In message
"Mary Fisher" wrote:


"Michael Bell" wrote in message
. uk...
In message t
"Mary Fisher" wrote:


"Broadback" wrote in message
...

As a bit of an aside I seem to have a wasp nest in an abandoned
mole/mouse hole at the edge of my lawn. Is this normal, all other wasp
nests I have seen are outside and consist of a "paper" ball?

It's normal for some types of social wasps to make nests in abandoned
mouse
holes, excavating them to make the hole big enough. Bumble bees do the
same.

Ah! A lady who knows something that I want to know. My daughter gave
me a bumblebee nesting box for Christmas and I followed the
instructions which said that a mouse nest should be put in the nesting
box to attract bees, so I got my local pet shop to stable his mice
overnight in hay and put that hay into the box (Ah, the obligation
that some gifts put on you!), but no bees settled in it. What more can
I do? It'll have to be next season now of course.

I've never heard of bumble bees being attracted to a mouse nest per se. It's
the hole, the cavity, they're intererested in!

Sometimes artificial nesting boxes are occupied quickly, other times not. I
don't know the answer. It might be best to cover the top with some dry
vegetable matter or bits of old carpet (and make sure it's kept dry), to
mimic favourite nnatural nesting places. The bees will bring in their own
nesting material.

Mary

Then would bits of dried moss be attractive? There won't be any
problem about that! The box is quite well made, for example it has
drip rails round the edge of the lid, so that drips will fall clear of
the wall.

Michael Bell




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