Question for Fred about bees and chickens!

[Kanthaka]

Noticed that my chickens chase and eat all flying bugs except bees. They are afraid of bees. To make it worse I noticed today that I have an underground bee nest in my yard between my garden and the coop! How could I not have noticed these bees before? I spend a lot of time outside. It surprised me to see bees in the dirt rather than in a hive.
I do not want to kill these bees ( I know how beneficial they are and how they are declining in numbers) and realize that it would be extremely unwise to use pesticides. Yet they scare my chickens! Any non toxic, non lethal way to get rid of them?
Thank you,
Karen from the Erie Poultry Underground

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

I think what you may have, are known as ground hornets and not actual bees?

If this is the case, they can be tenacious and your chickens are sharp cookies in their avoidance of those multi-sting capable rascals...

Shutting them down is easy as pie... and for the record, I personally have no problem with helping this sort of ground hornet find it's new purpose as fertilizer.

They are minimal pollinators and do have a territorial bent, dangerous to unknowing children for example. They attack in groups and begin stinging all at once, similar to the southern fire ants.

If you had a photo to share that would be a nice identification tool, but I think this is what they are.

Now... how to deal with them? Go to your local feed store... in Erie, I recommend Brown's Hardware on Route 89, just north of the town of Wattsburg... I'm often in there.. we could visit?

Get a bag of Grani-Grit, also known as granite grit, or chick grit. Wait Until Dark (title of a movie also)... the ground hornets will be all in after dark... bring a plastic funnel and have your granite grit in a bucket.... pour as much as you can down into their hole and then empty the rest in a mound over the top... use all 50 lbs of the grit, if it's not going to be a complete eye sore and the semi-white granite grit will be a good visual que, that this is where Karen prevailed over those who would terrorize her chickens (">

After a week, you can rake it smooth, or remove the excess grit and put it where your chickens can use it.

This is my recommendation, please stop back and let us know how it worked, or how you had to flee for your life because some chicken nut gave you a bad suggestion :}

I'm dropping off day old chicks at the store today and tomorrow.. maybe I'll catch you there. (Barred Plymouth Rocks & Rhode Island Reds)

Thanks for your question!

Fred
www.FredsFineFowl.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/HTCSWEOD

[Kanthaka]

Thank you for the quick reply. Here are some pictures for you. Not very good quality I'm afraid. I managed to get several shots of clover though as I had to quickly snap and run. They're aggressive!
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm217/Kanthaka/GroundBees010.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm217/Kanthaka/GroundBees006.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm217/Kanthaka/GroundBees002.jpg
Thanks!

[Fred's Fine Fowl]

Where is the nest?

Those are just run-o-the mill bumble bees...

This is actually a relative of the honey bee and not what I was thinking at all...

If they are in a ground hole, normally it's made by another critter and these bumbles will just move into it... pollen pouches on the legs tell us it's a female.. even a full nest will only have around 50 members, so it wouldn't be a swarm of bumbles or anything...

At any rate, the same procedure I described when I thought you may have had hornets will still work.

Thanks for sharing the photos... and best of luck with your bumbles... brightly banded though they may beeeeee

Fred

www.FredsFineFowl.com

[Kanthaka]

Thank you! Even though I only have 3 chickens, this forum, your site and your dvd have been invaluable.