Bumble bees in our flat again!

[Minitoots]

We live just off Lordship lane / Northcross road and keep getting bumble bees coming into our flat despite having all windows closed.This has happened occasionally each summer for several years but this week, we've had 3 bees so far! I've managed to catch them and let them out of the window safely but am very concerned that my cats could catch and try to eat one when we are not around. We live in an open plan flat and I'm wondering if they are getting in from the roof or attic (which is also part open to the main space). There are no signs of nests anywhere (or holes they could get through from outside, either.

I've been in touch with 2 local urban beekeepers who aren't sure why we get them each year.

Has anyone else in the area had bees coming in? Any ideas of how to deter them from coming in again? In past years the bees looked quite dark in colour to my untrained eye but this year they look more yellow and black striped (and big and round!!) ...thanks for any advice you can give,

[DulwichFox]

Yes.. Have seen a few Bees outside..

Think they may be a bit confused with the warm spell we had a week or so ago.

DulwichFox

[Louisa]

But have you seen any foxes foxy?

Louisa.

[DulwichFox]

Louisa Wrote:

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

> But have you seen any foxes foxy?

>

> Louisa.

Yeah.. Monday night.. 21.00 ish on my road. Bold as Brass. Middle of the road.

was a big fox.

Foxy.

[Herne Hill Guest]

Sometimes they can get confused by sunlight reflecting on a window.

In my old flat there was a wasp nest in a flat across the road and the evening sun reflecting on their windows led the wasps to my flat.

[Minitoots]

These bees arrive in all weathers every year so don't think it's sunlight reflecting on window. My neighbour just told me she hears them buzzing outside her place each morning but they don't come in to hers, so I'm wondering if there is a next somewhere on Northross road??

[Mrs TP]

And they are massive. Have had close encounters with two this year so far and they are like sparrows!

[EDmummy]

If you're sure they're bumble bees it's a little unusual to have them in a house where there's no window open as they tend to build nests outside in or near the ground. Have you looked around any low entry/nest points?

[Ginster]

Have had 2 in our house also (one flying past my ear 3am, nice!)

Also no idea where coming from. Very dosy and both caught and put outside.

We are not near Northcross though.

[kiera]

Queen bumblebees go into houses, sheds etc to hibernate and they are coming out of hibernation now, so are a bit dozy. They will feed on early nectar, if they can find any,then look for somewhere to nest.I found one this week which had been hibernating in my living room. Another one was buzzing outside my bedroom windows, looking for a gap where it could go in with a view to setting up home. Although most bumblebees nest in holes in the ground, as EDmummy has said, tree bumblebees nested in next door's roof last year. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust's website is a useful resource for information about bumblebee life-cycles and aids to identification.

[Wiggle]

Could they be masonry bees?

https://www.spab.org.uk/advice/technical-qas/technical-qa-17-masonry-bees/

We have them in one of our chimneys.

[rbrtdngl]

We had a similar problem while staying in a rental flat on Dunstans Road last summer. After a great deal of investigation I deduced there was a nest somewhere around the gutter/roof. We had bees coming in everyday at that point, my wife even woke up to find one on her hand - which then stung her!