'Bees' can be subjective. I've trained myself to defend honey bees. Everything ends without them. Some folk here call yellow jackets Ground Bees. I have several descriptions for them that are not permitted on FHC. I've located two nests this year without getting stung somehow.
I'm guilty of calling most flying, stinging creatures "bees" if I'm not thinking about it, but I do know the difference. Honey bees and bumblebees both produce honey and are pollinators, so I try to protect them, although the occasional bumblebee nest I run across in the ground may get exterminated if they're in a high-traffic spot. The ones I hate are the wasps, particularly what we call "yellowjackets" that may nest in the ground or in ball-shaped nests above ground. These creatures are demon spawn from Hell, and I take great pleasure in eliminating them with a vengeance. I'll involve fire if possible, just to make me feel like I'm getting revenge on the little villains. Baldfaced hornets are mean too, especially if you mess with them, but they're usually high enough up that they don't cause too many problems. They also prey on flies, which makes them okay in my book. The brown wasps or paper wasps that build the small, open-faced nests under eaves and such are usually not too aggressive unless you crowd them closely, so I usually leave them alone too unless they're close to traffic areas. But man, I hate (HATE!) yellowjackets!!!
I will usually defend honey bees also, our son has about 12 hives, I think. All wild caught or from splits he's done. Most of them I have no problem with, cut grass close by hive, walk around... 1 hive are demons, my wife got nailed 3 times a couple weeks ago, they introduced themselves to me last time I cut grass close to them...I left the Bay Boy sitting for a bit...lol... Told my son we need to take the tractor and move them one night.
Most true bees are pollinators, not just honey bees and bumble bees. In fact, native pollinators are better adapted to pollinate certain plants, like the squash bee is for squash plants. A honey be is more of a jack of all trades, master of none. Not specialized for certain plants. We are planning on planting a large area of native wild flowers for the native bees. We already see a wide variety of bees with all of our sunflowers but we want more options for them that will grow on its own each year.
I am allergic to wasp stings and especially yellow jacket. I've only been stung by the bastids once, at my previous place, and that was no fun. They happened to dig a ground nest in a place I mowed (hadn't been there the week before). Fortunately it was in the lower 50s and they didn't move very fast so only 1 got me. Most bees and wasps are pretty chill and I don't mind them. There is a really pretty metallic black wasp, the Blue Mud wasp, that looks blue in the sun that have shown up the last couple of years to fed on flowers in the shrub garden, and I'm always happy to see them. One year I also saw a female Giant Icheumon wasp, which looks wicked. But that is not a stinger, but the way she lays her eggs I do have yellow jackets swarm around the large rhodies mid to late summer (not during bloom time). So far we have been able to coexist. During dry years (like this summer), I have to water the rhodies and I do so carefully. A few years ago I had bald faced hornets build a nest right over my front door. Since I rarely use that door, I didn't see it until it was rather large. I was always nervous mowing between the front steps and the rhodies while it was there, but never had any issues. But, I was extremely relieved one day when I came home from work and found it had been completely destroyed and not a hornet in sight. My guess is that the catbirds that were nesting in the rhodies took exception to their neighbors, although it could have been any other bird too.
I wonder if one of the hives has become aggressive? Watched fellow not too long ago that had to euthanize a hive due to aggressiveness. He had like 9 others that were 'normal' and one that was just obnoxious.
No sign of animal having dug the hive/nest out ? My sister sells honey. She has hives at quite a few of the local farms/orchards. She begged my mom to put two hives in her back yard. Of course, I cut the lawn there. I've been stung once. Apparently (commercial) honey bees can't detect motion and they'll fly right into you if you are walking across their flight path.
