Found a bumble bee nest. Now what?

[RiodeLobo]

Last night my 18 month old discovered (and got stung) a bumblebee nest, it is around a pet door in our old farm house.

I am not sure accessing it will be possible, due to the location (exterior wall, under main structural beam and no crawl space). I don't want to kill them, but leaving them there is not a option.

Ideally I will be able to access the nest and move it. If that is not practical or possible I am looking for options.

PS bumble bee stings hurt, and quite a bit more than honeybees in my opinion (I got nailed hauling him out of the line of fire)

Thanks Dan

[jrbbees]

kill them!
Then fill the hole with construction foam.

[Solomon Parker]

Trap out!

Just kidding. Some times things gotta be done.

[Lucy]

I'm confused...bumble bees are native pollinators. Is there no way to just block this nest off and then you can dig it up later this fall/winter after the bumbles have killed each other off and the queen will be hibernating?
Sorry, just re-read your note...guess you will have to kill the nest sooner than later.

[BEES4U]

Towards the end of summer the bumble bee nest will produce many virgin queen bees that will mate and later on into late summer or fall they will make their individual hibernuculms, sp.
The original nest does not over-winter.

[sqkcrk]

under main structural beam

I take it you are refering to a sill plate? A timber which sits on the sill from which the posts and studs rise out of connecting to the top plate? Is there no way you can identify this area? Spray w/ paint maybe? And then becautious around it or avoid it? Your 18 month old probably won't go around there for a while on his own. Until he forgets.

I figure you have two choices, since you say you can't dig it out, which I don't know how you would do anyway w/out getting stung. A. Leave it alone and learn to live w/ them. 2. Kill w/ a spray.

W/ a curious 18 month old, I know what I would do. And if you are concerned about killing a native pollinator? There are plenty of them near by, I'll bet. This is a case of a beneficial insect become a pest. You live too close to it. I guess the third alternative is for you to move somewhere else.

[HBBF]

Well this is the very same reason I just logged in, which was to look for advice on bumble bees! My barn door has a whole in the concrete sill plate just big enough to be an entrance to what seems to be a very flourishing bumble bee colony. I was hoping for alternative advice myself.... But they have taken control of the main entrance!

[robo mantis]

Well this is the very same reason I just logged in, which was to look for advice on bumble bees! My barn door has a whole in the concrete sill plate just big enough to be an entrance to what seems to be a very flourishing bumble bee colony. I was hoping for alternative advice myself.... But they have taken control of the main entrance!

Some pictures or videos might be nice! Because depending on the species it might not be such a problem. Most species usually end their colony cycles in july and august. Though some end their cycles in november. If its one of the "early ending species" They should be near the end and can be left alone. If they are being an issue you could take a pipe and redirect their entrance a few feet away.

[robo mantis]

I'm confused...bumble bees are native pollinators. Is there no way to just block this nest off and then you can dig it up later this fall/winter after the bumbles have killed each other off and the queen will be hibernating?
Sorry, just re-read your note...guess you will have to kill the nest sooner than later.

The nest is annual. So at the end of their colony cycle they produce new queens for the next year. The founding queen and all her workers perish. Only the newly produced queens carry on the legacy to the next year.

[robo mantis]

Last night my 18 month old discovered (and got stung) a bumblebee nest, it is around a pet door in our old farm house.

I am not sure accessing it will be possible, due to the location (exterior wall, under main structural beam and no crawl space). I don't want to kill them, but leaving them there is not a option.

Ideally I will be able to access the nest and move it. If that is not practical or possible I am looking for options.

PS bumble bee stings hurt, and quite a bit more than honeybees in my opinion (I got nailed hauling him out of the line of fire)

Thanks Dan

Well i've done bumble bee relocations. (without bee suits or gear). The best option is to relocate them at night. With a red light (a flash light with red plastic over it works) They can't really see red and won't fly under red light. When i relocated i usually capture all the workers and queen off the nest and then move the vacant nest to a nest location and then replace the bees. Make sure you move the nest far away as they are so used to their old nest site that most will fly back looking for the nest. The only time my bumble bees became agressive is when the queen died and anarchy took over. This means the nest should be completely done very soon if i'm correct. If most of the bees appear to be queens then your in the home stretch.

[HBBF]

Well I chose to leave them bee for now! I dont go thru there everyday anyway but I didnt have children floating through there either though!!!!