Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →

How to Stop Mailbox Bees

Stinging insects flying around your mailbox can result in your postal carrier refusing to drop off your mail until you resolve the problem. Bees, yellow jackets, hornets and wasps can be attracted to mailboxes and sometimes nest in and around them. Fortunately, you can take certain precautions to stop bees and other stinging insects from hanging around your mailbox--and to get rid of them if they do appear.

Keep your lawn cut short near the mailbox. This will remove dandelions, clover and any other flowering plants that might attract bees for the pollen.

Avoid planting flowers or flowering trees near the mailbox. If you live in a rural area, keep weeds trimmed back from the box, as these might produce flowers, too.

Keep garbage cans covered. Also, cover recycling containers that hold empty soda and juice bottles. Hornets and yellow jackets, which look like bees, are attracted to sweet substances and to protein.

Keep water sources away from your mailbox. Bees are attracted to water, so don't run a sprinkler near the mailbox. Additionally, don't locate the mailbox in an area where standing water tends to accumulate.

Place a mothball in the box. Mothballs repel bees and stop them from building nests or hives in the mailbox. Be aware that your mail will smell like mothballs if you go this route.

Swap out your wood mailbox post for a metal one. Carpenter bees like to drill holes in wood and build nests there.

Related Articles

How to Keep Wasps From Building Nests
How to Keep Wasps From Building Nests
How to Keep a Skunk & Possum Away From Your Barn
How to Keep a Skunk & Possum Away From Your Barn
How to Deter Chipmunks From Eating Flowers
How to Deter Chipmunks From Eating Flowers
Home Remedies: How to Get Rid of Pigeons
Home Remedies: How to Get Rid of Pigeons
How to Kill Ants in a Florida Yard
How to Kill Ants in a Florida Yard
How to Keep Raccoons From Climbing
How to Keep Raccoons From Climbing
Which Flowers Types Attracts Snakes?
Which Flowers Types Attracts Snakes?
How to Stop Ants From Eating Plants
How to Stop Ants From Eating Plants
How to Keep Voles From Eating Flower Bulbs
How to Keep Voles From Eating Flower Bulbs
How to Keep Deer Away From Geraniums
How to Keep Deer Away From Geraniums
How to Get Rid of Sparrows
How to Get Rid of Sparrows
How to Repel Black Widow Spiders
How to Repel Black Widow Spiders
How to Keep Raccoons Away From My Deer Feeder
How to Keep Raccoons Away From My Deer Feeder
How to Get Rid of Mice Living Under the Deck Without Killing Squirrels
How to Get Rid of Mice Living Under the Deck Without...
When to Put Out Hummingbird Feeders in South Carolina?
When to Put Out Hummingbird Feeders in South Carolina?
Garden Guides
×