BumbleBees In My Shed

[edd1981]

Hi,

Firstly I appreciate that this is a beekeepers site so you all love bees. I have no problem with bees but not when they have a nest in my shed. I have just recently started to sort my garden out and need to do some digging work next to my shed. A slat has fell off leaving a little hole where I noticed bees coming in and out, about one every 30 seconds to a minute. Having looked at the pictures I am sure they are bumble bees as they are pretty big with round bodies, stripy with white tails, like cartoon bees. I also want to clean out the shed as it is a mess with gear in from the previous owners. Before noticing this site I nailed the slat back in place, I don't know whether this may have been foolish. While I have absolute respect for what you do and wish no harm to bees I am pretty squemish and I have two small kids, 2 and 3 and I would rather the bees weren't there. Are they going to go away now I have nailed the slat back or are they going to swarm out angry next time I open the door and kill me? Is there anything I can do to remove them?

Thanks

[G4WIL]

Firstly,
is the nest inside the shed? secondly couldn't you temporarly place an exclusion zone /barrier around the entrance ?.
Left undisturbed the white tailed bumble bees will do no harm, in fact it is difficult to make them sting :).
In a few weeks time ,their life cycle will be over and they will disappear of their own accord ;).never to return again .
You could turn this experience into a plus by observing their comings and goings and teach the little ones a love of instead of a fear of nature :cool:,

John Wilkinson

[edd1981]

Thanks but I would rather they weren't there. I have read o n other posts that they are clumsy and not to disturb their entrance. What is likely to happen now that I have boarded the slat up again? Yes I am sure that the nest is inside the shed as they keep going in and out through the slat

[G4WIL]

They will simply find another way in and out, which maybe less convenient than the exit/entrance they were using before you replaced the slat :eek:

John Wilkinson

[edd1981]

Okay so there is nothing can be done to encourage them to move on?

[Richard Bache]

I think encouraging them to 'move on' is unrealistic. Bumblebee nest can be removed, but I really think it is not worth the bother as they will vacate the premises in due course anyway. I appreciate you would rather not have bees nearby, but bumblebees are pretty harmless: you need to sit on them or do something really silly to get them to sting. They are not like wasps or honeybee colonies. They have probably been there for several months already and haven't bothered you yet...
I think the word 'clumsy' was mine and I meant that if you stand by their entrance, you might get the odd one fly into you, which is not aggression or dangerous, simply the bee not looking where they are going. I would seriously leave them alone: there are much greater dangers in this world than the peaceful humblebee.:)

[edd1981]

Ok thanks, If a bumblebee nest generally dies in the autumn, when in the autumn and how do you know. Obviously I don't want to touch it until it is dead.

[Citrine]

Ok, firstly, Bumble Bees are in decline. Moving the nest will almost certainly kill them - they dont take to being disturbed.
They dont sting willy-nilly, and are a peaceful creature.
I appreciate your fear of them, but it really is best to leave them undisturbed.
They will start to die out at the beginning of Autumn, you will notice the numbers going down.
Why not encourage your young 'uns to observe them? So long as they dont stand in the flight path, they'll be fine. Watch them on your flowers etc in your garden, they are fascinating creatures.
You should be honoured to have them, not many people have the pleasure of their presence.
Hope this helps.

[Richard Bache]

Ok thanks, If a bumblebee nest generally dies in the autumn, when in the autumn and how do you know. Obviously I don't want to touch it until it is dead.

The simplest way is when they stop flying in good weather: that would be when they are in decline. Bear in mind that there aren't many bees in a bumblebee colony, so you might have to wait a few minutes before one comes or goes. If you can see or expose the nest (i.e if it is under a plank that can be easily lifted), you will be able to see whether there are any bees there or not.

[Sir Stung-a-lot]

Ok, firstly, Bumble Bees are in decline. Moving the nest will almost certainly kill them - they dont take to being disturbed.
They dont sting willy-nilly, and are a peaceful creature.
I appreciate your fear of them, but it really is best to leave them undisturbed.
They will start to die out at the beginning of Autumn, you will notice the numbers going down.
Why not encourage your young 'uns to observe them? So long as they dont stand in the flight path, they'll be fine. Watch them on your flowers etc in your garden, they are fascinating creatures.
You should be honoured to have them, not many people have the pleasure of their presence.
Hope this helps.

I have moved several and have about 8-9 cardboard boxes with them in and they are quite happily going to and fro from their new homes. However, depending on their nest site it isn't often that you can just scoop them up and move them.

Bumble bees have a habit of being attracted to the scent of rodent urine, hence why the most common sites I come across are sheds (inside or under), compost heaps, underneath decking or paving stones. The entry hole isn't always near the actual nest and can be several yards away! Unlike wasps that mostly keep the nest close to the entry point.

