(Bumble?) Bee Nest

[jamesb]

Looks like there's a bee nest in the eaves of my house. Pretty sure they're bumbles looking at the size of them - which is great to see - just not sure whether I need to do anything about it, or not. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[fl0wer]

Leave them alone, it'll be fine.

Someone will come on line soon mentioning things called Wall Bees, so you might as well look them up for differentiation images.

[jamesb]

Difficult to tell. Looks like mine have a black head/fore-body, an orange mid/lower body, and a white (tipped) tail. Can't easily identify them online, nor get a decent pic. I'll persevere...

fl0wer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Leave them alone, it'll be fine.

>

> Someone will come on line soon mentioning things

> called Wall Bees, so you might as well look them

> up for differentiation images.

[lizbells6]

Lots of info on the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website.

[uncleglen]

I get loads of them in the garden- they feed off the cotoneaster. Then there are some that look almost the same but with orange tipped tails and they like clover

[UncleBen]

Leave them bee! Could bee the last ever.

[ednewmy]

Bumble (I guess!) bees have taken up residence in our compost hopper at the end of the garden. Just going to leave them to it I think, are you actually even allowed to have bees nests removed like with wasps?

[mynamehere]

Please do leave them. These are pollinators and they're only this side of "protected".

[Burbage]

jamesb Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Difficult to tell. Looks like mine have a black

> head/fore-body, an orange mid/lower body, and a

> white (tipped) tail. Can't easily identify them

> online, nor get a decent pic. I'll persevere...

>

Here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boomhommel_op_prei_Bombus_hypnorum.jpg

They're Tree Bumblebees. They're one of our newer species (a happy addition or a noxious invader, according to your taste in ecological delusions), and have been turning up in London for the last five years or so. The year before last there was an active colony of them in the big oak nearest the boating hut in Dulwich Park. But it's not there now, so won't be much help.

[catma]

I've got them (tree bees - bombus hypnorum) in my compost bin too - they are fine, just leave them and they'll all go by the end of summer when the young queens go off to hibernate and the old queen dies.

[jamesb]

That's them! Thanks Burbage. I will indeed leave them bee :)

Burbage Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> jamesb Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Difficult to tell. Looks like mine have a

> black

> > head/fore-body, an orange mid/lower body, and a

> > white (tipped) tail. Can't easily identify

> them

> > online, nor get a decent pic. I'll

> persevere...

> >

>

> Here:

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boomhommel_op_pr

> ei_Bombus_hypnorum.jpg

>

> They're Tree Bumblebees. They're one of our newer

> species (a happy addition or a noxious invader,

> according to your taste in ecological delusions),

> and have been turning up in London for the last

> five years or so. The year before last there was

> an active colony of them in the big oak nearest

> the boating hut in Dulwich Park. But it's not

> there now, so won't be much help.

[Dulwichmudlark]

Let them be that'll leave in September

[Sue]

BEES! YAY!!! :)

[catma]

This was a useful read.

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/images/uploads/Bee_Craft_May_2013,_Bombus_hypnorum.pdf