Help!

[Eve]

Hi all - not bee keeper - hope that's a forgiveable offence! I have a very large bumble bee flying in and out of a vent in my house. Went and had a look at the vent and seems to be half full of cotton wool like stuff. Not been in this house very long - so no idea if last people just stuck cotton wool there for some reason! I came across your forum while trying to research this. I have no idea if I have a problem or not - any advice greatly appreciated - thanks!!!

 

[Silly Bee]

Fit a fly screen to the inside of your vent.

 

[Dishmop]

Is it flying in from the outside of the house? If so I cant see you have a problem..... You'll not finish up with thousands of them.... half a dozen or so at the most and then they die out apart from queen at end of summer/autumn/sometime......

Is it actually coming into the house?

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Hi Eve,
Not sure about the cotton wool but as long as the bees are not bothering you I'd leave them be. Bumble bees are very placid and won't do you any harm.

Rgds
Andy

 

[thurrock bees]

It sounds like a Queen bumble bee, the ''' cotton wool'' would be from the bee who has collected it to make a nest. They wont hurt you unless you hurt them or interfer with the nest. they naturally die off in the autumn. So if you can live them be and they will look after your flowers and live yourself alone.
hope this helps

 

[Eve]

Thank you all for your quick responses. It is flying in from the outside. I don't mind the bees at all just didn't know if I had a problem - as for the cotton wool you all seem to be a bit baffled by it like me - so general consensus - I just leave it be?

 

[Eve]

It sounds like a Queen bumble bee, the ''' cotton wool'' would be from the bee who has collected it to make a nest. They wont hurt you unless you hurt them or interfer with the nest. they naturally die off in the autumn. So if you can live them be and they will look after your flowers and live yourself alone.
hope this helps

Thank you thurrock - from my limited research - on google - said bees do not collect to make a nest so was really confused by the cotton wool - quite happy to leave her alone as long as it not a problem

 

[theengraver]

the bumble bee will make a nest they wont sting you if you leave them alsone
there nice to have around i would be the vent is for your tumble dryer they love using the lint that would normaly be ejected from the drying process.
come the end of the summer there will just be one left the queen
i very much dought they will block the vent

 

[Silly Bee]

The vent is there for a purpose. As a gas fitter, central heating fitter, I'd clear it out. It might be ventilation for a Ctr Htg boiler.

If in doubt, get it checked by a qualified person.

Blocking air vents because of draughts is very common, but can be dangerous. I hope I've not worried you unduly.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Thank you thurrock - from my limited research - on google - said bees do not collect to make a nest so was really confused by the cotton wool - quite happy to leave her alone as long as it not a problem

Bumblebees often take up residence in old mouse nests - could be that you've had a mouse in there at some point.

 

[Eve]

silly bee and great british now you are getting me worried but thank you for your replies. It appears to be just a general air duct going under the house not near boiler or tumble dryer so should be ok????

 

[Silly Bee]

Ah, so its just a terracotta air brick at low level that vents the area under the suspended floor.

If thats all it is, should be fine.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

silly bee and great british now you are getting me worried but thank you for your replies. It appears to be just a general air duct going under the house not near boiler or tumble dryer so should be ok????

Haha - don't worry about mice - if you've got bumbles in there then there won't be any mice now (if there ever were).

 

[Eve]

Thank you to all who replied to my thread - you guys are amazing!!!! Looks like I don't really have a problem - am really grateful for all your advice. Looks like Queen Bee and I will just live in harmony until she finds somewhere else to go. Thank you all !!!!!!

 

[tonybloke]

Haha - don't worry about mice - if you've got bumbles in there then there won't be any mice now (if there ever were).

there was most definitely mice in there once, as most of the bombus specie actively seek out old mice nests (by smell), probably due to the site being dry and having a supply of bedding. if you want to encourage bumbles into a nest box, get some used mouse bedding from a pet shop to put in the nest.
rgds, Tony

 

[oliver90owner]

Eve,

Just to give you the correct picture of what might happen.

The queen (which has hibernated through the winter)will construct a small nest usually with materilas immediately to hand (or leg!) - they often like to take over disused mouse nests.

The queen will raise the first few workers on her own and will then become the egg layer or queen proper remaining in the brood nest for the rest of the season, with her worker offspring carrying out all the other duties.

Dependant on species there may be 200-300 workers, sometimes more, often less (there may be 50,000 workers in a honey bee colony, as a comparison).

The workers are all females and the males will be raised later in the season, before the last cycle of brood are developed into sexually mature females - new queens.

These queens will mate with drones and later the nest will break down, the workers and drones and the old queen will die off in the late summer/early autumn.

The mated queens will continue to build up body mass to sustain them through the winter and finally they will individually find a well protected refuge where they will hibernate until the following spring.

They usually bury themselves deep in a north facing bank, so they are not roused too early in the next spring by, say, just a few days of warm sunshine.

The cycle then repeats.

Hope that helps, and forewarns you of how the nest will likely develop.

Regards, RAB

 

[Poly Hive]

FWIW a bumble sting compared to a bee sting is a fraction of the potency.

Further they are very unlikely to sting. I have only ever had one despite picking them up by the wing and popping them out the honey house window many many times.

Enjoy them.

PH

 

[greatbritishhoney]

I was once walking on he South Downs and lay on a grassy bank for a rest. After a while I noticed there were about 10 bumbles buzzing around me. They were not aggressive - just seemed a bit confused by my presence. Anyway, I ignored them and continued my rest for about 15 mins. When I got up, all 10 bumbles disappered down a hole that I had been lying upon, obvioulsy the entrance to their nest.
The moral of the story is that even with such careless disruption of their nest for over 20 mins not one of them stung me or even touched me. They really are very docile unless you really really rile them.

 

[Erichalfbee]

When I got up, all 10 bumbles disappered down a hole that I had been lying upon, obvioulsy the entrance to their nest.

What a lovely little story. Perhaps you should be called Gulliver

 

[susbees]

FWIW a bumble sting compared to a bee sting is a fraction of the potency.

Further they are very unlikely to sting. I have only ever had one despite picking them up by the wing and popping them out the honey house window many many times.

Enjoy them.

PH

Quite. My 14yo son was stung as a small child (he says...so, as you say the sting was no big deal!). He says he picked it up and closed his hand around it because it was furry! Awww...

We have dozens of queen bumbles nesting around here this season including one in the house wall by the back door (second year des res). They are so industrious....up and out at maybe 5am until 10pm in the summer (hours before and after the honey bees).