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Barnyard Buddies:  Bumblebees  |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1507 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1507 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 05 2011 : 7:12:48 PM
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Does anyone else have native Bumblebees nesting on their property?
Today I discovered some have taken up residence in an old Starling nest in my attic. They aren't causing any harm so I'm going to let them stay until they die out in the fall.
It's so fun to watch them buzz in and out of their hole. It's right above my herb garden, so they spend lots of time on the flowers there. I love watching my honey bees at our garden property, so this is going to be fun to have bees at home this summer, too!
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
Edited by - edlund33 on Jun 06 2011 06:23:29 AM |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2011 : 07:04:44 AM
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I don't have a nest, Marylin, but there are a whole BUCH of bumblebees that gather pollen from my antique lilac... I don't know what their lifespan is, but every spring there's one in particular that loves to "greet" me by the back door and just hover as if it's talking to me - or daring me to open the door - I haven't decided which... (I like to go with the more friendly conclusion, though! LOL!) If it's not the same one every year, well, I'll just be darned, because it never fails every year that the "same one" does the same thing! I love them, though, I really, really do! :) Have fun observing! Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
www.papercraftingwithnini.myctmh.com
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2011 : 08:04:59 AM
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My Lilac bushes where filled with the biggest bumble bees I had ever seen on Sunday. There were so many that the branches where hanging over with the weight of this big guys. I backed away and did not wish to get too close to take a picture because I am deadly allergic to their stings so I just looked from the kitchen window in awe...
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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Turtlemoon
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
378 Posts
Tanya
Port Orchard
Washington
USA
378 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2011 : 09:57:35 AM
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how cool! Not sure where ours nest but they are all over as well with all the trees and bushes coming into bloom. I love to watch their bumbling bodies!
Raggedy Ann stuck in a Barbie Doll World
FarmGirl#1737
http://www.etsy.com/shop/moonhonu |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1507 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1507 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2011 : 9:52:20 PM
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I've noticed alot more Bumblebees this year than in the recent past. The family that is sharing my house adores my Lilacs, Weigela and Peonies in the back yard, too. I planted some Red Clover cover crop in one of our plots at the garden property last fall. It's just beginning to bloom and today there were literally hundreds of Bumblebees bobbing around. So were my honey bees and they all seemed to get along together just fine. Have never seen so MANY bees in one 20 x 20 area before! And the flowers are gorgeous, too!
I did some more research on the lifecycle of Bumblebees today. Unlike honey bees, only the queen Bumblebee survives the winter. The workers, drones and older queens die at the end of the season. (Nini I'm still not sure if queens live longer than one season or not, though) Young queens find a place to burrow in the ground to hibernate through the winter. In the early Spring they emerge, find a place to nest and begin collecting pollen and nectar to feed their young. They care for the first batch of offspring themselves until they mature and can take over the feeding and foraging responsibilities in the nest. Each queen produces approximately 100-200 offspring in a season. Near the end of the season the queen lays eggs which become drones and queens. The young queens leave the nest to mate and then burrow themselves away for the winter.
Evidently it is possible to raise bumblebees in nest boxes that resemble a bird house. Here is a link to more info about it if you are interested:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/54280500/BumbleBeeRearingGuide.pdf
I had no idea this was even possible but it would sure be fun to try! I also read that Bumblebees do not lose their stinger and die after the first sting, so they can sting a predator reapeatedly if they or their nest are threatened. Nonetheless they are touted as the gentlest of bees unless they are disturbed.
I hope you all have fun watching your bees buzzing around for the rest of the summer!
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Jun 06 2011 : 11:53:32 PM
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I LOVE bumblers! I'm allergic as well Grace, but I've still always been fond of them =)
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2011 : 03:30:22 AM
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This may sound dumb, but I didn't know they even HAD stingers they're so gentle! I've had them in quite precarious situations before where other bees probably would've stung me (Squished under hands and whatnot) and they haven't stung. I guess I was just a receiver of their gentleness. I like watching them as well. :) We get HUGE ones here in KY. Probably an inch or so long.
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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Turtlemoon
Farmgirl Legend Schoolmarm
378 Posts
Tanya
Port Orchard
Washington
USA
378 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2011 : 07:50:54 AM
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lol, also allergic. Funny how so many of us still love them even though they can do us quite the harm! :)
Raggedy Ann stuck in a Barbie Doll World
FarmGirl#1737
http://www.etsy.com/shop/moonhonu |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2011 : 09:39:39 AM
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I think it's just because they're so brightly colored and fuzzy looking... like wee teeny cute stuffed toys! LOL!
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
www.papercraftingwithnini.myctmh.com
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Jun 07 2011 : 6:53:24 PM
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I used to have a dog who would stalk, kill, and EAT bumblebees and he apparently never got stung! I had one get in my kitchen once and it was flying around, sort of dazed, so I got it on the end of a broom and took it outside. I've never known anyone to be stung by a bumblebee.
cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead O'Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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Room To Grow
True Blue Farmgirl
974 Posts
Deborah
Kingston
Georgia
USA
974 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 2:01:28 PM
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We have bumblebees and we are just letting them do there thing. I havent seen any honeybees in a few yrs. Not sure why but I am just quessing...to many GMOs...So the bumblebees do wht the honeybees did...pollinate
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1507 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1507 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 7:06:17 PM
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I love the story about your dog prairiehawk! We had a cat that used to stalk bees too, but I don't think he went so far as to eat them.
Bumblebees will sting but they have to be very threatened. My crew sometimes encounters defensive bees if they are mowing or stringtrimming near a hive opening. But they are far more mellow than honey bees for sure!
I haven't noticed many bumblebees in the past few years either. But for some reason this year they are extremely abundant around here. Today "my" bumblebee family is busy checking out the new flower baskets I hung up this morning.
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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CMac
True Blue Farmgirl
1074 Posts
Connie
Ashland City
TN
USA
1074 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 7:22:20 PM
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Yep, more bumble bees here than usual too. They also seem to be bigger. Our big dogs eats them too. But first he does a lot of playing with them and barking.
I think he actually grins when he eats them!
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 7:24:15 PM
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Marilyn:
Last year we had a hive in one of the hallow cypress trees. However, not thinking, we would burn our trash below the tree. The bees eventually left because of the smoke. I enjoyed watching them come and go.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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Barnyard Buddies: Bumblebees |
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Bumblebees
