What kind of bee is this & how can I encourage it to leave my garden?

Question: I got stung 3x! The are about 0.75 in long. They _do_ sting. My arden is right up agsinst the front of my bedroom window wall! I can't have bees right here, but I don't want to use pesticides on them either. Is this whatpeople csll ground bees? I want pollinators--just not where I have to get stung to worm in my little garden. The garden is actually raised above a row of verical bricks, but the bees are burrowing between & under the bricks. After neglecting my garden in August & September, I came out to pull weeds and plsnt fall garlic. I inadvertantly stuck my pitch fork right down their front door! If these are not "ground" bees, what are they? And how can I help them find a new home?

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 09, 2024, 3:10 PM EDT
response: "Ground bee" is a general term that different people can use to mean different things, but we would not refer to these as ground bees, no. Ground-nesting bees are a particular group of bees that nest in the ground, and often they are solitary (not living together, but rather each female digging her own burrow), even if a group of them happen to be nesting fairly close to each other. (Like a group of single houses in a neighborhood...sharing a common area, but each home and home entrance is separate.) Ground-nesting bees, and any solitary bee, tend to be reluctant to sting and almost always leave people alone, and their life cycles generally don't give much opportunity of conflict with people because the adult bees are not active for very long, and they busy themselves finding pollen.  The insects pictured are Yellowjackets, a type of social wasp, not a bee. These social wasps share one nest and work together to find food and build the nest, somewhat like honey bees. Unlike honey bees, wasps can sting more than once per individual, though they too usually leave people alone unless they perceive a threat to themselves (swatting) or a nest (digging nearby, or vibrations like a lawn mower). Several species of Yellowjacket live in Maryland, and some nest in the ground. The body pattern on these wasps suggests that they are Southern Yellowjackets, which are native and widespread in the state.  The good news it that they will die out on their own fairly soon (in a few weeks or less). Nests are not re-used from one year to the next, so unless a young queen who overwinters somewhere nearby happens to find the area ideal for her needs and begins a new nest in the same general spot, you won't have Yellowjackets back in this area again in spring.  The only way to get rid of them (with a minimal risk of stings) would be to use a pesticide -- specifically wasp spray -- to treat the nest entrance. If you can't find the nest entrance (it sounds like you have), then the spray won't be useful. It might take some time for enough workers coming and going to be exposed and die out. If you prefer not to use pesticides, then no action is needed if you can avoid that spot until we experience a good overnight freeze or several frosts. The wasps will also be more sluggish in the chilly mornings, so if you wanted to keep weeding or planting in that bed, doing so while it's still cold out should greatly reduce the risk of stings, since they need to warm-up before flying. They cannot be relocated, even if they were going to be using that nest for awhile longer, which they won't.  Wasps are good pollinators and pest control, so when they aren't posing a risk of stings, they are great to have in gardens and home landscapes as free helpers.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied October 10, 2024, 9:47 AM EDT
response: Hi Miri, Thank you so much! I did discover online that white vinegar and Dawn dishwashing detergent are things they don't like that kind of force them to move. I put them down last evening, and they did not like it one bit!  On Wed, Oct 9, 2024, 3:10 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied October 10, 2024, 9:51 AM EDT
response: They can't move their nest, so nothing will cause them to move elsewhere, and direct contact with soap might kill them by causing them to drown (if soapy water was dumped on them) or desiccate (if soap was sprayed on them, as with insecticidal soap). Do not apply vinegar to the landscape; it can kill plants and negatively affect the soil. Agitating the wasps is one way that can encourage them to sting, so we do not recommend pouring anything on a nest site unless it's wasp spray (used as directed on the label).  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied October 10, 2024, 12:29 PM EDT
response: ok. thank U so much!On Thu, Oct 10, 2024, 9:51 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote: