I have been doing a LOT of landscape redesign lately. added a row of 11 - 14 ft tall blue spruce this spring. Because of the line of trees the underground spinkling heads were no longer in the right spots.
I was moving one to a better location today ( it was almost under one of the new trees.) Dug the complete trench arround the tree and was laying in the new pipe when I looked up and almost wet myself. Dang nest was as big as a football and only 4 ft over my head. Why I didn't get stung was beyond me.
Hauled out the shop vac and a ten ft piece of 1 inch PVC taped to the vac hose.
half hour with the pipe 1/2 inch away from the opening in the nest and I must have caught 60 or 70 bees. Then went at the nest with the vac. From start to finish it took an hour and I didn't get stung and I didn't need to use any spray that could have damaged the tree. Then I finished the sprinkler job. I will wait a week and open the vac and count the bees. Hope I got the queen.