You should not remove a bumblebee’s nest. Bumblebees are very useful animals for pollinating plants. They are often kept by gardeners to make the crops grow more beautifully. If a bumblebee’s nest does get in the way, it is best to have it moved by a specialist. Moving a bumblebee’s nest yourself is also an option. Make sure you have good protection against stings and bites. There are big differences between wasps and bumblebees.
What are bumblebees?
Bumblebees are related to the bee-like family. Bumblebees live in areas all over the world where it is above 10 degrees Celsius for at least five months. In addition, winters should not be too harsh in those areas because otherwise bumblebees cannot survive. After each winter period, a bumblebee queen comes out to build a nest. A bumblebee colony is then established in that nest. Bumblebees are very useful animals for nature. They help pollinate plants.
Where are bumblebee nests?
You can keep bumblebees in special nesting boxes. These are widely used by gardeners to pollinate crops. You can also find bumblebees in a bird’s nest box. This is an ideal place for bumblebees to build their nest, especially if there is still an old nest in it. They use the material to build a new nest.
You can also encounter bumblebee nests in and around houses. Cavity walls are places in which a bumblebee’s nest fits. An insulated cavity wall is used by bumblebees to build their nests in and from. The insulation material is excellent to use to make a nest. You can only find a bumblebee nest in walls with open joints (butt joints). To prevent a nest from forming in the cavity wall, you can insert a metal jaw into the openings in the cavity wall.
Remove bumblebee nest
It is not really necessary to remove bumblebee nests. A bumblebee is not harmful like a wasp or a hornet. Bumblebees are always busy collecting pollen and hardly sting. It can only sting if there is immediate danger of a bumblebee. It is best to leave a bumblebee nest in place, unless the nest is in the way, such as at a front door of a house. If there is a lot of human activity in the bumblebees’ flight path up and down to their nest, it may be wise to have the bumblebee nest moved by a specialist.
Move bumblebee nest
You can move a bumblebee nest yourself, but you can also leave it to a specialist. If you still want to get started yourself, there are a few things you should take into account. You can put a bumblebee nest in a nest box, which is the easiest thing to do. You can move a bumblebee’s nest a maximum of fifty centimeters per day from the old place. You can decorate the nesting box with soft things such as some grass and moss or fluff and cotton wool. The opening in the box may not exceed 2 centimeters.
It is best to put on thick rubber gloves to move a bumblebee’s nest. You must also protect the face with, for example, a piece of net curtain that you hang over a hat. Make sure that the net curtains are tucked in with the clothing so that no bumblebees can fly in from below.
Bumblebees versus wasps
The stinger of a bumblebee, like the stinger of a wasp, has no barb. The stinger of a honey bee, on the other hand, does have a barb. The sting of a bumblebee does not break off, but it does with a honey bee. A bumblebee can therefore use its sting more often, as can a wasp. Honeybees that have stung die within a day of being stung. This is because the stinger with the venom vesicle and all is ripped out of the bee’s body, causing internal damage.
Wasps can behave aggressively, bumblebees do not. A bumblebee only stings or bites when there is immediate danger. The signs of an attacking / defending bumblebee are that the back body goes down and the two front legs up. Wasps are less able to tolerate activity near their nest than bumblebees. Bumblebees are much more tolerant around the nest.
On a beautiful spring day, go and study bumblebees in the garden. Also take a closer look at a nest if you get the chance. Bumblebees are fascinating insects!