I once went to a bumble bee call out that were going into a lower airbrick at the rear of the house. I lifted some floor boards and followed them back about 5ft from where the air brick was. I told the lady that there was some good news and some bad news. The good news is that i've found the bee nest. The bad news is that it is living in a old rats nest under her floor! Fortunately the rats were long gone. But we did find a pair of marigolds that had gone missing from her kitchen several months previous. :D

[edd1981]

Ok Thanks, if there is no way to discourage them however i will have to have them removed as they are right where I want to dig.

[G4WIL]

Ok Thanks, if there is no way to discourage them however i will have to have them removed as they are right where I want to dig..
Unless your digging is be inside the shed , then I see no problems :).
Despite Sir Stung a lots ' expertise in relocating bumble bees ,the success rate is relatively low. also this is the time of year when the young Queens and drones are raised in order for the bees to have queens for next spring, attempting to move them at this critical time will almost certainly be their demise.
Digging is normally an Autumn activity, therefore I'm sure 2 or 3 weeks wont compromise gardening.
Finally , the question you posed at the start of the thread "maybe I'm asking on the wrong forum" would seem to have been accurate as you inspite of all the helpful suggestions offered, seem determined to GET RID.
That is your decision but don't expect advise on how to on this forum :)

[edd1981]

Yeah I found out the nest is under the shed and they are going in from the side where I want to dig.

[edd1981]

Okay I have covered their entrance with soil. Yesterday there was about 30 or 40 trying to get in. Today there is only 3. I stood and watched them and they cannot find a way in. Where have the rest gone and do you think it would be okay to dig yet?

[Citrine]

Are you serious?? Are you for real?? You've probably killed them by burying them alive. :mad::mad: Why on earth did you even bother to come here on this forum when you only had murder on your mind?

[edd1981]

I didn't start out wanting to kill them, I was looking for advice on how to remove them. Unfortunatly I wasn't given any advice on how to remove, just people saying how lucky I was to have a bees nest in my garden. Believe it or not there are more people who would rather not have a bees nest, you are in the minority. I have bought a house and am trying to tidy up the garden, I needed to find a way to remove them.

[macro junkie]

i feel very sorry for the bees that got buried alive. :mad:

[G4WIL]

I didn't start out wanting to kill them, I was looking for advice on how to remove them. Unfortunatly I wasn't given any advice on how to remove, just people saying how lucky I was to have a bees nest in my garden. Believe it or not there are more people who would rather not have a bees nest, you are in the minority. I have bought a house and am trying to tidy up the garden, I needed to find a way to remove them.

YOU BOUGHT A HOUSE. The bees had already invested their lives in a tiny bit of YOUR REAL ESTATE. :rolleyes:.
I sincerely hope that the vast majority of people do not indeed share your propensity to destroy what you consider to be an inconvenience. after all they would have been away in a few weeks.
This colony has been there since spring only to be destroyed as an inconvenience at a critical time.
If you are seeking employment, may I suggest you apply to Mesers Bayer Ltd ,I'm sure they'll appreciate your doubtless talents.

John Wilkinson

[Norm]

I didn't start out wanting to kill them, I was looking for advice on how to remove them. Unfortunatly I wasn't given any advice on how to remove, just people saying how lucky I was to have a bees nest in my garden. Believe it or not there are more people who would rather not have a bees nest, you are in the minority. I have bought a house and am trying to tidy up the garden, I needed to find a way to remove them.

Now if anyone SHOULD be banned, it's THIS guy. Not that we are likely to hear from him again but it may send out a message to similar lurkers.:(

[Citrine]

Never a wiser word typed, Norm - here, here!!

[edd1981]

I think you people need to get a life. I came on looking for advice on how to remove. Instead I got people insisting that everyone should love bees and leave them. If I had rats in the way I would have wanted rid of them as well. You couldn't give me advice on how to remove so I had no other option. I put my kids and familys enjoyment ahead of a few bees.

[Chris]

You're an unenlightened cretin.

[Karin]

edd, you might not be an unenlightened cretin. It is of course important that you think about the well-being of your family. Bees, including bumble bees are a really important part of the food chain however. Without bees the future for humans is grim. We need to be more focussed on what is best for everyone, including our children and grandchildren, because otherwise their future will be much less bright.

I guess you didn't know this and thought you were doing your kids a favour, when in fact you were doing them long term harm for what you perceived as short term good.

[G4WIL]

I think you people need to get a life. I came on looking for advice on how to remove. Instead I got people insisting that everyone should love bees and leave them. If I had rats in the way I would have wanted rid of them as well. You couldn't give me advice on how to remove so I had no other option. I put my kids and familys enjoyment ahead of a few bees.

