I have a bumle bee nest in my compost container. When i put waste in there they get a bit agitated. Should i just leave it, will they continue to nest there another year or will it be a one off?
Reply to Gill B, Claire and Helen Bumblebees are relatively docile compared to honeybees and wasps, so you could tolerate them until the nests finish in autumn. After the queens and new males (drones) are produced, the nest winds down and eventually is abandoned. This is the time to clear it out. The only bees about in winter are mated queens which leave to find a warm dry place in hedge bottoms, disused mouse nests and other secret places to hibernate. They will not seek out the old nest to reuse it, but because it as in a suitable place this year, the same site may be found by next year's founder queens, so clearance/disturbance this winter may prevent occupancy next year.
Just come back from holiday to find a bees nest under the shed. What a good excuse not to tidy the shed.They love the chives, lavender and the californian poppies. Despite having used nematodes and copper tape the slugs and snails are still having a feast!
I have a Cottoneaster shrub,and is popular with bees. This year however, there are thousands of bees swarming all over it, going in and out of the little flowers. It is up against my fence, but my next door neighbour is complaining saying the branches are spreading onto his side and so are the bees. I can't prune it at the moment due to the amount of bees. The bees don't bother me one bit but my neighbours wife is getting a bit uppity. He said he will 'give' me a fortnight to allow the bees to disperse. What should I do if they don't go?
Do you know if it would be possible to move the bees if you have them in the compost bin? We have a nest in a compost bin we inherited when we moved to a new allotment plot. It was pilled up with wood so when my Dad tried to move the wood they came out and chased him. And do you know if they leave in the winter as like a yearly thing?
We will be happy for any response as it isn't a small compost bin and does take up a little bit of space.
Rebecca Jenkins says:Do you know if it would be possible to move the bees if you have them in the compost bin? We have a nest in a compost bin we inherited when we moved to a new allotment plot. It was pilled up with wood so when my Dad tried to move the wood they came out and chased him. And do you know if they leave in the winter as like a yearly thing? We will be happy for any response as it isn't a small compost bin and does take up a little bit of space. Thanks See original post
Yes Rebecca, rest assured - they will move around Autumn time so best to leave until then the queen will hibernate and set up site elsewhere next year. Enjoy whilst it lasts, I wish I had a bumble nest here - your allotment must be very inviting.
I noticed yesterday that there were lots of bees swarming round my plastic cone shaped compost bin which was only full of leaves. This wasn't the case a couple of days ago. So I dismantled the bin and tried to spread the leaves around so the bees would lose interest. However, they are still swarming around this morning. What is the best way forward please? The postman has to walk through the leaves to get to the front door and I don't want him to get stung! Thanks, Pauline
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Bumblebees are relatively docile compared to honeybees and wasps, so you could tolerate them until the nests finish in autumn. After the queens and new males (drones) are produced, the nest winds down and eventually is abandoned. This is the time to clear it out. The only bees about in winter are mated queens which leave to find a warm dry place in hedge bottoms, disused mouse nests and other secret places to hibernate. They will not seek out the old nest to reuse it, but because it as in a suitable place this year, the same site may be found by next year's founder queens, so clearance/disturbance this winter may prevent occupancy next year.
We will be happy for any response as it isn't a small compost bin and does take up a little bit of space.
Thanks
Yes Rebecca, rest assured - they will move around Autumn time so best to leave until then
the queen will hibernate and set up site elsewhere next year. Enjoy whilst it lasts, I wish I had a bumble nest here - your allotment must be very inviting.
Last edited: 11 April 2017 12:00:36