How I Learned To Relocate Bees And Love The Bombus
This time of year we get a lot of calls asking for help to deal with bumblebees. As the season advances the nest of bumbles has grown enough in population to become a lot more noticeable, or invasive if they are near doorways or pathways, in garden sheds, garages or compost piles that are inactive use.
Now bumblebees are pretty passive and will get defensive but it takes quite a bit messing with them to really get them going. Generally if you ignore them, they ignore you. Bumblebees being annual cycle species, wherever they set up they will be done and gone come the middle of October. So number one, live and let live is the best option for the bumbles.
Sometimes that’s not a viable option however. Small kids, pets, or those with venom allergies may not be comfortable with the situation to continue as is. However extermination still is not necessarily the only solution.
If the nest is accessible, we can remove it as a whole and relocate the colony to our maintained sanctuary. This allows the bees to keep producing viable queens for the following spring. Potentially 20 to 30 queens will form their own nests next spring, so preserving your bumblebee nest this year really helps out an endangered species the next.
There is a cost to this, as we ask for a small donation to help with fuel and time, with the remaining going to public education, conservation, and pollinator awareness. A professional exterminator will charge you up to and over 200.00 We ask for less than 50 bucks.
After the nest has been removed, or abandoned the crucial thing is to clean up the area the colony was located. Spring queens love old mouse or squirrel nests, piles of leaves, burlap, old insulation or newspapers to set up a home. If you provide the environment, they will oblige you.
Understanding bees is key to co-existing with them. Knowing their value and behavior can dispel the anxiety of them being in our space. If we truly cannot accommodate them then preserving them is a worthy endeavor. No bees, no food after all.
To discuss our relocation services please feel free to call us at 204-612-2337 anytime or find our other contact info here!