Poor photo from a distance, but it's been cropped and zoomed in to show the kind of damage the bees have done to the leaves. This is the area they're flying in and out of... the hosta is in a pot and the pot is inside this wooden 'bucket'.

There is something I have heard about a "leaf cutter bee". I've never experienced it myself, but I'm sure there are some remedies on line.

bkay

edit: Nice Invincible, by the way.

Second edit: This article might help you diagnose your problem and decide whether to treat: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com

They sound like what we call a dirt wasp. Neither good nor bad not really a pollinator, But they will sting you. I would get wasp spray as you can spray from far away and spray the wooden pot only. This way you do not kill and do not harm the hosta. Serve them an eviction notice and do this at night. Tell them One Eyed Willy sent you.

Your location might help, but they could be ground bees. They nest in the ground. I had a friend who had them invade her flower boxes. They were formidable. She couldn’t go out on her balcony.

debra

I've seen leaf cutter bees doing this to other plants but never to my hostas. IIRC, they like peony leaves in the summer when all they are is green shrubs, and sometimes the cuts around the edges look artistic, so I don't mind. Not that you want that to happen to your hostas, but this could be a one-time thing, or just this year and not others.

ground bees return to the hive at night.. so i used to attack them at dusk.. with hornet spray.. which i think WAS labeled for such... check your own labels..

i dont really know how i would attack a pot... probably drench it with a good appropriate killer.. personally i dont mess with home remedies.. for things that attack ...

ken

  Ken  something else  works too. Is to pour gasoline o diesel fuel in there hive  

Howard

bkay2000, thank you for the reply. I am hoping that they are leaf cutter bees, but after doing more research I suspect they are not. They don't seem to be cutting the leaves with any precision or reason -- it looks more like they've crashed through the leaves in flight... although they did clearly cut away two entire leaves to clear their path. Leaf cutters supposedly like peonies best, but my big row of peonies is on the other side of the house and untouched. These bees are constantly going in and out of that area of the plant, and they're so fast that I can't get a good look at them. Would leaf cutters do that? I'm not sure if I should be afraid of them! And thank you re my Invincible. :) It's always been perfect in this pot on the porch.... until now. lol!

ilovetogrow, thank you for the reply. I don't think they are dirt wasps, if that's what you call a Mud Dauber. They don't seem to be obviously wasp-shaped and they fly much faster than any mud dauber I've ever seen.

djacob, thank you for the reply. I'm in CNY and what we always called "ground bees" when I was a kid were agressive nasty things! I'm not sure what bee/wasp those 'ground bees' actually are because when I search for 'ground bees' in NY or the northeast, I find long lists of candidates. :p Somehow I have the feeling that what's living in my potted hosta is not that nasty ground bee that I remember, but OTOH, I'm afraid that I could be wrong and that would be disastrous. Those 'ground bees' are awful!!!

sandyslopes, thank you for the reply. I read about the peony preference too and noted that my peonies seemed untouched. Perhaps I didn't look closely enough though because I do have about a 20' long lush row of them. My best hope right now is that these are beneficial bees that will not sting me or anyone else, and they'll be gone at the end of the season. :O)

Ken, thank you for the reply. Yes, my father ran a cemetery and had to deal with things like "ground bees", so I learned early on to tackle stinging things at night, in the cold of the morning, or during rain, when they'd all be in the hive. I'm hesitant to kill them, in the event that they're a beneficial bee. :p

Howard, my father taught me to take a wad of cotton or cotton fabric, soak it with the pesticide you were using, and then use it to cover or stuff down their ground hole. Some people used a gasoline-soaked rag and lit it, but my father's way was more effective and less dangerous. :)

I'm in Texas, and have "dirt daubers" They build a nest of mud. They don't live in the ground. They don't sting, according to my long passed father. I've read that they won't even sting when the nest is disturbed. I guess all regions have their common names for wasps and bees. Of course, different climates have different insects.

Thanks for the opportunity to learn something.

bkay

 They could bechornets

Leaf cutter bees and wasps that roll leaves for a nest are solitary. What you describe is group behavior that is more consistent with the insects making room for a clear path to the entrance of a hive.

If this is a burrowing species, the pot might be quite dangerous. There could be a large number of wasps burrowing in the soil and if you confront the guards a swarm might come out. I had a giant yellow jacket problem a year ago with hundreds of yellow jackets constantly leaving and entering the nest. I finally paid to have it removed and the exterminator dug up a nest under ground the size of a watermelon. Here is a video showing how many yellow jackets can be hidden in an underground nest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zKwRk_uKHY&t=844s

bbkay, my experience with mud daubers is like yours: they occasionally build small mounds of mud to live inside my garden shed, and I usually don't even notice them until the mounds are unoccupied.

westes, I've been waiting to see what anyone thought of my bee activity relative to leaf cutter bees. I read that leaf cutters were more solitary. Now I'm suitably worried and too afraid to look at your video. I was very recently stung on my finger by a yellow jacket, so I know exactly what one sting feels like. :(

Kate, your comment about the video being scary is why I probably won't watch it. When I was young, my father was a hero to save three young girls who were attacked by 'ground bees' on the big hill behind our house, and screaming their heads off. One by one, he ran up the hill, grabbed a girl and carried her down the hill to safety. He must have been stung hundreds of times and ended up hospitalized.

eta: I have a call in to a pro.

 If nothing else works repot the hosta 

 Hoawrd

   When it becomes  dangoriouss   time  to report  because this could become law suit if something isnt don soon 

Howard

Agree with Kate, very interesting video, but not in the least bit scarey!

debra

djacob, I only found it scary because of what was truely underground... not just a little cave with some eggs, as I imagined, but rather a whole hive.

Party, what happened? What did you do?

Kate, as usual, nobody returned my call! My BF had wasp/bee spray and used it in the spot where they were entering the pot…. that seemed to cut their numbers, but then they moved their entry point to the other side of the pot. We sprayed again and when we checked yesterday we saw almost no activity. Out of spray now, so need more just in case. And I’m watching to be sure they don’t relocate to another pot.