Call about bumbles

[tkwinston4]

Just had a call from an older chap worried about bumbles nesting in his roof. I said i would pop round about lunch time but what is my best advice. He doesn't want them there but he does say that getting to them is gonna be quite difficult.
All advice really welcome

 

[merylvingien]

Best advice is leave em alone! Trust me! trying to shift them will be more hassle than its worth.

5 mins on the phone, convince the fella that they wont sting him if he leaves them alone, job done!

 

[Somerford]

that's exactly what I said to someone who called me today - I said they were beneficial and best to fence off the grass heap they were in...he was happy with that !

S

 

[tkwinston4]

This chap is worrying because his neighbours daughter is allergic and he has grandchildren. I said i would pop round at lunch time to see them and i am taking a leaflet about bumbles with me in the hope of convincing him to keep them but if he is adamant he wants rid what can i do?
I will be telling him they are a protected species tho and about the unfortunate decline of the bumble and the fact that they will be gone by the autumn and i have just read that the larger amounts that he is seeing today could well be drones hatching.

 

[merylvingien]

Lie!

Tell him that re-location of bumbles is often unsucessful, time consuming and very "costly"

 

[tkwinston4]

Lie!

Tell him that re-location of bumbles is often unsucessful, time consuming and very "costly"

Excellent

 

[xwb]

ahhh. had a swarm call yesterday for bumbles.... I need to be more clear with my questions on the phone

 

[Poly Hive]

Be aware, most members of the highly intelligent and very clued up Grat British Public are firmly aware that bees are bumble bees.

At a show once a young man looked at my Observation hive and firmly told me..

"Mister, at's WASPS!"

PH

 

[merylvingien]

Be aware, most members of the highly intelligent and very clued up Grat British Public are firmly aware that bees are bumble bees.

At a show once a young man looked at my Observation hive and firmly told me..

"Mister, at's WASPS!"

PH

You honestly have NO IDEA just how clued up the public are...

I have daily calls about bees, bumble bees, wasps, hornets, mining bees, masonary bees etc etc the list goes on. Ants (baby wasps)

I am sometimes compared to a gestapo interigator when people phone me, they wish they hadnt LOL
Even after all the questioning, some people STILL INSIST they have a wasp nest, so i go out, 30 odd miles to find big fat furry bumble bees...
I dont even swear at them anymore, i just get back in the car and drive away!

 

[Poly Hive]

LOL

Had the tee shirt and used it for dusters....

PH

 

[Somerford]

the other thing - bumbles RARELY sting !!

S

 

[merylvingien]

They will if you start interfering with their nest.

 

[tkwinston4]

All sorted. Explained they are a protected species, disappearing fast, will bee gone by winter, wont sting, very costly and disruptive to move them from the corner of their roof and then diverted their attention to a very large stag beetle who fancied a go at the bees. Then listened politely to the neighbours horror stories of how her children have been stung in the past.
Everyone has a story don't they and its always a horror story.

Then on my way back to the office I get another call from someone who says he has a swarm (from the explanation given sounds defo a smallish swarm) but the ladder wont reach them and he is going on holiday later today!
Told him to leave them bee and they will be gone by the time he gets back from holiday. Asked him to call me if they move to somewhere lower, fingers crossed eh?

 

[SixFooter]

If we get called to a nest that turns out not to be honey bees, should we just leave them? Would a pest controller be likely to kill them?

I've had a few phone calls which all sounded like mason or mining bees.

Incidentally, the BBKA are recreating their list of swarm collectors and will want the associations to approve people before they are put on the new list.

 

[tkwinston4]

So have you just left them then when you have had the calls?

I would guess that some pest controllers would kill them and not worry about it but others would contact a beekeeper and ask them to bee moved.

But i had no plans to get in their loft on a hot day and crawl to the very corner of their roof, remove all their insulation and maybe their fascia boards just to get at a nest of harmless bumbles.
Some other beek can have the pleasure..........any offers?????

 

[merylvingien]

Ok this is what i do:

Bumble bees, do not treat!
Mining bees, do not treat! (no sting!)
Masonary bees, do not treat, the owners will need to have mortar re-pointed.

Honey bees, swarms are collected and normally given away (not no more )
Honey bee colonies, extract where humanly possible, bee vac or other means. If extaction cannot be done for one reason or another and owners insist they are gone, then i will treat. All entrances must be blocked as soon as possible after treatment, this is law!

Wasps, nuke em!
Hornets, nuke em!

Have i missed anything?

 

[m100]

This chap is worrying because his neighbours daughter is allergic and he has grandchildren.

So does the neighbours daughter stop indoors all summer just in case a bee/wasp/something else decides to sting her?

Had a swarm call last year about 'thousands of bees in a conifer hedge' neighbours children allergic etc, next door have agreed to chip in to the swarm recovery fund to get them removed quickly.

Took the camera for this monster swarm... and had to resort to macro mode. 100 bees max no queen in sight. Got them in a mini nuc in a few mins and the bloke said what about the other ones? I said there were a few foragers out but not to worry, they would soon disperse. Got the 'but the neighbours children are allergic' etc. I agreed to go back and pick up them all at sunset. Got there sealed them in...and promptly got less cash than I had used in fuel and he showed his now near empty wallet devoid of the 20 quid that he'd just handed over - but with a conspicuous Black Amex card on show. The neighbour was conveniently out for the evening and apparently promised to send a donation to the association.
I was very tempted to dump the bees on the drive on my way back to the car, and now I wish I had as a few months later nothing further had been donated.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that this happened in a line of houses that are between 500k and 750k a piece.

 

[tkwinston4]

 

[tkwinston4]

Ok this is what i do:

Bumble bees, do not treat!
Mining bees, do not treat! (no sting!)
Masonary bees, do not treat, the owners will need to have mortar re-pointed.

Honey bees, swarms are collected and normally given away (not no more )
Honey bee colonies, extract where humanly possible, bee vac or other means. If extaction cannot be done for one reason or another and owners insist they are gone, then i will treat. All entrances must be blocked as soon as possible after treatment, this is law!

What would you do if the home owner was adamant they wanted rid of bumbles/mining/mason and it wasn't poss to extract? Is it the law that those entrances should bee blocked up after treatment?

 

[merylvingien]

I would tell them to get someone else to do it, as i dont treat these species. You dont HAVE to carry out a treatment just becuase someone demands that you do.
It is down to your discression whether or not you undertake a job.
I have this written on my website, even with wasps, hornets or honey bees, if a job looks like it may prove a problem to treat, it is down to us whether we choose to do it, or not if the case may be.