Api, vespe e calabroni, come riconoscerli e quando temerli
Bombo. Al genere bombus (incluso nella famiglia Apidae) appartengono più di 250 specie. Questi insetti impollinatori, parenti delle api, sono ...
colonie
Al genere bombus (incluso nella famiglia Apidae) appartengono più di 250 specie. Questi insetti impollinatori, parenti delle api, sono anch’essi vestiti di strisce nere e gialle (o rossicce, a seconda della specie), ma portano una taglia in più (essendo lunghi circa 1,5-2,5 cm) e sono pelosi. Anche i bombi sono animali sociali e vivono in <anchor>colonie</anchor>, prediligendo le zone dove il clima è temperato. Come le api, i bombi attaccano gli esseri umani solo quando si ritengono minacciati e il loro veleno è pericoloso solo per le persone che ne sono allergiche. Molte specie di bombi che vivono in tutto il mondo sono oggi a rischio a causa dei cambiamenti climatici.
Bumblebee nests - Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Navigation

Back

## What we do

## About us

## Policy and advocacy

## Our work

A close-up of a young Buff-tailed bumblebee feeding on a purple globe thistle. The bunmblebee's fur is glossy and thick.

## Bee the change

Two members of staff looking closely at a sunflower with a Brown-banded carder bumblebee feeding on the centre.

## BeeWalk

## Our projects

## News & opinion

Back

## Learn about bumblebees

## Resources for everyone

## School & higher education

## Curriculum resources for schools

## Bee kind

A Buff-tailed bumblebee feeding on the purple flowers of lavender.

Back

## How you can help

## Get involved

## Businesses

Includes case related marketing, charity of the year & advertising

## What's on

A close-up of a Buff-tailed bumblebee queen looking to the camera.

## 2024 Annual General Meeting

Two people smiling with a glass in hand

## Wine tasting event

Back

## Join & donate

## Join as a member

## Donate

## Business

## Shops & gifts

A blue bag with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust logo printed on the bag

## Merchandise

An image of a long sleeve top and a bag with bumblebee designs

## Our Teemill store

Back

## Land management advice

## Land management advice

## About us

## Policy and advocacy

## Our work

A close-up of a young Buff-tailed bumblebee feeding on a purple globe thistle. The bunmblebee's fur is glossy and thick.

## Bee the change

Two members of staff looking closely at a sunflower with a Brown-banded carder bumblebee feeding on the centre.

## BeeWalk

## Our projects

## News & opinion

## Resources for everyone

## School & higher education

## Curriculum resources for schools

## Bee kind

A Buff-tailed bumblebee feeding on the purple flowers of lavender.

## Get involved

## Businesses

Includes case related marketing, charity of the year & advertising

## What's on

A close-up of a Buff-tailed bumblebee queen looking to the camera.

## 2024 Annual General Meeting

Two people smiling with a glass in hand

## Wine tasting event

## Join as a member

## Donate

## Business

## Shops & gifts

A blue bag with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust logo printed on the bag

## Merchandise

An image of a long sleeve top and a bag with bumblebee designs

## Our Teemill store

## Land management advice

Tree bumblebees (Bombus hypnorum) by Clare Flynn

# Bumblebee nests

In spring bumblebee queens begin to emerge from hibernation. Once they have fully woken up and recovered from their long winter hibernation, they get busy looking for somewhere to set up their nest so can they raise the next generation of bumblebees.

Every year, we get lots of questions about bumblebee nests, so we have compiled the most common ones here for you.

Bumblebees attending to the eggs in a nest.

## What do bumblebees look for in a nest site?

Most bumblebee queens look for dry, enclosed spaces which have some sort of insulating material already inside. Nests can be found in all sorts of unexpected places but, in general, bumblebees avoid wet areas and locations that get lots of sun as this can heat the nest up too much.

Some species are commonly found nesting underground, in places such as abandoned rodent holes, under sheds and in compost heaps. Others prefer to be on the surface of the ground and make nests in thick grass or mossy vegetation. There are also some species which tend to be found nesting a little higher up in bird boxes, roof spaces, wall cavities and even in tree holes.

## How does a queen bumblebee find a good nest spot?

When she is ready to start looking for a nest site the queen will fly in a slow and distinctive zig zag pattern, often low over the ground or around features that might be suitable. As she does this, she uses both her sight and smell to guide her. If she spots a potential site, she will land and crawl in to investigate further. She can disappear for a few minutes at a time but if it proves unsuitable, she will emerge and continue her search.

