Bumblebee nest remains

[BjornBee]

Earlier this year, I had posted about a bumblebee nest that was built in a deadout hive. I had tried to get into it a couple months ago, and was stung on the nose. And as I mentioned previously, bumblebee stings are far worse than honeybees.

Today, I went back to collect the hive and bring the nest back for overwintering and observation. I found nothing but empty cells. It may of been chewed by mouse also, but not sure.

Questions....

Do bumblebees overwinter in the summer location and maintain cells or a brood nest? Or do the bumblebees hatch out and they seek places to bury themselves in old logs etc. Could the mouse perhaps eat the cells and force the bumblebees out. Many cells were still intact but the ends were all open as if they hatched but maybe they were eaten. I figured a mouse would of ate the remains of the pollen filled cells and the honey pots. But they were still there. But no bumblebees. Is this normal?

I thought one was able to overwinter bumblebees. If so, should there be any special timing or details to allow this to happen?

Thank you.

This is how the honey pots and cells were found inside the hive.

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x236/BjornBee/beepictures190.jpg


This shows about how big the nest was, or at least what was still there.

http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x236/BjornBee/beepictures192.jpg

[Tom G. Laury]

The fertile females disperse from the nest and overwinter as ( solitary ) individuals.

[dcross]

Usually burrowed into soft soil or leaf litter. My attempt at overwintering a few queens:


http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214543&highlight=bumblebee

[Michael Palmer]

This shows about how big the nest was, or at least what was still there.

Was there any waxmoth damage?

[BjornBee]

Was there any waxmoth damage?

No. The bumblebee nest was in a deadout that had alot of wax moth damage from the fall before. But I can't really say that any wax moths messed with the nest itself. The nest did look like a mouse rooted around after they hatched out.

[Eaglerock]

Has anyone ever kept bumble bees as we do honeybees? I am not sure one could, but I have never even though of it until Bjorn brought it up.

>Do bumblebees overwinter in the summer location and maintain cells or a brood nest? Or do the bumblebees hatch out and they seek places to bury themselves in old logs etc.

I always wondered about that and even, not that I care, but bees like white faced hornets, wasps, ect., what do they do to come back and make my life a living heck when I mow or garden. Yellow Jackest live in the ground, so I assume they winter there.

[Michael Bush]

Yellow jackets can winter in the South. In the North it's like bumble bees, only the queens survive the winter and they bury themselves in the dirt.

[Keith Benson]

Overwinter is one word for it . . .

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060717/NEWS/607180308/1007/9112002

http://litwc.com/2006/07/17/gigantic-yellow-jacket-nests-turning-up-in-south-alabama/

http://rescuebugblog.typepad.com/rescue_bugblog/2006/07/supersized_yell.html

Wild stuff.

Keith

[dcross]

Apparently shb can infest them as well: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118596514/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

[BEES4U]

http://wildgardeners.blogspot.com/2007/04/bumblebees-part-1-bumblebee-lives.html

BUMBLEBEE QUEENS EMERGE in early spring, sometimes as early as February, from holes in the ground called hibernacula. They then start looking for food. A good food source for queen bumblebees in early spring is the pollen from willows (Salix spp.). However, if there are nectar-producing plants in bloom, they will visit these too.

Regards,
Ernie