Errm, anybody had any experience of ground nesting bees?

I'm clearing out, and demolishing, an old shed. On the floor was an old
door with a little hole in it where the bees live. I shifted the door, and
disturbed about 6 or so bees. Could there be a few hundred more further up
the shed?

Are they likely to just bugger off shortly or am I going to have to get
someone in to clear them out.

Any help appreciated.

Mal.

"Mal Jackson" wrote in message
.99...
Errm, anybody had any experience of ground nesting bees?

I'm clearing out, and demolishing, an old shed. On the floor was an old
door with a little hole in it where the bees live. I shifted the door, and
disturbed about 6 or so bees. Could there be a few hundred more further up
the shed?

Are they likely to just bugger off shortly or am I going to have to get
someone in to clear them out.

Any help appreciated.

Mal.

If you can spare the time, leave the rest of the demolishing for a few
weeks. When you see no more bees around the annual cycle will be complete
and there will be no living bees in the nest. If there are it will be so few
that their presence won't help the colony.

It's illegal to kill bumble bees so in theory you won't be able to get
anyone 'in' to do the job.

We removed a complete nest recently from underneath a demolished garage. The
colony is still in the box we put it in, in our garden, but it's not always
successful.

Mary

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mal Jackson
saying something like:

Any help appreciated.

Pint of petrol and a match, eh Mary?
--

Dave

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mal Jackson
saying something like:

Any help appreciated.

Pint of petrol and a match, eh Mary?

You know how to poke Mary, eh?

Si

"Mary Fisher" wrote in
. net:


"Mal Jackson" wrote in message
.99...
Errm, anybody had any experience of ground nesting bees?
snip
Mal.

If you can spare the time, leave the rest of the demolishing for a few
weeks.

Hi Mary. Thanks for your reply. I don't really want to leave the
demolition too long as I have a lot of work to do, putting down a
concrete base and building my concrete garage.

We removed a complete nest recently from underneath a demolished
garage. The colony is still in the box we put it in, in our garden,
but it's not always successful.

Interesting. I was dead scared of the blighters till you wrote that.

The bees are under the floor of the old shed. I think I'll carry on with
the demolition and leave the floor till last and have a look under the
floor to see what I'm dealing with.

Many thanks!

Mal.

"Mal Jackson" wrote in message
70.163...

Hi Mary. Thanks for your reply. I don't really want to leave the
demolition too long as I have a lot of work to do, putting down a
concrete base and building my concrete garage.

In that case you have no option. I'm just pleased that you asked :-)

We removed a complete nest recently from underneath a demolished
garage. The colony is still in the box we put it in, in our garden,
but it's not always successful.

Interesting. I was dead scared of the blighters till you wrote that.

There's nothing to be frightened of. If they ARE bumble bees (the subject
says it) they'll be quite large, up to a centimetre, and fluffy, you'll have
to provoke them a LOT to make them sting - and you'll deserve it.

If they are solitary bees (which they might be - small, furry, a bit like
honey bees or, if you don't know them, like fattish hairy wasps) they CAN'T
sting.

The bees are under the floor of the old shed. I think I'll carry on with
the demolition and leave the floor till last and have a look under the
floor to see what I'm dealing with.

That's probably the best idea under the circumstances. Do it gently though.

If you disturb a bumble bee nest while it's active you'll get dozens of
flying teddy bears, which sound as though they're on motor bikes, flying
round you and even bumping into you. It's alarming but you must go about
your business as calmly as possible. The difficult part is if you find a
nest and try to move it without protection, I don't advise that, the bees
will sting to defend the brood :-(

Mostly we persuade people to leave the nests until September or so, we show
them how safe it is to be near undisturbed bumble bees and tell them the
life cycle. We kit up in My God They've Landed bee suits with veils and
gloves to move active nests. It might be possible to borrow one from a local
beekeeper if you know one. If you don't, mail me and I'll see if I can put
you in touch with someone.

Mary

In message , Mary
Fisher writes
Mostly we persuade people to leave the nests until September or so, we show
them how safe it is to be near undisturbed bumble bees and tell them the
life cycle. We kit up in My God They've Landed bee suits with veils and
gloves to move active nests. It might be possible to borrow one from a local
beekeeper if you know one. If you don't, mail me and I'll see if I can put
you in touch with someone.

Any soft fruit farms (pick your own strawberries) nearby? They'll be
delighted to organise the safe removal for you.

No bees, no strawberries.


--
Keith

"Keith" wrote in message
...


Any soft fruit farms (pick your own strawberries) nearby? They'll be
delighted to organise the safe removal for you.

No bees, no strawberries.

That might be true but there are plenty of wild bumble bees in the vicinity
of anywhere - except (sadly) most farms. Bumble bee populations are
decreasing because of damage to habitats - crop farmers want to make use of
every square yard/metre :-(

Mary

decreasing because of damage to habitats - crop farmers want to make
use of every square yard/metre :-(

You mean The Archers is telling lies when not just Brookfield but also
even Home Farm are into field margins and the like? If so then Auntie
really has sunk low.

--
Robin

"Robin" pleaseaskinthegroup@becauseIhavegotfedupwithspama ndstuff.co.ru
wrote in message k...
decreasing because of damage to habitats - crop farmers want to make use
of every square yard/metre :-(

You mean The Archers is telling lies when not just Brookfield but also
even Home Farm are into field margins and the like? If so then Auntie
really has sunk low.

There is a movement to encourage farmers to leave field margins for fodder
for wild animals and birds but that's not enough for bumble bee nests, like
many animals/insects/birds they need the shelter of stones, hedges and earth
banks for their habitats. Wire field boundaries are not good for them.

The idea of field margins is not to use pesticides and herbicides so that
insects and weeds aren't going to be killed and insectivores and seed eaters
will still have food. It's not just about habitat.

David and Brian aren't the only farmers in Ambridge and if Tiger Matt has
his way every last square inch will be utilised.

Mary

David and Brian aren't the only farmers in Ambridge and if Tiger Matt
has his way every last square inch will be utilised.

Mary
Understood, thanks. (And I can confirm what you said about bumble bees
elsewhe plenty in E5.)

--
Robin

In message , "Mungo \"Two Sheds\"
Toadfoot" writes
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mal Jackson
saying something like:

Any help appreciated.

Pint of petrol and a match, eh Mary?

You know how to poke Mary, eh?

Perleeze ...

--
geoff