Bees in the hot tub

[Lineman7]

Who here is fighting bees getting in/around your tub? It happens every spring. Wife went out today and got medieval with some peppermint oil. TBD

If this happens to you, what's your tactic?

It's got a brand new lid, but they can find the smallest crack. I have bees in the water and swarming around the lid. 2-3 sometimes 10-20 bees at a time

 

[Wolfepack88]

Who here is fighting bees getting in/around your tub? It happens every spring. Wife went out today and got medieval with some peppermint oil. TBD

If this happens to you, what's your tactic?

It's got a brand new lid, but they can find the smallest crack. I have bees in the water and swarming around the lid. 2-3 sometimes 10-20 bees at a time

What kind of bees? If wasps or yellow jackets. Take a 64oz jug of apple juice and add 3 teaspoons of boric acid (granular) and fill up some soda cans and put a stick in it to allow the bees to go down into it and drink up. In a few days no more bees. Boric acid is lethal. You will have lots of bees for a few days (they tell their buddies where to go get this great stuff) then dwindling as they bite the dust. Doesn't work on honey bees though. I just set out two cans myself hoping to take the queens out before they set up shop.

 

[Lineman7]

What kind of bees? If wasps or yellow jackets. Take a 64oz jug of apple juice and add 3 teaspoons of boric acid (granular) and fill up some soda cans and put a stick in it to allow the bees to go down into it and drink up. In a few days no more bees. Boric acid is lethal. You will have lots of bees for a few days (they tell their buddies where to go get this great stuff) then dwindling as they bite the dust. Doesn't work on honey bees though. I just set out two cans myself hoping to take the queens out before they set up shop.

Good to know and thanks.

But it's dang honey bees

 

[Wolfepack88]

Good to know and thanks.

But it's dang honey bees

Salt water in the hot tub?? If so they love salt water and can be hard to dissuade if they have locked into a source. My biggest fear a wild hive finds my pool because bee's are my kryptonite.

 

[dfwnoob]

You could try to find a local bee farmer to see if he can come get them and take them away. I feel pretty bad about taking out honeybees because their hive counts are already dwindling.

 

[Lineman7]

Salt water in the hot tub?? If so they love salt water and can be hard to dissuade if they have locked into a source. My biggest fear a wild hive finds my pool because bee's are my kryptonite.

You could try to find a local bee farmer to see if he can come get them and take them away. I feel pretty bad about taking out honeybees because their hive counts are already dwindling.

Maybe they are telling me something. Maybe I should look up bee keeping.

My observation is they are after they heat. I find a few in the pool but not much. But they seem to be drawn to what little heat is escaping from the tub. That and the water.