When you see a lot of bees hovering over the ground of your yard you might become worried. Can these bees do any harm to you and your family? Because if they are aggressive they can sting your family members and pets in your home.
But if they are not aggressive you don’t need to be worried. Also, bees are helpful to nature. We shouldn’t kill them or harm them. Because they are contributing a lot to our ecosystem.
So, you might be wondering what are the aggressive bees that live in the ground. If you know them you can take the necessary steps whenever you see them.
In this article, I am going to introduce you to the 5 most aggressive bees that can live in the ground. So, if the bees you are seeing in your ground are any of them you should get rid of them.
If you see any other type of bees. Then you shouldn’t worry about them. Just leave them alone, they won’t harm you.
Which Type Of Bees Lives In The Ground?
Especially the type of bees that are solitary in nature and live in the ground. They live in the ground because of less competition for a nest site and plenty of availability of food sources.
Such kind of bees that lives in the ground includes:
- Mason bee.
- Yellow-faced bee.
- Sweat bee.
- Bumble bee.
- Carpenter bees.
- Mining bee, etc.
There are plenty of other bees that can nest in the ground. Some of these ground bees are contributing to pollination. But most of these ground-nesting bees don’t solely depend on flowers.
They also eat tree sap, fruit juice, and other small insects living in the ground. Because of the variety of food options available close to the ground, they used to live in the ground.
Are Ground Bees Aggressive To Humans?
In most cases, ground bees are absolutely not aggressive to humans. Some of the women’s ground bees can sting humans if they get any interruption. But male ground bees can’t sting humans.
Bees are defensive in nature. But ground bees are not as defensive as honey bees are. Because most of the ground bees are solitary in nature. So, they are not too careful about protecting their colony.
But yes there are some ground-nesting bees too that are careful about protecting their family. If anything tries to harm them they won’t leave them without any attack. These types of ground bees will be aggressive to humans if humans try to harm them.
Otherwise, ground bees are not aggressive usually in nature. Most of the female ground bees can’t sting but they drive fear to humans. To protect their family sometimes they start chasing humans. But they are totally unable to sting.
Female ground bees can sting but they are usually totally harmless. Sometimes people misjudge yellow jackets and other types of wasps as bees. These ground-nesting creatures that people often consider bees are very aggressive.
Sometimes they can sting people without any interruption. There are some other ground bee species too that can be harmful to you.
6 Of The Most Aggressive Bees That Live In The Ground
Yellow jackets, mining bees, and some ground-nesting bumble bees show aggressive behavior when they feel threatened. Yellow jackets and other wasps that are treated as bees are comparatively more aggressive. These creatures can even sting people whenever people are passing through their nest.
As I already told you ground-nesting bees are not too aggressive. There are 5 types of ground-nesting bees and wasps that are comparatively more aggressive. You have to be careful about them.
1)Africanized Honey Bees
Africanized honey bees are the most dangerous ever ground-nesting bees. Though they are honey bees, they can build their nest in the ground cavity or even in a flowering pot. These honey bees are very aggressive.
They can sting only once. But their venom is so poisonous that getting stung by a swarm of these bees can lead humans to death.
The main region where these bees mostly live is central South Africa. Their colony can spread up to 200 km per year. They have expanded their region through South America and Mexico.
Whenever you see these bees in your region. You should call for a pest control expert or bee removal team.
If you want more detail about these deadly ground bees you can check this.
2)Yellow Jackets
Yellow jackets can live in the ground and they are very aggressive in nature. People often misjudge yellow jackets with bees. If you see any bees living in your yard with yellow and black bodies and showing aggressiveness. They might not be bees. They are the culprit yellow jackets.
People are always confused about yellow jackets vs ground bees and spotting the differences. The main difference is no ground bees are much more aggressive unlike it is yellow jacket wasps.
Yellow jackets are very aggressive to humans. They are pretty defensive about their family. If they smell any danger they attack the target without any hesitation.
