Some Bee Questions

[vikkib]

Old Bees!

Last year we had some bumblebees (buff tailed bumblebees, I think) nesting in our garden (we think in the roots of next doors sycamore tree but with the entrance in a crack in the concrete of our garden).

I understood that they died off each year and that they didn't use the same places to nest the following year BUT they seem to be back!

So far I've only seen a fairly large bee (probably an inch long) flying in and out of the hole in the concrete, well I assume it's the same, one, large bee!

Is it too much to hope that they are nesting there again?

(This pic is one I took last year but it looks like the same type of bee).

New Bees!

I also noticed yesterday about half a dozen or so much smaller bees hovering around and crawling over a huge pile of earth I'd made where I want to have a raised bed. I piled the earth up there around spring last year I think.

I'd noticed a load of small holes all over the pile and assumed it was ants (there are plenty of them crawling all over it) but whilst watching the small bees yesterday I saw a couple of them crawling into some slightly bigger holes in the pile of earth.

They are probably about 10 - 15mm long, they are much darker and a lot less hairy, they've been carrying LOADS of pollen!

They don't seem to be at all aggressive, I've been painting fences and hammering steaks into the ground about 4ft away from them and they don't seem to be in the slightest bit bothered!

Can anyone help me identify them?

Is it likely that they are nesting in the pile of earth?

Could they just be pestering the ants? (the ants to seem to go for them!)



I don't really want to disturb them but I was really hoping to get my raised beds sorted out in the next couple of weeks and, as I've only got space for two, leaving them there will really reduce my growing space...

... I guess my freecycled greenhouse will have to make up for the bed space!

[BFG]

The picture from last year is a a bumble bee. And the large solitary bee will be an over wintered queen, who is just starting a new nest. Bumbles are lovely and it's a real compliment for your garden that she feels it's a worthy home.

I'm no expert, but the smaller one actually looks like a honey bee to me. Were they there last year? How big a space is there in there for them? Honey bees would usually nest in large dark cavities, not the ground though.

A lot of bumble bees prefer underground nests, but they're bigger and furry.

[vikkib]

Thanks for the reply BFG! I was very excited last year when I realised we had a nest of bumblebees. OH used to be phobic of bees and wasps but he's very fond of the bumblebees now (still hates wasps, mind you!). Seeing one fly straight out of the nest onto a male courgette flower and then onto a female courgette flower made me dance around the garden!

I'm no expert, but the smaller one actually looks like a honey bee to me. Were they there last year? How big a space is there in there for them? Honey bees would usually nest in large dark cavities, not the ground though.

The pile of soil wasn't there last year. The mound probably measures just over one metre by one meter at the base and is about 80-90cm tall at the highest point. It's just a big pile of dirt though (and they're sharing it with lots of ants!) so they must have dug tunnels if they are nesting there so I'm wondering if they are mining bees of some sort?

[Jeanied]

Two of your pictures certainly look like furry bees - which would mean the ones in the ground aren't honey bees. On our lotties the compost piles can get commandeered by bumble bees for nesting purposes - so maybe you will have to wait until autumn before you use that bit!

[vikkib]

I've found a yahoo group that is dedicated to monitoring all sorts of insects and someone who works for the Essex Wildlife Trust near Colchester has kindly offered to come round and ID them for me!

Super duper!

maybe you will have to wait until autumn before you use that bit!

Yeah, I guess I'll leave it for them to enjoy!