Bee hive or nests!!!

km79

The title should say bee hive or wasps!

I discovered a hive of some type under the mulch/compost (rotting grass) beneath my hedge. I think its a bee hive but need to be sure as I have a 3 year old out and about the whole time !
Even if it's only a bee hive I still need to know what to do.
I'll attach a few pics .
Thanks

GrumpyMe

dublinbeekeepingservices.com/bumble-bees.html
bumblebee.org/faqNests.htm

nuckeythompson

spray it with a can of RAID and only do it at night

biomed32

Looks like a bumble bee hive to me. Perhaps find a bee keeper that would be happy to relocate it to somewhere else?

km79

nuckeythompson wrote: »

spray it with a can of RAID and only do it at night

I don't really want to kill them if I can avoid it though

nuckeythompson

explain that to your 3 yo when they are really badly stung

solargain

Its a bumble bee nest , if you can live with it , they will die out in autumn. Max number of bumble bees will be 300 -500 for the whole year , not a whole lot compared to 50k in a beehive. If they are not bothering you too much let them be.

spygirl

a beekeeper will relocate it for you. We have a wasp nest in the shed and have decided to just close the door until winter when they will be dead to remove it then. No small children here and it's not causing us any bother. Only reason we found it was by accident,hadn't seen any extra wasps in the garden or anything. If they do become an issue thy are gone.For now they causing no problem so they can stay.
If you can leave your bees there, they will be gone by winter. If not they can be relocated. Personally wouldn't kill them off if it can be avoided. Your decision though

Velvet shank

bumble bees are not at all aggressive and are very slow to sting. If you could ensure that the child can't go too near the nest, you'd have no problems at all.

Pat_Planky

Yeah. They are bumblebees alright. Leave them alone and you'll on get on just fine

km79

Thanks for all the help. I've monitored it over the last few days. Very little activity unless disturbed. Going to leave it as I've lots of flowers in the garden which need pollinating . I bought a metal hanging basket which I turned upside down and pegged into ground to mark the nest and prevent it being walked on.
One last question........do I need to do anything in winter when the bees are gone ? I'm happy enough to have them for one summer .......

magicbastarder

spygirl wrote: »

a beekeeper will relocate it for you.

would a beekeeper he interested in bumblebees though?

Satriale

magicbastarder wrote: »

would a beekeeper he interested in bumblebees though?

No they wont and, i'm open to correction, but i dont think they will survive being moved. I say live and let live if you possibly can.

rje66

Bumbles die over winter except the queen. Nest becomes redundant then.

If you need to move do it late evening to a safer location close by.
As othrrs said dont kill, they aren't aggressive , leave them bee and enjoy the company.

km79

rje66 wrote: »

Bumbles die over winter except the queen. Nest becomes redundant then.

If you need to move do it late evening to a safer location close by.
As othrrs said dont kill, they aren't aggressive , leave them bee and enjoy the company.

I'm gonna leave them this year.
So they don't return next year ? Queen moves on ?

rje66

km79 wrote: »

I'm gonna leave them this year.
So they don't return next year ? Queen moves on ?

Pretty much.
In early march when you see big bumbles zig zagging about the place , that's the queen looking for a new nest site.

km79

rje66 wrote: »

Pretty much.
In early march when you see big bumbles zig zagging about the place , that's the queen looking for a new nest site.

A new nest site in the same garden ? Sorry for all the questions.

Pat_Planky

Just guessing now, but I've seen bumble bees fly at least a few hundred meters. One would imagine the Queen would pick the most suitable site within her range. So depends on the size of your garden....

Ambersky

I would love to have a bumble bee nest in my garden is there anything you can do to attract them or make a suitable site.

baaba maal

Some differing opinions here- the can of Raid solution is completely OTT in my opinion. As the majority of posters have said, they're not at all aggressive and they will all die out with the exception of the queens. It's impossible to say exactly where a queen will set up shop next year but my own feeling is they move a distance away.
I would look on this as an opportunity- your three year old will have another year's sense next year and you can put a barrier to stop them from putting their hand at the entrance to any nest (in my garden which is clay, they tend to use existing small holes such as are made by fieldmice). Once you bring your child up to realise that they shouldn't try to catch one they will be fine (in the same way that you are teaching your child to avoid all the other natural hazards, such as not grabbing nettles, and manmade hazards, such as- well, they're too many to mention, that they face every day). It is a nice way for them to learn about nature- and here is the important thing- bumblebees are really, really useful- in fact, some research in the UK has shown that they are more important than honeybees for pollinating.
I think they are fascinating creatures, and a number of species in Ireland are in real trouble because they are so specialised- there is even one of the solitary bees (i.e. doesn't live in a colony) that can only breed using the shell of a particular type of snail- an unbelievably symbiotic relationship. Bees can be observed in complete safety up close when they are gathering pollen and going about their business- it is really only by physically grabbing them or disturbing the nest that they become agitated. They die when they sting so they have evolved only to sting when they feel they are being attacked. You are obviously trying to do the right thing and look after your child- my opinion is that it isn't a choice between the two, but an opportunity for all concerned.

km79

yeah i agree with you on most of that.
the nest site is in a tricky part of the garden this year so hopefully if they nest next year they move to either the front garden or the very back of the back garden !
it was actually quite lucky my teenage son did not get stung the night i found them. He was going along the edge of the young hedge we have pulling weeds and grass the lawnmower did not get. Anyway he missed a bit so I went over and noticed a few bees and subsequently the nest!

Qualitymark

http://www.dublinbeekeepingservices.com/bumble-bees.html

This informative page shows a nesting box; perhaps give them a call and find out where to locate this box so it's most attractive to the queen for laying her eggs at the end of the season. Then you can turn your compost in winter without fearing you've committed bumble-bee-ocide.

baaba maal

Nature up close and personal!

I think they are carder bees btw.

km79

just to update we all left each other alone and the bees are gone now

greasepalm

poor old freddie:D

Qualitymark

Ambersky wrote: »

I would love to have a bumble bee nest in my garden is there anything you can do to attract them or make a suitable site.

Dunno how well these work, but…

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wildlife-World-Ceramic-Bumble-Nester/dp/B001MTUT7M/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1414863986&sr=8-5&keywords=bumble+bee+house

Ambersky

Now that does look beautiful Qualitymark. I wonder too does it look as good to bumblebees as it does to me. Hmmm. Im thinking of getting one.

So glad the OP did not kill the bees.

Satriale

Some ideas for a bee hotel if anyone is interested in a spot of DIY...

donaghs

nuckeythompson wrote: »

spray it with a can of RAID and only do it at night

This certainly adds a new dimension to

the "what's killing the bees" looming environmental catastrophe conundrum.

Novaman

donaghs wrote: »

This certainly adds a new dimension to

the "what's killing the bees" looming environmental catastrophe conundrum.

And you are right, I'm doing everything I can in my garden to help honeybees / bumbles as they are in real trouble what with neonicotioid insecticides (banned by the EU by the way) the varroa mite, loss of habitat etc.

Though maybe well intentioned "spray with a can if RAID" is not the way to go

Leave then be, they will move on

NM

gravity9.81

I found a wasp building a nest in my shed this morning
I removed it and killed the wasp. I have a 3 year old and a 1 1/2 who love playing in our very small garden.
I have noticed a lot of wasps r bees in the ivy on our back wall
How do i get rid of the bees r wasps will i need to remove the ivy