Identifying wasps/bees nest in flower bed

[rrrrrreatt]

We have a nest of wasps/bees in our flower bed directly below our kitchen window and I don’t know what to do.

We’re renovating at present so the bed is extremely overgrown (ferns up to your hips) so I didn’t know they were there until I touched nearby and a load of “bees” flew at me. The builder said he’d noticed “bees” coming and going a lot so we all watched and sure enough they’re going into a gap between two rocks on the edge of the bed.

I tried to contact a local beekeeper and a local bee sanctuary but didn’t hear back. I’ve read loads online about bees and it doesn’t seem they match any of the bee identification charts - they’re not solitary bees (there’s bloody loads of them) and no nest is visible. They’re small which made me think wasps.

Today I called the council who don’t attend for bees, they said to get a photo of one (I can’t - they’re fast) and come back if it’s wasps. I called a pest control company but they “aren’t doing bees” so need proof they’re wasps first. The guy did say the location sounds like a wasps nest and there’s loads of breeds that are smaller.

How can I properly identify them? I tried making a slo mo video but they’re blurry still.

I know wasps leave in winter but I’m terrified of them and I’m scared they’ll build their new nest somewhere else in my garden. If it’s bees, I’m scared they’ll swarm soon and all our windows are open with the weather and renovation dust.

No one told me about this part of being a grown up!!

Keep your kitchen window shut for a while and forget about them. If you don’t bother them they won’t bother you. And all these insects have a role in a healthy ecosystem.

What colour are they? Are they striped or a plain colour?

Can you post a photo of the nest?
Bees are pretty chill tbh. Wasps can be stroppy this time of year.

Wasps don’t “leave” in winter. They die. Except for the Queen who hibernates.

Bees are unlikely to swarm at this time of the year as there isn’t time for a new colony to build up supplies for the winter.

Bees have furry jackets, wasps don't. So if they look slightly fuzzy then they're bees.

I’m thinking ground bees , which tend not to cause a problem unless they feel vibrations and then do come out en masse. If you can just leave them alone for a little longer .

Go outside with an ice cream. Bees won't bother you, wasps will be there in a flash.
Neighbours have a wasp nest in their garden. We can't even take a cup of tea outside.

I agree with the PP about the food or saucer of fizzy drink.

Are they thin like wasps?

Could be mason bees. My neighbour had them in his outbuilding. They are quite small, and there were lots of them. They nest in cracks of the wall. There are apparently about 20 species in the UK, most but not all are solitary. Wasps are longer and thinner than bees.

Sometimes the 'solitary' can be a bit of a misnomer. Each bee will have her own individual nest but they will nest in colonies, so you can get a bunch of them clustered together.
I agree with pp, put a blob of jam down, wasps will be there in a flash. Even some bees might investigate but it'll slow them down long enough to get a picture.

This is where they’re living, you can see a small dot which is one coming out.

My partner has just made a better slow-no video and they’re definitely wasps. They have the distinct bright yellow striped body of wasps!