Getting a bumble bee queen to nest in your garden.

[cheops]

I’d love to have a bumble bee queen to make a home in my garden next spring. Iv’e read as much as I can on the net - bury an old clay flowerpot and from it connect a tube etc but I’m hoping for top tips and success rate from anyone who has tried it successfully or not.

[DannyK]

Have you got badgers? If so nest will be vulnerable to their predation. Maybe well anchored barbed wire might safeguard it.

Had a nest dug out in my garden. Amazing! Stoney, bone-dry clay would have taken ages for me to dig such a hole.

[cheops]

Danny there are badgers in the locality - saw one in the headlights one night at the side of the road and sadly have seen many more dead on the road. However I don’t believe a badger has ever been in my garden. Was the predated nest in your garden encouraged by you or did it just happen?

[Kirk]

I find they just nest where they decide.
One was simply in the ground, may have been under a sheet or something. I kept see bees coming out of the ground, had a look and then left them alone and made sure the area was undisturbed.

Had one nest in the pile of pots and crud that resides to one side of my back door. Occasionally one looked in, then exited out the door again. Never gave any problems. Only meant that you walked out the door a bit slower then usual.

Another one was under a large bay tree but in a stone wall - well I assume it was in the badly built (not neat) wall. Again I saw bees going under the tree and coming out. I didn't crawl under to find out specifics.

Great fun watching them. Some came out and had a rest on a darkish paver/stone, then went off about their business. Others came back and rested on the stone then flew into the nest to deliver their collected food/pollen. Stone was in the sun and was generally warm.

Not seen any this year but the nests are small so easy to not see. Did see several bees searching for suitable locations so maybe one did exist.

Search out bee boxes. You can make a box - basically brick size with a 1/2 inch hole. I suppose looking for a rectangular flower pot could be useful. I haven't bumped in to one yet in a garden centre.

May build a cavity (or 2 or 3) each with small extrance into a retaining wall I can extend.

They would seem to like a protected areas, makes sense. Likely a neat garden is not for them, mine is a mix of chaotic and messy. I could easily have 2 or 3 nests and never know it.

If you put a box or something out then I suspect that it needs a bit of thought concerning where to position a few. One I may try is on a lightweight air block against a wall but protested.

Reason is I have 2 blocks at the end of my raised bed that I can use. Thinking bee box and a few terracotta pots either side so box is not just sat there on top isolated. You could get say 2 blocks from B&Q then add box and pots and site at somewhere suitable.

[chris_m]

I find they just nest where they decide.

I had a Tree Bumble decide to make use of one of my tit boxes last year - without evicting any tits, which I understand they will sometimes do.
I got superb pollination of the raspberries that year, the box was only about three feet from them so th bumbles didn't have far to go

Nothing this year though :-(

[cheops]

Thanks Kirk - very interesting and informative.

[Birdie Wife]

If you site a few potential homes in different places, that would give you a better chance of success. The best advice I can give is that queen bumblebees are attracted to the smell of mice in the spring, as many are looking for a mouse or vole burrow in the spring to nest in. So if you can site the bee house in a place where mice might be and put some old mouse bedding inside the house as well, that will improve your chances.

[Mr Bones]

I've had them nest in an old field mouse hole and also bird boxes.

[DannyK]

. Was the predated nest in your garden encouraged by you or did it just happen?

I hate badgers. All hedgehogs disappeared. Haven't seen slow worms for years. Had a disembowelled fox cub.

The bees' nest was very sad sight.

Very rarely see them but they do leave big holes.

Unfortunately they have no predators.

[mrbadexample]

I made an attempt at a bumble bee house a year or so ago, made out of a couple of plant pots. It's had no interest, but the sight of so many queens buzzing round the garden has made me have another go.

Firstly I bored a hole about 7" deep into this stump:



I chose the underside of the branch to hopefully prevent water ingress. I then lopped the front of the stump off:



I carved out a cavity:



I have some straw from an old bale that has previously had mice nesting in it, with which I intend to stuff the cavity. Then I'm going to Gorilla Glue the front back on. I'd screw it in place ordinarily, but the Gorilla Glue expands and will seal the gap I hope.



How much straw do I need to use? Half full? More?

[mrbadexample]

I'm still in two minds...if I use Gorilla Glue then it should expand and seal the gap - I've taken out a chainsaw bar-width out of the log so unless I do this water can get in.

The downside is that it's a one-shot deal. Once I've done it I can't open it back up to check the contents in future years, nor clean, refresh or replenish the contents.

If I screw the front on it'll allow maintenance but leak.

Any suggestions?

[smallblueplanet]

Lots of Youtube vids out there:
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ml#post1696916

[mrbadexample]

Lots of Youtube vids out there:
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ml#post1696916

Maybe, but nothing really telling me what I need to know. I can't find anyone else making one from a cut 'n' shut tree stump.

I would like to try and avoid the glue if possible - it's not very environmentally friendly stuff (it's downright toxic to be honest) but can't think of a good way to seal it otherwise. I could try using clay soil but fear it would wash out in a storm.

I'm just trying to get a few opinions on what might work best but it seems a bit quiet today.

[smallblueplanet]

Maybe, but nothing really telling me what I need to know. I can't find anyone else making one from a cut 'n' shut tree stump.

Are bees actually interested in nesting in them?

Try something like this with a hinge?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Merriway®-B...=fsclp_pl_dp_7

[mrbadexample]

Are bees actually interested in nesting in them?

From what I understand, rarely in commercially bought ones and seldom in home made ones, but that's why attention to detail is important. If I can get it to appear like an abandoned mouse nest then I might get lucky. No harm in trying anyway. I'm quite optimistic about this one. I'd live in it, if I was a bumble bee.