This is why when you see ground-nesting yellow jackets stay away from them! Never try to interrupt them. If required call pest control specialists they will help you to get rid of yellow jackets.
3)Bald-Faced Hornets
These hornets also live in the cavity of soil. They are very aggressive about defending their nest. They are also actually not bees but people often consider them as bees.
Their sting is very much poisonous. It is found for some people venom of bald-faced hornet stings causes life-threatening allergic infections. But the real fact is they are not very aggressive.
But if you even accidentally make an interruption with them just run away.
If you seen this dangerous creature in your awards try to stay away from them. If you or your family member has any allergic reaction to their stings, it could be a dangerous thing.
4)Bumble Bees
Some of the bumble bees are solitary in nature. So, they create their nest in the ground cavity. This type of bumble bees are usually not aggressive to humans. But they are also very careful about their protection.
If you try to smash them they will sting you. Also, if you try to break their nest or create any disturbance to them they won’t hesitate to attack you.
One of the important things is these bees are capable of stinging multiple times. So, if you disturb them they can sting you more than once. So, try to avoid interruption with these ground bees.
5)Sweat Bees
This type of ground bees are not very aggressive but defensive about their nest. So, if you are nice to them they will be nice to you. If you try to smash their nest they won’t leave you harmlessly.
Usually, these bees are gentle and nice in nature. They like fruit juice and sugary foods. They are not much aggressive to humans. Their female members contain sting. But they won’t use their sting unless you try to smash them.
6)Yellow-Faced Bees
These bees also known as masked bees look like yellow jackets. They built their nest in soil cavities and holes created by other animals in the ground.
Usually, they are docile to humans. But they are very aggressive to other predators and insects. They also prey on small insects. But they are not defensive to humans.
Also, their female members can sting multiple times. For this reason, their sting doesn’t have very harmful venom. Yellow-faced bee’s venom is comparatively less poisonous.
What Is The Most Aggressive Ground Bee?
Among all of the aggressive ground-nesting bees and wasps Africanized honey bees are the most aggressive ones. Their sting can cause deadly allergic reactions.
If anybody gets attacked by an Africanized honey bee swarm, he can die if immediate medical treatment hasn’t been ensured.
So, you should be careful if your region has this bee species. If you see any of this type of bee try to avoid interruption with them.
What To Do?
As ground-nesting bees are usually harmless. Moreover, they are very helpful for our ecosystem. There are a lot of flowering and fruit plants that solely depend upon pollination by ground bees.
So, it is our responsibility to ensure proper safety for them. Moreover, ground bees do not live in the same place for more than 8 weeks.
You can try to prevent ground bees from in unwanted locations. It is better to give them a nest site so that they stay away from your household.
So, if you see ground bees suddenly in your region don’t be panicked.
Try to avoid interactions with them for the next few weeks. They will leave your place. If you have seen Africanized honey bees in your region then it could be a matter of worry for you.
Here is what you can do whenever you see Africanized honey bees in your region.
- First of all, prevent yourself and all of your family members and pets from interacting with them.
- You can try natural deterrents like starting fluid, or bleach water to get rid of them. Make sure to try this at night and while covering your whole body.
- If possible create a fence around the bee nest. And place a poster if possible to alarm people to avoid the place.
- If you can’t do it yourself call for a bee removal expert. They will help you to get rid of these dangerous ground bees.
Hopefully, you got clear concepts about these 6 most aggressive bees that live in the ground. Remember bees are the friends of nature. They are not our enemy. So, it is our responsibility to protect them.
Ground bees are less aggressive than honey bees. So, if the bees are not Africanized honey bees then you shouldn’t be worried about them. Just leave them alone.
They won’t cause any trouble for you. Also, they won’t stay in your yards long. They are leaving your yard at the end of the spring.
You can check my article on are bee swarm dangerous for instructions about what to do when you are encountered by a bee swarm.
