Description
Being wild creatures, they live in fields, forest plantations and in areas in quiet areas, where the soil contains a large amount of sand. They are grouped by families with a large number, subsequently offspring are placed next to the old house, because of which vast areas of settlements are formed underground.
The tunnels in the dwellings are very durable and go to great depths, since the earthen bee is an excellent builder. Insects are quite peaceful and do not attack for no apparent reason. It should be noted that these individuals, like any other, at different times can be characterized by greater aggressiveness.
Bite Actions
Before you get rid of earthen bees on the site, it is worth remembering the possible likelihood of a bite and know about the measures that should be taken. Insect venom contains a significant dose of histamine, which can lead to an allergic reaction. It is expressed by inflammation of the tissues at the site of the bite and swelling. It is necessary to immediately remove the sting in order to reduce the possible consequences, this can be done with a small tweezers. If it does not protrude above the surface, just press the surrounding skin a little.
The poison is neutralized with alcohol, in its absence, you can use sweetened water. The wound is treated with liquid, ice-wrapped gauze is applied on top. Due to the fact that a sting of an earthen bee can cause an allergy, it is advisable to take an antihistamine or use a special ointment. During the day, it is necessary to increase the total amount of water consumed. At the same time, it is extremely undesirable to drink alcohol, since alcohol can increase the effect of toxins contained in the poison.
The manifestation of a strong reaction that requires immediate treatment to the hospital is possible, a sharp deterioration in the condition, an increase in the area of edema and difficulty breathing require special attention.
Earth Bees: How to Get Rid
Insects often settle in inappropriate places on the site and occupy a large area. They can also be a threat to many people, as not everyone has encountered bees, and many are unaware of their allergies. Children and pets are also at risk. Therefore, insects need to start fighting immediately after they have been discovered. There are several common methods. It’s easier and safer to turn to professionals for help. Today, there are many companies specializing in the fight against insects, including ground honey plants.
Also, many beekeepers are aware of what needs to be done to force insects to relocate to another place.
But if there are no such companies in the village, while there are no familiar beekeepers, then you will have to get rid of the residents yourself. Despite the apparent simplicity of the task, you should not take it without preliminary preparation.
Protection
To begin with, you should get protective clothing in the form of a beekeeping net, gloves made of thick material, a jacket and trousers. In doing so, it must be carefully inspected for damage. In the process of events, no one should be near, including animals, since angry individuals can sting them. It is believed that insects are best treated in the spring months, after the snow has completely melted and the soil has dried. At this time, they only wake up after wintering. Evening is the most suitable time.
How to breed earthen bees: basic methods
Most commonly used are flooding and fumigation of insect dwellings. The first method is simpler, it requires about 15 liters of boiling water. In this case, the number of bees affects the amount of boiling water needed, and a large number of tunnels may require more boiling water. In this case, it is better to overdo it, since an insufficient amount of water will neutralize them for a short time. Subsequently, they will get out of the house and themselves will attack others.
Fumigation is a little more difficult, but the result is more efficient. You need to purchase a special poison for insects and a smoker is a smoke treatment device. In order to avoid unforeseen situations during work, all tools and devices must have the appropriate documentation and be purchased in trusted stores.
Fumigation
Before fighting earthly bees, the place of their settlement is processed with a sufficient amount of smoke. It acts in such a way that insects become sleepy, lethargic and cannot defend. Next, poison is gradually introduced. It is important to follow the instructions in the instructions for use. Insufficient amount of poisonous substance is not enough for young individuals, and after that they can behave very aggressively. For greater effectiveness, you can slightly increase the amount of substance. Then the entrance to the tunnels is thoroughly covered with earth to prevent the surviving insects from crawling out. It is worth remembering the place of the nest, since a new settlement can form next to it. Lavender will help not to recall this problem, if you plant several bushes in different places of the site, the bees will bypass it.
Features
Earth bee is an amazing creature. This is a relative of the habitual melliferous individuals, which has many common features. The main place of settlements are unshaded, dry areas with loose sandy soil. Most often, bees can be found outside summer cottages on vertical cliffs of rivers and lakes. Insects dig a long extensive network of tunnels. Also, as a house, they choose small hills and uprooted lying trees, forming many burrows in earthen clods left on the roots. Active urbanization leads to the fact that an earthen bee is increasingly found near residential buildings, for example, in beds and flower beds. No less willingly they are populated in the spaces between the stones, which are covered with soil, and retaining structures.
The educated minks look like deep tunnels. On opposite sides of the aisles there are dead-end oval spaces that are used for breeding and storing nectar. In such depressions, honey does not disappear and retains all its properties. This is ensured by a special arrangement of the walls, which requires careful and painstaking work.
Breeding
At first, an earthen bee digs up a rounded small hole and forms a cell in it. The land formed during the work is mixed with saliva. The mixture is stacked and rammed in a circle, then the liquid produced by the abdominal glands is applied on top. The surface after full hardening acquires waterproof characteristics.
It is worth noting that the method of breeding offspring in ground insects differs from that used by ordinary honey plants. They fill the dug grooves with nectar and lay eggs in them. Within two weeks, larvae hatch. New cells of the individual form after the growth of offspring.