Planning environment and community
Advice on bees
When bees are providing little disturbance to the surrounding area, it is better not to disturb them.
Bumble bees begin to appear in early spring, usually around April. They are not aggressive insects. Although possessing a sting, it is unusual for them to use it unless there is a direct danger to them or their nest.
Bumble bees are only present for approximately 5 or 6 months. Their nests are quite small and, if left alone, will die out at the end of the summer.
The queen bee and the workers usually die off around September/October. The last hatching of a small number of new queens will hibernate over winter.
After this time, bumble bees do not re-emerge until the following spring.
Leaving a bumble bee nest alone will not pose any risk of structural damage to your property.
Sometime, due to the location of a nest, it is necessary to remove them due to an increased risk of being stung.
Bumble bees are an extremely beneficial insect, pollinating many plant types. Unfortunately they are now in decline and have become and endangered species. This is why it is usually better to leave them alone wherever possible.
Unlike bumble bees, honey bees can appear out of the blue and in large numbers, usually in their thousands.
From around the middle of May it is possible for a swarm of bees to appear and attach themselves to a wall, a tree, a fence or any other structure.
Usually they will only stay attached to a structure for a short period of time and will then leave to look for a better location.
If the bees do stay attached in a solid ball formation, please contact a local bee keeper.
The bee keepers society may know where the swarm originated and might be able to send out a bee keeper to remove the bees and re-house them.