Let Bumble Bees Nest On Your Bluebird Trail

[Evelyn Cooper]

The Bumble Bee is one of my favorite little creatures. If you ever have them take over a nest box, let them have it and place another box not too far from the site for the bluebirds.

Bumble Bees are large, hairy, black and yellow and have a black spot on their backs. They collect and carry pollen on their hind legs and bring it back to the hive. They perform unexcelled pollinating services for such crops as red clover and blueberries. Encourage the Bumble Bee in your garden, farm or bluebird trail and she will repay your kindess by polinating your flowers, fruits and vegetables and giving you an excellent set on your blossom.

This morning, I was working in the yard putting out some plants. A Bumble Bee lit on the tray I had my plants on. Then, I walked out to the nest box on the east side of my house and it is on the outer edge of my yard and has beautiful wild flowers growing. I saw several Bumble Bees working on the blooms. I've had them all over my yard for years and I have never been stung.

So, if the Bumble Bee needs a home on your trail, don't destroy it, help it!

Evelyn
Delhi, LA

[Evelyn Cooper]

From Tina Mitchell, Coaldale, CO

Here's a question for the bee people. I started cleaning out nest boxes and came across a box that looked like some bumblebees had been using it for something--maybe a nest? (Do bumblebees have nests?) I found several dead bees in it (at least I assume they were dead--they don't go dormant, do they?) and something that reminded me of an egg case. Luckily, you don't have to guess from this less-than-helpful description. I took a couple of photos and put them at the beginning of this page. Can someone fill me in on what I missed in this box? (I quit checking it after early July, when the last of the avian nesters had made their selections.) I had been quasi-monitoring a bumblebee in a different box; from late June until early Sept., every time I rapped on the box, the bee buzzed back at me so I knew that it was still in there. (I only opened the box once to figure out what was buzzing at me and to get a photo, which you'll find on the same page, just below the current photos). But I checked that box today and found nothing like what I found in the first box--no sign of a bee or anything in that nesting material. However, I didn't remove the nest, so something more might be inside.


So in addition to wondering if this was some kind of bumblebee "colony," I'm wondering if I should clean out the box. Do bees overwinter? (We've had weather below freezing, but just barely and not for long--if that matters in figuring this out.) Should I not disturb these 2 nests? We have plenty of boxes for birds to choose from next season, so nothing would be hurt by just leaving them. We have so few pollinators that I don't want to anything that might harm even one. But if they done for, I might as well clean out the boxes. Can someone give me some information about the natural history of the bumblebee and some advice about leaving or cleaning out the box?

Response From Yvonne Bordelon, Covington, LA

Tina,

The queen Bumble Bee does overwinter in the nest with some "honey pots". In spring she will lay a small number of eggs and raise the young herself. Those young will be smaller than the regular "worker" bumblebee, but will help the queen start the colony again. Bumblebees don't have large hives like the European honeybee.

You should leave the box alone and intact as you have done. That large bee looks like a queen. They do sort of hibernate when the temperature drops.
Hopefully she'll survive until spring to start the colony again. You are so right. We need every pollinator that we have.


A while back there were some videos and photos of Bumblebees in a box at www.sialis.org


Bumblebees do usually nest in the ground, but they will also nest in nest boxes. I speak from experience. I usually find at least one Queen nests in late winter when we check the boxes for maintenance.

Another favorite nesting place is in the mulch around shrubs and leaf litter. Al discovered this one day, many years ago when he was cutting the grass & accidentally backed into a nest and stirred them up. Ouch!

An excellent little book about them is, Humblebee Bumblebee The Life Story of the Friendly Bumblebees and Their Use by the Backyard Gardener, by Brian L. Griffin. I believe it's out of print, but if anyone is interested, there are 23 copies on Amazon from different sellers.