What Should I Do About Bees in my Pond?

Concern about bees is something that we hear A LOT when it comes to backyard pond maintenance.  With the Africanized bees and the Honey bees inter-breeding, there have been a lot of scary incidents on the news.  Most of those, however, are due to someone interfering with the bees in some way, whether intentional or not.  That being said, it's always a good idea to use some caution when dealing with a potentially dangerous situation.

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Why are the bees in my pond?

Can I make the bees leave 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 programed 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 yard. 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.

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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 a ecosystem backyard pond with natural rock & stone!  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.

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BEE REMOVAL SERVICES

Bees are an integral part of our global ecosystem, and we recommend living in harmony with them whenever possible. However, if you have a hive on your property, or your neighbor's property, have it removed by a professional.

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