Black bees/wasps?

[munchkin]

Hi,

I need some advise please?

For the past few days we have had completely black bees/wasps coming into the house via the chimney.

I'm not sure if these are bees or wasps as I can't find anything about them online.

They are the same size and shape as the fluffy yellow and black stripped bees but completely black (the fact that they're coming down the chimney they could be just covered in soot I suppose) but we have no idea were they are coming from? Do they build nests?

Not sure if it's anything but the past month we've had a couple of times when something heavy has dropped down the chimney but we have a built in gas fire so can't get behind to see what it was or where these bees/wasps are coming from.

Any help will be gratefully accepted.

Sam

[Mosquito]

Most UK honey bees look like this.
http://ts3.images.live.com/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1542455299918&id=f79e955e2a7bba234244800704b511b7

[Richard Bache]

I'm not absolutely sure from your description what you have got as honeybees and wasps can both be very yellow or very black. A good indication of the range of colours of bees can be seen in a picture on this website: http://www.allfloridabeeremoval.com/stinginginsectinfo/killerbee.html (although these bees are in America and we don't have Africanised bees, our bees do look similar). I think completely black wasps are uncommon and the fact that they are in your chimney sounds as if they are bees.

Honeybees and wasps both build nests, but the usual candidate when it comes to chimneys is honeybees. It might be that you've had a swarm settle in there over the past few weeks. I can't imagine wasp nests would be developed enough yet to cause you any problems and I can't imagine they have been there all winter (I assume the fire has been going during the winter and that it would be too warm in the chimney)

Now, getting them out... that's tricky, especially if the chimney is sealed with a gas heater. Of course, you could light the fire, although that may be messy. Access may be major problem!:eek:
In the meantime, can you seal off the chimney so they can't get in?

[whiskywill]

Try to identify them from this website.
http://www.moraybeekeepers.co.uk/solitary_bees.htm

[aardvark]

or try here:

http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/bumblebees_id.htm

Pure black bumblebees sound a bit rare in Nottingham - Black wasps even rarer.

[Cambrian]

Hey Sam,
If you suspect anything may have fallen down a flue to a gas fire, contact a "corgi" gas fitter and have it checked out. CO1 kills. You don't know it's happening, then you're dead. Sorry all, but it's true.
Good Luck,
Phil.

[munchkin]

..for all your responses. We've just caught another one and put it outside. We're averaging 4 - 5 day, all coming out through the chimney.

I've checked out the website links and can't seem to find a match. They are they same shape as the typical bumblebee but completely dark grey/black.

Richard - we'll look into sealing off the chimney - we have a fitted gas fire so there are only 2 smallest sized gaps where the gas component is so we may be able to cover them both up.

Phil - thanks for your advice and we'll definitely being getting that looked into as well.

[SW2beek]

Hi Munchkin,

There are a couple of bumblebee species that would be dark grey to black, and one of them is a rare and threatened species - ruderal bumblebee "Bombus ruderatus". You may want to contact the Bumblebee Conservation Trust :
http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/contact_us.htm#I_have_found_a_bumblebee_nest_in_my _garden_or_under_my_shed_-_what_should_I_do_

[biobee]

They are the same size and shape as the fluffy yellow and black stripped bees but completely black (the fact that they're coming down the chimney they could be just covered in soot I suppose) but we have no idea were they are coming from? Do they build nests?

Not sure if it's anything but the past month we've had a couple of times when something heavy has dropped down the chimney but we have a built in gas fire so can't get behind to see what it was or where these bees/wasps are coming from.


Robbing bees are typically hairless and dark - otherwise the same as standard issue honeybees.

My guess - FWIW - you have an old feral hive in your chimney that is being robbed out. The noise you heard was a chunk of comb falling down, and now the robbers are trying to exit via your living quarters.

[ericbignell]

We also live in Nottinghamshire and have also had black bees coming down the chimney. I have never seen bees this colour before – and they are not just black from the soot in the chimney. I imagine they are European black bees. Did they get blown here? Or have they come because it has been so warm this year?

[Richard Bache]

Hi Eric,
I think it is unlikely that they are European bees as swarms of bees are not good at crossing water (unless there is a container port nearby...). The Old British Bee was very black in colour, as was the old French bee, Dutch bees and Carniolan bees (all imported in numbers). The reason there are many yellow bees around is the result of importation of Italian bees over the last 150 years (which are yellow in colour). They all breed freely with each other, so to consider them in terms of 'carniolan' and 'Italian' isn't often strictly corect, but they are all hybrids and many will tend toward one of the parent strains more than than others. I suspect these bee that you describe are more towards the 'black' end of the spectrum (although colour is not the only way bee strains differ). I hope this answers your question.

Richard

[Beth]

Hi everyone - I joined this forum as I was hoping someone could help identify an insect that also came down my chimney, though not quite in the same circs as described here (if this post needs moving elsewhere then please do so!!)

I have a wood-burning stove that was last used about 10 days ago....a few days ago I was sitting near it and I heard some fluttering noises inside, it hadn't been cleaned out since the last time it was used and i just assumed a moth or something had got in....when I opened the door I got a bit of a shock - saw a huge black thing...initial reaction was that it was a big beetle, but I knew it was more wasp-like, so I shut the door again and went to get a large tupperware container to remove it and release it

It seemed quite docile, though I don't know how long it had been trapped, I spend time at my partners address as well as mine.

I took it outside and released it onto a garden table, and then thought I should try and get a picture of it, I was amazed at the sheer size and wasn't sure what it was...sods law by the time I went back to get my mobile it had obviously recovered enough and flown off.

I shall describe as best I can in my layman terms....

It was about 4 cms from head to tip, and at its widest about 2 cms, it had a defined "waist" and narrow wings held out at the side. It did not have a tail, its abdomen was slightly pointed, not rounded. I got the impression it was a wasp as it was quite smooth, though had a much fatter body. It was black and grey, but I believe most of that was soot, as it cleaned its head I thought I saw some yellow, but to be quite honest I was a bit creeped out by it and was cautious about getting too close! It's antenna had an angular shape. My Dad suggested it may have been a hornet, but I've been looking all over the net and can't find anything that resembles the shape of the insect I saw, I'm not really looking at colour as it was hard to tell!

I haven't cleaned the rest of the fire out yet, I'm a bit nervous to be honest in case there are any more hiding in there!! Though I haven't heard any and in any case I left the door open when I released the trapped one.

I can only assume that it came down from outside, I'm not sure if the chimney has a flu, it's an old cottage and the main heat source is the stove. I haven't seen many other wasps around the building so I don't think I have any nests etc

can anyone set my mind at rest re what this insect was?? I am quite intrigued by it - thanks!

Beth

[Chris]

Anything that big and you immediately think 'hornet'. If it were earlier in the season I might have thought 'queen wasp'.