Anyone know anything about bees?

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

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It looks like we have bees nesting in our house. (Not inside, as far as I can see but where the wall meets the roof - must be a slight gap around there somewhere.)

Environmental services say they won't come for bees. Apparently beekeepers might come and take away honeybee hive but I reckon, going by online pictures, ours are bumblebees.

I'd rather not exterminate them. If anyone knows a good way of 'chasing' them away I'd prefer not to have to worry about going outside in case they do the unlikely and think I'm a threat.

Apparently the colony will die in the autumn but that could mean another three-to-five months of them being in the house.
 
Aren’t bumblebees protected? Please don’t kill them if they are ( any kind of !) bees - we don’t have enough of them left... and I’m pretty sure bumble bees are quite placid usually.

I reckon your best bet is to find a friendly local beekeeper - though im sure I read that a lot of the time when they land they are only resting rather than actually nesting - and bumblebees don’t normally swarm I thought?

Please keep us updated - I love bees, they are the only ones with the decency to die if they sting you!

Edited to add - found this, might help a bit? https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bee-faqs/bumblebee-nests-frequently-asked-questions/


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We have them this summer under our shed. They are in and out all day but don't bother us although our puppy is very interested in them.
 
There's a lot of bumblebees around this year, including a good number of the usually scarce red-tailed species. Nice, particularly as the poor old honeybee continues to struggle

Babbitty Bumble is much less aggressive than honeybees and wasps, and will only sting if the nest is disturbed or if a concerted effort is made to annoy an individual

I'd put up with them and feel rather proud they've chosen to take up temporary residence with you, as I do the Housemartins who nest in the eaves and sh1t all over the brickwork, windows, pavement and on one occasion, my head: a pain but a pleasure to have them here
 
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Thanks for the replies. Having read into it a bit more we accept that we've no real need to worry and will just have to 'enjoy' their company until the colony dies, if that's what happens, or abandons the nest.

I haven't killed one since I was a kid and was told they won't sting unless they feel threatened so I'm usually happy to watch them go about their buzziness (sorry). I just wasn't sure about large numbers of them and there are two small kids next door.

I've also read that bumblebees can multiple-sting whereas honeybees die if they sting once.

Last year I had to rescue a blue tit chick who had got to ground inside my garage without being able to fly. I knew where the nest was (in the eaves) and left the chick within sight of the nest. Soon enough the parents came along and took turns at feeding the chick but after about half an hour a big bastartin magpie came and swooped the wee fella away, hotly pursued by a host of blue tits. Nature at its rawest in the leafy surroundings of a rural market town. I was close to tears.
 
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I was most miffed at the sparrows chasing off the housemartins that used to nest in my eaves.

It would seem that UK xenophobia isn't confined to people.

******* BNP sparrows!
 
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My neighbours and I have found we are jointly hosting a bee's nest this year. The entrance to it is where the wall meets the roof, right on the dividing line between the two houses. There's no problem, the bees must have already been there quite a while before we even noticed them.
 
So far so good for us. The numbers don't seem to be on the up and they're pretty much confining themselves to themselves.
 
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