[Lulu]

I have a pond in my garden at home - a plastic molded one that has stones surrounding it.  There is a hole in between the stones and some edging and bees seemed to have moved in.  We have been watching them come and go for about 5 weeks now - at first it was one or two but yesterday about 10 bees were very unhappy with the lawn mower!  Whilst its quite nice to see them and I'm pleased my garden has attracted them they are next to the main path on the patio and the dog (bless him) likes to snorkel and drink from the pond.  No-one has been stung yet but it could  be a matter of time.  My question is will they go away and if not how do I persuade them to go away without the stinging?.

Never thought I would be asking this !

[SnooziSuzi]

Hi Lulu,  It's unlikely that they'll move away as they will already have invested a lot of time and resources in the nest as it is now.

With it being down on the ground I'm guessing that it's a bumble bee as opposed to a honey bee, but either way if they are in a place where there is a lot of traffic then you are risking being stung if the bees are unhappy.

Your lawnmower will definitely upset them as they don't like loud noises or vibrations, both of which will be produced by the mower.

I remember once we had some bumblebees nesting under our shed, but their entrance was just under the door to the shed so every time we opened the shed door it blocked their way in, but even though they were upset and confused at not being able to find the entrance to the nest, we never did get stung and in the autumn the nest died off as normal and the queens left to find new premises. 

Can you put a half flower pot over the entrance, facing away from the path, so that you are less likely to come into contact with them?

[Lulu]

That is a good idea about the pot - will have a look tomorrow and see what I can find or break if I have to. I would like to know what the inside of the nest looks like but I'm not brave enough or daft enough to find out. 

Maybe I should get OH a beekeeper suit to mow in    and one for the dog! Or its a great excuse to let the grass grow!  And they are pollinating my tomatoes and cucumbers. There are lots of positives to them - the only negative is the sting. 

Definitely will look into the pot idea thanks for that SnooziSuzi

Lulu

[SnooziSuzi]

well, come october/november time you should be able to dig up when the bees have moved out so you might be able to see it later in the year

Actually;  I've just googled (in another window) bumble bee nests and lots of images are available so you could satisfy your curiosity without damaging their home :happy: