Bumble bees

[briggsy2011]

I have a lot of bumble bees in an old nest box above my potting bench, there must be about 15 at the moment. Will they be ok to just leave them there (as they are not doing me any harm) or should i get them remove just incase i get a massive nest of them?

any help or tips would be appreciate.

Louise

[Lotsaveg]

Just leave them and they'll be fine. Bumblebees don't swarm and if they are in an old nest box they won't build a massive nest and therefore won't have too many occupants.

You're really lucky to have a natural bumblebee nest and need to make sure the bees have free access to the outside world as they need to visit many thousand flowers each day!!

I'm a real fan of bumblebees now that I'm the proud owner of two Beepol hives! My first one is really huge now, but that's because I've allowed the bees to keep expanding their nest. Two batches of new queens seem to have emerged already, which is something I'd never expected!

My other hive is in the roof of my greenhouse next to a vent, but I may soon move this to the floor since my tomato plants are all producing flowers.

[briggsy2011]

Thanks very much for your reply

[dogsbody]

Not having the time for honey bees I have splashed out on a Beepol Bumble bee lodge and hive (had a 15% discount offer from a supplier) - ordered it Monday (Bank Holiday) and came home from work today to find it had been delivered. I'm now the proud owner of my very own bumble bee colony (just need a "Beware bees at work " sign now).

[Lotsaveg]

That's great news Dogsbody! Unfortunately the hive I set up mid March has finally ended and the last queen flew away yesterday. Time for a clean out and a new one just in time for the runner bean flowers!

You need to keep an eye out for wax moths though as apparently it's a really bad year for them. I killed two that got in to my Beepol lodge and luckily must have done so before they laid too many eggs as they didn't really cause me a problem. A friend's Beepol was wiped out after 4 weeks though and I saw a wild nest in an old bird box that was destroyed by them.

Good luck though and keep us updated!

[Two_Sheds]

Bumbles won't hurt you, they need to be sorely provoked to sting.

I've got 100s of them on the lotty because I interplant everything with flowers: I step over them, weed amongst them, I've never been stung

I'd love to know where they go at night though

[Lotsaveg]

I'd love to know where they go at night though

They go back to their nests which, in the wild, could be almost anywhere that offers protection (an old rodent hole, hollow log, old bird box)

Having seen wild bumblebee nests destroyed by wax moths this year, I'm seriously concerned about the impact of this pest on our wild bees and whether it's a factor in their general decline.

[Two_Sheds]

Funny thing - after reading this thread before school, I got there to find the staff in a flap because bumbles (red tails) had nested in the bird box on the school gate.

I put me gloves on and went in all gung ho. They were fine, let me pick the box up and move it further into the wildlife area. I then looked up info on red tails to print out (basically to reassure staff that they rarely sting, and never swarm).

Beggar me, I went back later and they'd cordoned off the entire area with metal railings

I took my garden club in with me, and we sat quietly observing them from about 2 feet away. They were fascinated - the bees just went bumbling about their business, flying around our heads quite amiably. Nobody stung, and now another dozen bee fans to add to the list

[Hillwalker]

Disappointing, but typical overreaction by the school. Great end to story though. Hope the school don't decide to have them moved or killed (I know it's illegal, but it goes on, sadly).