An exception to this behaviour is the six cuckoo bumblebee species. The female cuckoo bees emerge a few weeks after their preferred social bumblebee hosts and begin to search for established nests. When they find a nest, they will enter and fight with the queen. Cuckoos are a bit tougher than their hosts so they can overpower the queen and take over the nest. The worker bumblebees, who are the daughters of the original queen, will then look after the cuckoo eggs and larvae until they develop into new female and male cuckoo bumblebees.

Bumblebees attending to the eggs in a nest.

Credit: Clare Flynn

## What is the nest made of?

Unlike the distinctive honeybee nest, which has tightly packed hexagonal cells for raising offspring and storing honey, the inside of the bumblebee nest can appear quite messy and disorganised.

There are little wax pots (used to store nectar), wax brood cells, and a wax covering. The silk cocoons of the bees developing into adults can also be seen.

## What size is a bumblebee nest?

Bumblebee nests vary in size depending on the species and time of year.

At the start of the nest the queen is alone. Over the coming weeks as she raises batches of eggs, which develop into worker bumblebees who help with the foraging and nest care duties, the nest grows. After a few months, a well-established nest can contain up to 400 bumblebees and could be around the size of a small football. However, some species have much smaller nests with only around 50 workers at their most active. A honeybee hive can contain 50,000 bees so bumblebee nests are very small in comparison.

## How long does a bumblebee nest last?

Bumblebee nests usually last between 2 and 6 months. This depends on factors such as food availability, weather and again which bumblebee species the nest belongs to.

Some species, such as the Tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), tend to have predictable and quite short nesting periods whereas others, such as the Common carder bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum), can have longer nesting periods with less predictable start and finish points.

Bumblebee queens always start their own nest from scratch so once a nest is finished it won’t be used again. However, the same location, such as a nest box or roof space, might be used again by a different queen but she will always build her own nest.

## What to do if you find a bumblebee nest

If you find a bumblebee nest, consider yourself very lucky! They aren’t very common and can be difficult to find.

Although some people can be worried when they find a bumblebee nest, we generally recommend that nests are left alone and in place. They don’t last very long, just a few months, and don’t cause any damage. The presence of a nest is often only noticed when the nest is well established, and possibly even approaching its end, as there is more bee ‘traffic’ (bees coming and going) so it might be finished sooner than you think too.

If left alone, bumblebees are generally calm creatures who quietly go about their business visiting flowers and usually avoid or don’t pay any attention to people. Female bumblebees (queens, workers and cuckoo females) will usually only sting defensively if they feel threatened by someone or something, for example vibration from a lawnmower, getting too close to the nest. Male bumblebees don’t have a sting and so, even if they wanted to, they can’t harm people.

We understand that it might be inconvenient to have a bumblebee nest entrance outside a bedroom window or in the garden, however some temporary adjustments can help you live with your short-term bumblebee neighbours.

- Use fine netting to cover window openings. Bumblebees don’t mean to come indoors but sometimes take the wrong entrance.
- Use temporary fencing or barriers to keep pets and small children away from nest entrances. Something like an upturned wire hanging basket might give the bumblebees the space they need to safely enter and exit their nest.
- Move play equipment or garden seating to another area of the garden. Avoid making too much noise or vibration right next to the nest.

A bumblebee nest that has been disturbed and dug up.

Credit: Jamie Buxton-Gould

## What to do if you disturb a bumblebee nest

If you can, gently replace any material, such as long grass, that was covering the nest. Alternatively, you could gently prop something over the top of the nest to give it shelter from the weather. Then leave the area alone and let the bumblebees get on with repairing any damage.

## Can the Bumblebee Conservation Trust come and move a bumblebee nest for me?

No, we are not able to move bumblebee nests or recommend anyone else who can.

It’s often difficult to locate bumblebee nests if they’re not already contained in a bird box or similar and moving them could cause damage to both the bumblebees and the structure they’re in.

Bumblebees don’t cause any damage to buildings and the nest is quite a small structure that will just dry up when vacated. The easiest solution is to wait until they are finished nesting and then, if you would prefer another queen not to find and use the same spot, take action to prevent that happening.

## Can I move a bumblebee nest in a bird box?

If the bird box can easily be removed and relocated, then it is possible to do this. We suggest that you follow these guidelines.

