Help! Bees!
- Thread starter ChadM
- Start date
Find the hive and put a water source near it.
If you sit and watch them for a minute, you can start to see a pattern of where they are coming from and going to.
A friend of mine had this happen in her dog kennel. The owner of the hive had not put out a water source, so the bees were flying over a mile away to go get water.
In your area with all the rain and wetness, I'm surprised you are having this issue.
I've sat and watched them. They fly off into the pasture that is next to me. There's water sources everywhere around here, not sure why they've chosen this 20" water dish as their hang out. There has to be some type of deterant to get them to leave.
I'm at a loss for an explanation too.
You could try lighting those citronella sticks or candles from the hardware store and see if that deters them. Might have to play around with them a bit as the wind shifts. It'll drive away those plentiful Louisiana skeeters at the same time!
IdontNoYiDidThat
New Member
If you want to stop the bees all you have to do is put a few drops of lavender oil in a spray bottle, fill it up with water, shake, and spray about a foot out around the perimeter of the torts water. It's a defense pheromone produced by the lavender plant, think of it as nature's bug be gone, works on wasps and ants also. Just make sure not to get it in your torts water hence the foot out part. Good luck with your problem.
Yet to keep door knockers from coming to your door, plant lavender plants. The bees love the flowers and keep those salesmen away.
IdontNoYiDidThat
New Member
The bees go after the nectar of the plant. The oil is almost the same chemical compound that grass releases to near by flora when it's cut. The exception being that the oil excruted from the lavender flowers is a natural irritant for Hymenoptera. That means bees, wasps, sawflies, hornets, and of course ants, along with 150,000 other living species discovered so far. Yet again it's the oil not the nectar or pollin, that would only attract them along with some other fascinating insects and arachnids.
IdontNoYiDidThat
New Member
Sorry I forgot to mention you can also use the oils from thyme, mint, and citronella. I would stay away from citronella as it can cause respiratory issues for most living creatures. I really hope this helps.
Thanks! I will find some lavender oil and try it out
IdontNoYiDidThat
New Member
I hope it works, if not try the same thing with the other oils that I mentioned. Best of luck to you.
IdontNoYiDidThat
New Member
If you don't want to use the oils, you can also get the same plants at any garden center crush up the leaves and add them to water. My wife just told me I sound like a sell man, I can assure you that I'm not I just don't like man made chemicals.
I ordered some lavender oil, it will be here Friday. I'll post some results!
What a great idea. It never occurred to me. A large sulcata can go weeks with no water at all, but I would just soak the tortoise every few days during this process, and add some more opuntia or romaine to the diet for a while to ensure hydration.
You're lucky it's bees. My tortoise waterers have wasps hanging around them. Bees lose their stinger when they sting you, so you only get zapped once. A wasp can sting you over and over, and they DO!
I just ignore them. The bees are after water, and aren't interested in stinging a non threatening tortoise.