Rats are vermin and carry diseases that infect mankind, they also contaminate more stores than they consume. your analogy of Rats and bumble bees is as dodgy as your motive for being on here !
Get back to your digging and leave this forum for the purpose it was intended for, which certainly isn't meant to be for the entertainment of TROLLS.

John Wilkinson

[edd1981]

Thanks Karin, I didn't want to kill them and if I am honest they seem to have avoided my attempts. They are just using a different entrance. I just want to get the garden cleared before the winter sets in, the garden is a mess. If there was a way to remove them without harming them I would like to do it.

[Norm]

I think you people need to get a life. I came on looking for advice on how to remove. Instead I got people insisting that everyone should love bees and leave them. If I had rats in the way I would have wanted rid of them as well. You couldn't give me advice on how to remove so I had no other option. I put my kids and familys enjoyment ahead of a few bees.

I don't know what response you expected from those who understand what these bumblebees mean to the ecology of our planet. Bumbles are not dangerous to you or your children. Educate yourself before you resort to killing. Start here (http://normanweston.com/BEES/bumblebees.htm) on my web site.

[Captain Chaos]

. If I had rats in the way I would have wanted rid of them as well. .

Oh, you will have rats, you just haven't seen them yet.
If you search the forum, you may find the post that says that strangely, bumbles appear drawn to the smell of rat urine.

You may now wish to log onto a medical forum and get advice on Weils disease.

[Sir Stung-a-lot]

Oh, you will have rats, you just haven't seen them yet.
If you search the forum, you may find the post that says that strangely, bumbles appear drawn to the smell of rat urine.

You may now wish to log onto a medical forum and get advice on Weils disease.

Well just rodent urine in general, mainly mice which is the most probable cause as they are smell enough to get anywhere and these bees often follow the old mouse runs. When under a shed and called to a bumble bee job i often ask the people to empty the shed and I then jack it up or lever it. Often the nest is then exposed and ready to move. I tend to use a spade to get the whole of the nest into a box of some description. At least 90% of the nests I remove survive for several weeks or more. I'm not sure however is this is due to them not travelling well as someone pointed out in a previous post or whether it is just their normal life cycle. Its better than killing them and gives them a fighting chance.

Out of the nine boxes I have at least 7 of them are still very active and have been for some weeks now.

The general opinion is correct when it is said they won't bother you. I deal with them with only a pair of bee gloves on. No veil or anything as the are very placid. I have only been stung once when disturbing their nest as this is when they become aggressive but ONLY in order to protect their home. My advice is just to leave them as in a couple of weeks they will have gone.

Even though my profession is within the pest and vermin control (that is not a cue for everyone to hiss and boo at me) I do not kill anything unless it is absolutely neccessary and although some may not like it that sometimes involves bees but I hasten to add that this is only in exceptional circumstances such as a swarm in someones high level airbrick and the occupants are allergic or have children that are allergic to stings and even then it breaks my heart that I cannot take the bees home with me instead.

My professional advice just as I'd give to anyone who calls me with a similar 'problem' is to try and just leave them. The minor inconvienience of putting up with for a short time is a small price to pay for allowing these wonderful creatures to do their bit for nature.

Ps I hope this proves that we are not all indiscriminate bee murdering monsters in my trade.

[Citrine]

Thats all very nice, but its too damn late!!

[DPH]

A bit of a late contribution to this thread, but here goes anyway.

I have heard the supposed attraction of rodent urine to bumblebees. So our Sunday School group carried out a little experiment this year. We set up 8 home made bumblebee nest boxes (upturned florists bucket plus tube) with various different types of rodent bedding in different nest boxes, with two with clean hay in as a control.

We were delighted to manage one bumblebee nest. And which box was chosen? None. Instead they nested about two feet from one of the entrance tubes!

I know the sample was far too small to be of any scientific value. It was interesting nonetheless and got some young people thinking.

Perhaps if everyone on this forum tried the same next year, the sample size would be of significance. Even if it wasn't there would be a few more places for the bumblebees not to choose...!:)

DPH

[Chris]

I have heard the supposed attraction of rodent urine to bumblebees.

I know some species often choose old mouse nests, but it might not necessarily be mouse pee that attracts them in the first place. Might be some other mousey smell.

[Sir Stung-a-lot]

I know some species often choose old mouse nests, but it might not necessarily be mouse pee that attracts them in the first place. Might be some other mousey smell.

True, I've come across them on a regular basis and a good percentage are in some way linked to the presence of rodents. I have also found them in bird boxes, small birds nests in a hedge, random divots in peoples lawns and in the guttering of some ones house. Who knows the real reason behind their thinking. We may never know ;)

[whiskywill]

but it might not necessarily be mouse pee that attracts them in the first place.

I can confirm that. An old, and aromatic, friend of mine has never been occupied by a bumble bee's nest.