I have a raised sitting out section at the top of my garden, been
renovating it over the last few days laying down new chipped bark and
repairing the wooden frame/arch.
Today I am re-treating the wood with preservative when I noticed 3or 4
bees circling by my foot, moved back out of the way and they disappeared
into the bark chippings where I had been stood.
I carried on making sure I did not stand on the entrance, was working
about a foot or two away, I counted 9 flying into the nest before I
moved on.
I always thought Bumbles where solitary but obviously not, these where
quite small with a white rear end.
Never been stung by a bee or a wasp in nearly 62 years, they just
carried on working around me.

Barry

On 26/06/2013 15:48, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:56:44 +0100, Corporal Jones
wrote:

Never been stung by a bee or a wasp in nearly 62 years, they just
carried on working around me.


Bumble bees have a life cycle similar to that of wasps.


bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chris sounds to be educated in the ways of the bumblebee. I wonder if
you can advise me on a suitable way to deal with the colony of
bumblebees that has found lodging in the fibreglass insulation in my loft.
I am happy enough to give them free accommodation for one season in
exchange for their pollinating my fruit trees. I visit the loft only
infrequently and if I leave them alone, hopefully they will reciprocate.
I would like to ensure that at the end of this season, when the new
queens have flown, that next year I regain use of my storage space.

SWMBO has declared that they are a protected species, and I must not
harm them. Not that I want to harm them, but I think she is wrong.
Is there anything of which I should be aware?

cheers

Alan

In article , says...

Chris sounds to be educated in the ways of the bumblebee. I wonder if
you can advise me on a suitable way to deal with the colony of
bumblebees that has found lodging in the fibreglass insulation in my loft.
I am happy enough to give them free accommodation for one season in
exchange for their pollinating my fruit trees. I visit the loft only
infrequently and if I leave them alone, hopefully they will reciprocate.
I would like to ensure that at the end of this season, when the new
queens have flown, that next year I regain use of my storage space.

SWMBO has declared that they are a protected species, and I must not
harm them. Not that I want to harm them, but I think she is wrong.
Is there anything of which I should be aware?

cheers

Alan

In article , says...

On 26/06/2013 15:48, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:56:44 +0100, Corporal Jones
wrote:

Never been stung by a bee or a wasp in nearly 62 years, they just
carried on working around me.


Bumble bees have a life cycle similar to that of wasps.


bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chris sounds to be educated in the ways of the bumblebee. I wonder if
you can advise me on a suitable way to deal with the colony of
bumblebees that has found lodging in the fibreglass insulation in my loft.
I am happy enough to give them free accommodation for one season in
exchange for their pollinating my fruit trees. I visit the loft only
infrequently and if I leave them alone, hopefully they will reciprocate.
I would like to ensure that at the end of this season, when the new
queens have flown, that next year I regain use of my storage space.

SWMBO has declared that they are a protected species, and I must not
harm them. Not that I want to harm them, but I think she is wrong.
Is there anything of which I should be aware?

We hosted similar guests until the day I noticed a damp patch on the
ceiling, then found it was sticky. It was a honey leak :-( from mice
chewing the bees' stores.

Janet.

On 26/06/2013 18:39, Janet wrote:
In article , says...
On 26/06/2013 15:48, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:56:44 +0100, Corporal Jones
wrote:
Never been stung by a bee or a wasp in nearly 62 years, they just
carried on working around me.

Bumble bees have a life cycle similar to that of wasps.

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chris sounds to be educated in the ways of the bumblebee. I wonder if
you can advise me on a suitable way to deal with the colony of
bumblebees that has found lodging in the fibreglass insulation in my loft.
I am happy enough to give them free accommodation for one season in
exchange for their pollinating my fruit trees. I visit the loft only
infrequently and if I leave them alone, hopefully they will reciprocate.
I would like to ensure that at the end of this season, when the new
queens have flown, that next year I regain use of my storage space.

SWMBO has declared that they are a protected species, and I must not
harm them. Not that I want to harm them, but I think she is wrong.
Is there anything of which I should be aware?
We hosted similar guests until the day I noticed a damp patch on the
ceiling, then found it was sticky. It was a honey leak :-( from mice
chewing the bees' stores.

Janet.




I have been carrying on working around the Bees, they have ignored me
and me them, I had began to wonder why so many had found their way in to
the Conservatory but try to get out of the window facing their nest,
now I know.
The apple tree is doing well this year but I suspect that June drop will
now be July drop and the raspberry's are doing very well, must get them
picked before the blackbirds get them.

Barry

The apple tree is doing well this year but I suspect that June drop will
now be July drop and the raspberry's are doing very well, must get them
picked before the blackbirds get them.

Yes, my apple trees are looking to have a fair pollination rate. Well 2
of the 3 anyway, the Bramley had a mass of blossom just when we had the
cold wet spell, and few fruit seem to be developing. Not counting
chickens though for the first 2, as you mention - no June drop yet!

We have a couple of sites nearby with bumblebee colonies, and if we dont
mess with them they dont mess with us. That is fine in the open air. In
the cramped confines of the loft, I am sure they would be less tolerant
of, perhaps, an inadvertant disturbance.

Anyway as I said I will not evict them until the end of the year.


Al.

On 26/06/13 18:36, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 26 Jun 2013 18:18:45 +0100, "Alan (BigAl)"
wrote:

On 26/06/2013 15:48, Chris Hogg wrote:
On Wed, 26 Jun 2013 14:56:44 +0100, Corporal Jones
wrote:

Never been stung by a bee or a wasp in nearly 62 years, they just
carried on working around me.


Bumble bees have a life cycle similar to that of wasps.


bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz bzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Chris sounds to be educated in the ways of the bumblebee. I wonder if
you can advise me on a suitable way to deal with the colony of
bumblebees that has found lodging in the fibreglass insulation in my loft.
I am happy enough to give them free accommodation for one season in
exchange for their pollinating my fruit trees. I visit the loft only
infrequently and if I leave them alone, hopefully they will reciprocate.
I would like to ensure that at the end of this season, when the new
queens have flown, that next year I regain use of my storage space.

SWMBO has declared that they are a protected species, and I must not
harm them. Not that I want to harm them, but I think she is wrong.
Is there anything of which I should be aware?

cheers

Alan


Don't know about them being protected, but you could happily sit next
to the nest and they'd completely ignore you. Yes, just leave it
alone; it's very unlikely it will be re-occupied next year.

I think the only buzzy-stingy insect which is protected is the hornet,
which contrary to belief, is much milder natured than wopses.


--
Rusty Hinge