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What should I do with the bee setting up shop in my electrical outlet?

I work from my laptop on my back patio a lot. Yesterday, I noticed a small black bee with very thin white stripes crawl into the round socket of the outlet next to where I plug my laptop in. I was afraid it would get zapped, but it flew off and was a non-event. Today, I realized that it has been coming back and now there's about 1-2mm of yellow granules coming out of the socket. It doesn't resemble any kind of nest I've found online, but it could be that the bee thought the socket was the perfect ready-made nest and is using it as such. It appears to be a single bee coming back every few minutes to add to it and the bee is not bothered by my presence at all. 

If I had to guess, I'd say it's a leafcutter bee. 

That said, I obviously need to stop it from doing what it's doing. What's my best bet? Maybe covering the hole with electrical tape? If it did lay eggs in there though, those'll still hatch if I don't clean it out... Eh... and, I'd also not like to irritate the bee. It doesn't mind me now, but I'm betting it will be ticked when it comes back and finds its hole plugged. 

Posted - July 1, 2018
Tags : None

Responses


  • 10052
    Yours sounds like a good idea to me. 

    Hopefully Element 99 will chime in. He seems to know quite a lot about insects. 
      July 1, 2018 6:23 PM MDT
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  • 53504

      He's away on a week's vacation. The problem is more urgent than that. 
    ~
      July 2, 2018 5:26 AM MDT
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  • 44603
    Not until 28 July. I will continue to bee a thorn in your side for three more weeks.
      July 2, 2018 8:35 AM MDT
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  • 53504

      Oh. 
    ~
      July 2, 2018 10:30 AM MDT
    0

  • 44603
    Thanks for the compliment. This question is more for the handymen, not the entomologists. There were lots of good answers before I was able to chime in.
      July 2, 2018 8:38 AM MDT
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  • 2658
    IMO..so 'bee' it, tape it up.  My experience with these type bees is they keep returning.  I finally had to use an outdoor bug control fogger.  The grandchildren were afraid of them.
      July 1, 2018 6:26 PM MDT
    3

  • 5614
    You can buy caps made of plastic for electrical outlets. You just plug them in if the bee is that much of a bother. Only queens lay eggs. The bottom hole of a socket is the neutral or ground. The bee gets zapped if it crosses two points and a breaker trips if it happens for long. This post was edited by O-uknow at July 2, 2018 12:42 PM MDT
      July 1, 2018 7:55 PM MDT
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  • 7939
    Thanks. From what I could tell if I got the bee type right, this is a female leafcutter- they do everything solo, so it would be the female going in and building a home and laying eggs. She wouldn't have worker bees. You're right on the ground though. I totally forgot about that but it was stuffed away in the dark recesses of my mind. As for the cover, I actually have some from when my kids were little. My brain failed me there too. 
      July 1, 2018 8:18 PM MDT
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  • 5391
    Take the face plate off (one small screw) vacuum the cavity out (can be done without touching anything in there) to remove any organic matter the bee placed in there, keep it from from rotting and stinking. Then replace the plate, use caulk to seal any crevices.
    Vacuuming up the bee isn’t a bad idea either, but that’s between you and your conscience. This post was edited by Don Barzini at July 2, 2018 9:02 AM MDT
      July 1, 2018 8:01 PM MDT
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  • 7939
    Thanks. My problem was that it's in the actual plug hole, not just behind the plate. I think I'm just going to wipe away what's on the outside- maybe the inside will come with it- and then cover it while the bee's away. The advice would have worked otherwise though. Much appreciated.
      July 1, 2018 8:20 PM MDT
    2

  • 6477
    All good stuff - this is when this site is great, when someone wants opinions on what to do about something. I have nothing earth-shattering to add just to say that it definitely seems a solitary bee and it's unlikely to sting you even if you make it mad by blocking it's nest.. it would cost it its life stinging you so most likely it will just hang around a while then go off and make a new nest
      July 2, 2018 8:19 AM MDT
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  • 44603
    Anything you do will kill the bee or its egg/larva. In any case after she leaves there will still bee (pun) residue, rendering that outlet useless for three pronged plugs. They are cheap and easy to replace.
      July 2, 2018 8:33 AM MDT
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  • 23576
    Wow -- I know nothing about any of this - - your question and all the answers you've received.
    I hope it all works out great for you.
    :)
      July 2, 2018 9:04 AM MDT
    4