Watch where you step! These bees may be digging holes in your SC yard this spring. Why that’s good
Spring has begun to show its face in South Carolina, filling yards again with life, including the buzzing of bees.
However, when you think of bees, it’s probably about swarms of them in hives above ground, filled with honey. But in early spring in South Carolina, those types of bees will likely not be the ones you see zipping around your freshly bloomed flowers.
Instead, what you’ll most encounter are ground bees or mining bees. Unlike the more familiar hive-making kind, these bees prefer to dig and live below ground. Still, they’re just as important and as helpful to your yard as their above ground counterparts.
Here’s what to know about them.
Ground bees
There are multiple species of ground bees and most are similar in size — typically one-half of an inch long or smaller, according to Terminix. They can look the familiar black and yellow, but also blue, red, green or purple.
Mating season is March to May, with many species exiting their underground burrows March. Ground bees are solitary, meaning they have no queen. Instead, all female ground bees are fertile and also serve as worker bees, building burrows and collecting food.
During mating season, each female will dig a burrow at least 6 inches deep. Most types of ground bees will fill these burrows with eggs, pollen and nectar. The young bee will slowly feast on the pollen until they are ready to emerge the next year.
Why ground bees are good for SC yards
For some homeowners, welcoming an insect that digs small holes in yards may not be their first instinct. Will those underground nests damage yards and plants?
Turns out that ground bees do not damage yards, even if the little dirt mounds from their digging may look unattractive, according to DTEK Live Bee Removal. Ground bees are considered to be great yard aerators.
Spring mining bees are also generalist pollinators, which is why they’re found on some of the earliest blooming flowers of the season.
“They are absolutely no threat to humans or pets — even though several hundred may construct their burrows in the same area,” said Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and host of the “Making it Grow” television program. “Also, you should be thrilled to have them on your property as they are native pollinators and equally important to the natural world and agriculture alike as European honey bees, but are not interested in defending their turf by stinging.”
How to remove ground bees
Given that ground bees are so important for pollination, homeowners should avoid killing them or even controlling them unless absolutely necessary. But, if for some reason you don’t want them around your home, here are some measures to take, according to Terminix.
Limit open ground: Since ground bees need open space to dig their burrows, planting thicker grasses and ensuring there are no open patches of earth in your yard will make it less attractive to the insects.
Change watering system: If ground bees are in your yard already, water more often. They need drier dirt to build stable burrows.
Insecticide dust: If you must kill ground bees, use an insecticide dust applied sparingly on the tops of their open burrow holes. Follow all directions and avoid spreading the poison in a wider area than necessary.