- Wear protective clothing, especially gloves.
- Take a note of where the nest is and how you will reach it when it is dark.
- Wait until all or most of the workers have returned – this is often well after dusk.
- Use a red light, which bumblebees don’t see, to help you see what you’re doing.
- When activity quietens down, temporarily block up the entrance hole with something that will be easy to remove later.
- Block up any other holes on the box, as bumblebees could use these to escape from the box when it is being moved.
- Take the box down, keeping it upright.
- Carefully move the box to its new location which should ideally be within a few metres of the old site or over 1km away. It should be at least 1.5m off the ground and attached to a surface that is not liable to vibration, to prevent disturbance to the bees.
- The next day, carefully remove everything that is blocking the entrance and other holes. The bees will leave to explore their new area. You may notice them flying around the box to start off with, this is their way of learning their new surroundings so that they can find their way back after foraging for pollen and nectar.

## Do bumblebees leave their nest in a swarm?

No. If you see a swarm of hundreds or thousands of bees, this is a honeybee swarm and you should contact a local beekeeper for advice.

If you have a Tree bumblebee ( Bombus hypnorum) nest nearby, you may see a cloud of around 20 bumblebees flying around outside the nest entrance. These are male bees and all they are doing is waiting for new queens to emerge so that they can mate with them. This is very distinctive behaviour and can worry people so it’s worth knowing that male bumblebees do not have a sting (they can’t hurt you even if they wanted to), they are only interested in new queens, and this behaviour signals that this nest is nearing its end. This behaviour should only last a couple of weeks at most.

## Is there anything left inside a nest when it has finished?

At the end of the nest the original queen naturally reaches the end of her lifespan and dies so only her body, and those of any dead workers remain in the nest. All the other workers will gradually disperse and die off naturally while the new queens and males disperse to mate and feed. The males die off after a few weeks and the new queens search for somewhere, often north facing soil, to hibernate.

There are some other creatures, such as hoverflies and moths, that make their home within a bumblebee nest. Sometimes a nest that has finished will still contain these insects, but they are not as active or as noticeable as the bumblebees are.

Over time the nest itself will just gradually degrade and break down.

Registered Charity No. 1115634 /

Scottish Charity No. SC042830

Copyright © 2024 Bumblebee Conservation Trust. All Rights Reserved.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.

CustomiseReject AllAccept All

Manage consent

Close

#### Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary

Necessary

Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.CookieDurationDescription__cf_bm1 hourThis cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.__stripe_mid1 yearStripe sets this cookie to process payments.__stripe_sid1 hourStripe sets this cookie to process payments.cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category.cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".CookieLawInfoConsent1 yearCookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Functional

functional

Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.CookieDurationDescriptionyt-player-headers-readableneverThe yt-player-headers-readable cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences related to video playback and interface, enhancing the user's viewing experience.yt-remote-cast-availablesessionThe yt-remote-cast-available cookie is used to store the user's preferences regarding whether casting is available on their YouTube video player.yt-remote-cast-installedsessionThe yt-remote-cast-installed cookie is used to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video.yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.yt-remote-fast-check-periodsessionThe yt-remote-fast-check-period cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences for embedded YouTube videos.yt-remote-session-appsessionThe yt-remote-session-app cookie is used by YouTube to store user preferences and information about the interface of the embedded YouTube video player.yt-remote-session-namesessionThe yt-remote-session-name cookie is used by YouTube to store the user's video player preferences using embedded YouTube video.ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEYneverThe cookie ytidb::LAST_RESULT_ENTRY_KEY is used by YouTube to store the last search result entry that was clicked by the user. This information is used to improve the user experience by providing more relevant search results in the future.

Performance

performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Analytics

analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Advertisement

advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.CookieDurationDescriptionNID6 monthsGoogle sets the cookie for advertising purposes; to limit the number of times the user sees an ad, to unwanted mute ads, and to measure the effectiveness of ads.PREF8 monthsPREF cookie is set by Youtube to store user preferences like language, format of search results and other customizations for YouTube Videos embedded in different sites.test_cookie15 minutesdoubleclick.net sets this cookie to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE6 monthsYouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface.VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA6 monthsYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's cookie consent state for the current domain.YSCsessionYoutube sets this cookie to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.

Others

others

Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.CookieDurationDescription__cflb1 hourThis cookie is used by Cloudflare for load balancing._cfuvidsessionDescription is currently not available.hmt_id1 monthDescription is currently not available.m1 year 1 month 4 daysNo description available.

Save & Accept