There are
19 species of large, fat and very hairy social bees; workers may be 8 mm to 22 mm in length while queen bees are up to about 40 mm; they make a loud buzzing sound when they fly with a slow gentle motion. They are not aggressive and will only sting when they or their nest are being attacked. Like other bees they die once they have stung.
Common species: (Genus Bombus) B. terrestris; B. pratorium; B. lapidarius; B. agrorum; B. muscorum; B. lamiaceae; B. fabaceae. Identification Guide
The nest is usually in some secure place like a disgarded mouse hole and is constructed from dry materials such as moss, grass, leaves and the likes, and is where she builds pots from wax and pollen to lay her first batch of eggs in. They are known to occupy locations as diverse as disgarded flower pots, cavities under garden sheds, and unoccupied bird nest boxes.
As the eggs hatch she feeds the grubs with collected honey which she also stores for future offspring in further pots which she continues to build. The first grubs develop into workers (infertile females) which emerge from the nest at about three weeks, when they take up nectar and pollen collecting duties while the queen concentrates on further egg laying.
The cells (or pots) are also unlike the well known Honey Bee hexagonal shape and are more or less round and aranged in irregular clumps rather than the well organised orderly Honey Bee combs.
Later in the season both male and female offspring will be produced to create a full colony of several hundred bees. The males leave the nest and will mate with young queens. They will are not allowed to re-enter the nest and soon die off. Young fertile queens start searching for winter hide outs late in the summer and as the colder weather arrives the old queen and all the workers die off. Only the young queens who have successfully found a suitable hibernation home survive.
Conservation:
Bumble Bees are hugely important pollinators in our natural environment and food crop production. In recent years farming practices, a decrease in the number of insect pollinated crops, and general manicure of the countryside have reduced the nesting and foraging habitats of these species. As a result the instances of Bumble Bees nesting around our homes and gardens are on the increase. Several species numbers are diminishing and are the subject of Biodiversity Action Plans. We can and should encourage their presence in many ways such as providing nesting and foraging opportunitites in our own gardens. Visit the Buglife Website for further details.
Artificial nest boxes come in a range of sizes and materials such as the one shown in the picture available from Ecotopia at a very reasonable price. Alternatively you could make your own from a simple design like the one shown on the right using garden pots or scrap bits of wood.
Download this Bumblebee Conservation Leaflet from English Nature to find out how simple it is to help protect and encourage this amiable and helpful creature to your garden.
If you can't find the information you need here, try the forum
Bumblebees are probably the most commonly noticed bees around our gardens and countryside due to their size and occurence. They differ from Honey Bees not just in size, shape and colouring, but also in their life history. Unlike the Honey Bee a new colony is created each year by a young fertilized queen that has over-wintered while the rest of her colony died off, emerging from hibrenation in some cozy place, gathering nectar and building a nest in a suitable location according to her species ready to accept her new family.
