Bumble bee nest.

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Tuppy.1

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Bumble bee nest.
« on: May 12, 2015, 20:35 »
I hope someone can help me on here please.
Ive had bumble bees nesting on my allotment once before and it wasn't a problem as they went down under the shed, but this year they are nesting in the ground where my early potatoes are growing  :ohmy: As you can imagine I'm having a problem earthing the potatoes up, as I don't want to run the wrath of angry bumble bees!!
Would it be ok for me to top them with loads of straw to about 10 inches and just leave them to it, or is there anything else I can do, other than forget the potatoes this year.
Thanks for any suggestions.
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Steveharford

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2015, 20:55 »
Tuppy I would just feel honoured and let them get on with it. Earth all the others up and leave the one they are under. Can never have enough bees.

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Tuppy.1

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2015, 21:19 »
Thanks for the reply, I'm not upset about them being there and there's no way would I try to get rid of them, but just a little apprehensive about earthing them up as we are not sure where the nest is. We can see where they are going in, but then the ground seems to raise up a bit in straight line then stops, so not sure if the nest is where it ends or is it somewhere else. It's smack bang in the middle of 2 rows, and after reading up about them it could be months before they go!!

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barley

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2015, 21:40 »
you could try earthing up at dusk or early morning when its cool - they will be calmer then - take earth from somewhere else on the plot to use


make sure you don't get to near the entrance of the nest though and block their access

as steve h said we need our bees  ;)
« Last Edit: May 12, 2015, 21:41 by barley »

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Tuppy.1

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2015, 22:28 »
My partner said the same thing but me being a woman can't do with an untidy allotment  :wacko: but thanks for the advice...I'm gonna send the other half in and I will watch from behind the shed!!!

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compostqueen

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2015, 23:26 »
They will be gone soon.  I would leave them bee.   if there is clover growing near they will,appreciate it

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colin120

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2015, 13:31 »
Glad that's not my plot wouldn't go back on the plot until they had gone lol  hate bees and wasps, when I was young playing in my back garden there was a wasps nest in a  tree  one day I was in the garden playing and they all came out and chased me up the garden path just as we closed the kitchen door they smashed against it, now every time I see one I run a mile lol

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Tuppy.1

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2015, 19:45 »
Glad that's not my plot wouldn't go back on the plot until they had gone lol  hate bees and wasps, when I was young playing in my back garden there was a wasps nest in a  tree  one day I was in the garden playing and they all came out and chased me up the garden path just as we closed the kitchen door they smashed against it, now every time I see one I run a mile lol

I'm not keen on them myself,  I came out of hospital a couple of years ago after having surgery on my ear and was stood waiting for my son to pick me up, when along came a honey bee...landed on my face and stung me underneath my eye, hey ho back I went into A&E as my face swelled up!!!
I must be getting better about them as I stood and videoed them yesterday, going in and out of the hole in the ground, lol. I just hope they are gone soon as I'm a bit dubious about taking my dogs there and it's a pain taking soil from elsewhere in the allotment to earth the potatoes up.

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Salmo

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2015, 20:15 »
Bumble bees are unlikely to sting and even more unlikely to attack.

Some bees are solitary and do not have a communal nest. They burrow into the earth and push out a mound of earth about the size of a worm cast. Have you seen several bees going into and out of the same hole?

Just work round them the best you can and let them get on with their lives.

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Auntiemogs

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2015, 20:49 »
They will be gone soon.  I would leave them bee.   if there is clover growing near they will,appreciate it
:D :lol:
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where my life is surrounded by mystery
than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it...✿~ Harry Emerson Fosdick

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Tuppy.1

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #10 on: May 14, 2015, 21:27 »
Thanks again for the comments about this, and yes Salmo we've counted 11 bees flying round the hole all at the same time. My partner had taken soil from another part of the allotment to earth up the potatoes, but he had partly covered the entrance, so I just got the rake and gently pulled it away. The bees are happily going back and forth to the nest. I did video it, but not sure how to put it on here as I'm new to this site.
We are just going to let them get on with it, even though it will probably mean we dont get as many potatoes.

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LotuSeed

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2015, 02:13 »
We have mining bees in our front garden. They appear each year in early spring, but are usually gone by early summer. They make little ant hills as they burrow into the ground. I've noticed a decline in their numbers a few years ago, but this year there seem to be more than there were last year,  Hopefully  their numbers will continue to increase. I love seeing them! I like to sit on the front steps and listen to them buzzing about. They aren't aggressive, but I will put off weeding or mowing when they're active during the day anyway . If you do have to work in their territory it's a good idea to do it early in the morning or in the evening. Some people are quick to swat at a bee if one comes near them, but I remember reading somewhere that if you kill a bee that's part of a community, the rest of the group pick up the scent and can become aggressive. Not sure if it's true or not😯? 🌺🐝
« Last Edit: May 15, 2015, 02:16 by LotuSeed »
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grendel

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #12 on: May 15, 2015, 08:53 »
we had a nest of ground nesting bees (bumbles) in our garden a few years ago, they only stay there for one season, then can be moved, they are the most docile of bees, I had to move ours (as opposed to getting it destroyed) as we found it while laying the patio. the nest was about the size (or maybe a bit smaller) of a spade, so I carefully dug round well outside it and lifted it with a spade and relocated it off the patio area (after consultation with my friend the large plotter engineer who was also a bee expert - removing unwanted bee nests in his spare time) although while I was working I was surrounded by bees, and they came and settled on me to investigate, I talked calmly to them explaining what I was doing (I dont know if they understood and it helped them, but it certainly helped me) and successfully moved the nest without being stung. I certainly would not move them without first consulting an expert, I showed him pictures of both the bees and the nest and asked his advice before attempting it (he was also the one that advised explaining to them what you are doing - nowadays if we have one indoors I ask it nicely to go - and they generally do).
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AnnieB

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2015, 15:06 »
I have started to place suitably cracked and chipped terracotta flower pots at what I hope are convenient places for them. It is one way of making some use of the slightly damaged pots.

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RubyR3d

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Re: Bumble bee nest.
« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2015, 17:39 »
I had up to 400 masonry bees in tubes. When they hatched out you could get really close up to watch. They didn't feel threatened so weren't bothered. In the main bees won't sting without reason. They die if they do. My dad used to rescue bumblebees out of his greenhouse with his bare hands. Love em


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