Pest of the Month - Bumble Bee

BUMBLE BEES

Family Apidae or social bees Survive annually: Die out each Autumn leaving only young mated queens to survive the Winter and start new colonies next Spring. Large queens found after the early Spring are busy feeding and searching for nesting sites after their long hibernation. The bee is 3/8 to 7/8 inches long, robust and hairy. Each bee can sting many times. Often found nesting in compost piles, underground, mossy covering, old animal holes. Nests consist of “honey pots”: comb and brood-cells made from waxy materials. Honey pots store the pollen and nectar as well as being a depository for eggs. The queen sits on her eggs like a brooding hen sipping honey from her pots waiting for her offspring to hatch. When workers emerge her receptor is used for nectar. Population varies from year to year depending on environmental factors. The larger workers maintain the covering over the nest and collect food and smaller ones care for the young larvae and doe the inside work. Unlike wasps, they are very docile and non-aggressive and go about their business with little attention to human activities, even when you are close to their nests. If a colony is unearthed or disturbed it should be left alone and simply covered over again. The bees will quickly repair any damage and carry on as before. Superior to other bees in pollinating red clover, since they have a tongue that is 2.5MM (0.1 IN) longer than that of honeybees. www.bee-busters.com