AI Connect member John McGowan asks: Does anyone have advice for bees hanging around waterpark trash cans? We clean ours with bleach every night now and even tried emptying the trash every two hours, but there are still bees all over them.

“Consistency is key… I’ve dealt with this before, and it’s a challenge. The bees have let all of their friends at the nest know about the awesome nacho-cheese smears on the trashcan lids, and the spilled Pepsi on the concrete, etc. It takes a while for them, as a group, to realize it’s no longer an easy source of food. We did periodic walk-throughs and eliminated any nests we found on property. We switched to trash-cans that had a “flapping” tight-fitting lid so they would remain closed when not being used and not offer constant access to the critters. We then did exactly what you’re doing by emptying trash-cans often, and cleaning them with bleach at night, but we would also routinely clean the lids throughout the day so the bees wouldn’t be attracted to the food debris that’s inevitably smeared on them. We then took a good look at our landscaping, and chose to eliminate the flowering vegetation because it would attract bees in the first place.”

— AI Connect member “Doofipotomus,” Vancouver, Wash.