Last year we had a huge Bumble Bee nest in our house wall. They were coming in our house and becoming quite dangerous with a kitty and two children. My husband got fed up and used raid to remove them. The nest filled a green garbage bag and weight about 20 pounds. Now we have another nest that seems to be in the ground. We are landscaping our back yard and the bobcat disturbed the soil and now we have all these confused bees I think searching for the entrance to the nest? I thought I would research a more friendly way to somehow remove the bees this time. I got to do something fast cause our masonry is a little nervous. Anybody got any ideas?
I'm sorry to be unsympathetic but you provided me with so many laughs that I had to respond. First of all there was feline situation - you have a kitty in the house and a bobcat prowling outside? And the bobcat is digging in your garden? Now you have brick or maybe some concrete trembling? I would say a few bumblebees are the least of your problems. Thank you for the light relief. They will go away (bees) and you would maybe look for a more suitable name. Good luck.
bobcat = skidsteer machine used in landscape and other construction. :) FWIW. for Green momma, you can either put up with the bees and wait their departure or spray something to kill them ( if you are in Vancouver you would likely be good to check the pesticide bylaw that bans most things that were available previously).
Paul, the certified arborist, lighten up. I guess your profession depends on people terrified of nature but it would be nice if you helped your clients to be comfortable with it, our planet depends on that very thing.
Was anyone EVER stung, is what I want to know. I love bumblebees, I admit it, but the only time I've ever had an issue with a sting was when I sat on one accidentally. I handle them with bare hands all the time. They DO sting, and can do so more than once (honeybees have a barbed stinger and can sting only once) but they will only do so if facing imminent death (a large bum crushing them,) or if the nest is attacked. Unfortunately, you did that accidentally. You're just going to have to wait until they settle down again-removing it will be more of a hazard than letting it be. Spraying is a horrible idea, and you're unlikely to get the whole nest. PLEASE don't poison the bees- there's widespread panic about declining bee populations as it is. It's really a good thing that you have bees, honest. Bumblebees are superb pollinators and their method of buzz pollination is necessary to many varieties of plants. Please check out the Bumblebee Conservation Trust before you do something damaging.
Update on the Bumble Bees....My search for solutions went past his site and got allot of information from the Honey Bee Center in Surrey. I was told that the Bees will get the idea that their nest is in danger and the queen may leave and relocate. If she doesn't and I can see where the entrance to the hive is...then they could come and help them. Apparently, the Bee Center have a machine that sucks them up, then they remove the hive with the queen in it and relocate it to a farm where they need them. Pretty cool! The Bumble Bees did get the message and left us to much relief of the masonry workers, kids and yes cats. Never knew people in PEI could be so easily amused. Thanks to the folks that WERE helpful at least now I will know what to do next time, I think their will be a next time since the bees love our garden and we do love them. Just not in our house or ground. We do have people in our house that are allergic to bees and wish we could of dealt with the first bee hive differently, now we know. As Kermit says..."It's not easy being Green" but I'm still trying Muriel.
They are Big Fuzzy Bumble Bees. Yes, they love to build nests in insulation, wood and earth. They are busy pollinators and aren't really aggressive.
Thanks for posting again- I didn't know about the 'bee sucker' and will tell my clients about that possibility if they run into the same issue.
Dear greenmomma, I'm sorry I got amusement at your expense BUT you did get the message didn't you? My native city is Vancouver, my love of nature and perhaps my twisted sense of humour developed there. As to PEI residents' funny bone I'm still looking for it. For a number of years I kept bees in NS so I do have a particular interest in all bees. Sorry this post is so tardy, I've been unable to get on line for a while. Good Luck.
beg your pardon? your post did not insinuate nor indicate that you were joking, mine however contained the nicety of the internet, a smiley. My profession has nothing to do with people being terrified of nature and I actually am offended that you would post such an ignorant statement. I have been in the nursery and landscape business for 20 years learning and teaching, I have helped many clients and done a lot of 'helping' for free, I volunteer with 5 different committees with the BCLNA and on the arborist apprenticeship steering committee, my response to your quoted quip is "Stick it in your ear." I suggested answers to the posters question while you did nothing of the sort except that you said "they will go away", not a very useful answer. other than that, I hope you all have a great day. :)
Bumblebees hives are not like the "honeycomb" hives that honeybees call home. Bumblebees will nest just about anywhere that will provide them with safety from predators, the elements, etc. Even a hole in the ground will suffice if the conditions are met. Their hives are small and loosely built - they look almost 'sloppy' in comparison to those of honeybees. They also do not produce much honey - just enough to feed themselves and their young. In the fall they will die off, with the exception of the fertilized queen, who hibernates through the winter and lays her eggs in the spring. They do not swarm and won't sting unless provoked. Unless the hive (and particularly the opening to the nest) is in a dangerous location, it is usually safe to leave it till the fall when it can be moved to a safer location. Wish I had a nest in my garden....
jimmya Maybe the next course you should take is one in irony and then you would not take offense so easily. Hope your day goes well also. Muriel
muriel, I can understand irony when its presented well, if you can include some hints of your intended tone in your post(s) I am sure others would understand, The next time you tell someone their profession is based on fear mongering, let them know you are joking, if you dont they may be upset if you are incorrect, as you were/are with your post towards me.. C8loves2gardn: good answer!
This is my second year living in the country in a very old farmhouse. I am terrified of just about everything, including bees, spiders, mice, bats, so as you can imagine, my comfort zone has been severely tested and stretched over these past two years. However, I have to say that me and the bumbles worked very well together in the garden this year. I couldn't get over how I could pick my cucs, tomatoes, peppers, etc., and they would be busily doing whatever it is they do within millimeters of my hands and pay no attention to me, let alone 'attack' me. I don't think I'd like a nest in my house, especially with little children, but as another reader said, you pretty much have to sit on one to get stung. I've grown to love those little bumbles, even though they did some wonderful cross-pollinating things with my tomatoes. And we wouldn't have our blueberries without them! Actually, I've found that most of the stinging insects (i.e., hornets, bees, wasps, etc.) won't sting unless you do something to provoke or threaten them, although they can be very annoying when they're buzzing around your head. Now, if I could only figure out a way to get over my fear of mice and bats.....
itia You are so lucky, first of all you are in NS, secondly because you have BATS. They really are the sweetest things (unless they are in your attic, that is), when they swoop out in the evening to catch mosquitoes and early in the morning when they come in, exhausted, to feed their young. After shooing them out of our attics by closing off their entry points in the Fall and then putting up bat boxes for them to return to in the spring we managed to keep their presence. I learned that it is probably best to get the boxes made for mother bats rather than males - more efficient mosquito catchers! Yes, their dung is a very dangerous thing to be inhaled so if they are in your attic do get the proper mask if you have to clear up the droppings, or get a pro to do the job for you. Mice are an incredible drag. Because of our record snowfall last winter they bred like mad under the drifts. Our resident fox got fat on them but I still have a stalwart mouse hanging on and I can't be lazy about clearing up my kitchen counter; the cat is useless. Good luck. Muriel
You and your bees need help. Surely you know how important bees are to a healthy ecosystem? You can encourage them to nest in a more out of the way area where they won't "be in your way" For tons of information about bumblebees, their life cycle and how you can help them to continue their important role in pollination of plants for food check out: http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/ This may be a British web site but many of the same bumble bees live in North America too, and the same principles apply. As someone who has been doing a fair bit of research on how to help the bees, this is the best site I have found yet!
