After many years

[gwh200]

I have my first flying insect nest. Thankfully it's not wasps, but bumble bees. They have eaten away a bit of soft mortar and hot into the cavity. After talking with a bee keeper, we are going to follow his advice and leave them alone. They are occasionally getting into the bathroom somehow, but earlier one hopped onto my hand and I let it out of the window. Apparently, we will get an increase in bee numbers,around august time. These will be drones, with no sting, who's only function is to fertilize the queens. Mrs GWH wanted me to remove a course of bricks and remove the nest. This was until she saw we can be fined up to £25000 for doing do as bumble bees are an endangered species. Gotta say though, the flowers and veg in the garden has never done so well.

[Calos]

I have my first flying insect nest. Thankfully it's not wasps, but bumble bees. They have eaten away a bit of soft mortar and hot into the cavity. After talking with a bee keeper, we are going to follow his advice and leave them alone. They are occasionally getting into the bathroom somehow, but earlier one hopped onto my hand and I let it out of the window. Apparently, we will get an increase in bee numbers,around august time. These will be drones, with no sting, who's only function is to fertilize the queens. Mrs GWH wanted me to remove a course of bricks and remove the nest. This was until she saw we can be fined up to £25000 for doing do as bumble bees are an endangered species. Gotta say though, the flowers and veg in the garden has never done so well.

Aye without Bumble bees we would pretty much either starve or run into a major food crysis, (ok exageration there) love to see them about though love to see them on my allotment, plenty around this year all crops doing very well.

They'll move on in their own good time anyway most likely.

peace
cal

[Alamo]

We had bumblebees take up residence in a bluetit nestbox fixed to the rear of the house a few years ago. I'd been wondering why we hadn't seen the bluetits coming and going that year but it seems that the bumblebees turfed them out. The bluetits have been back each year since though.

Social insects such as bees, ants and termites fascinate me and I've thought several times about getting a colony of honey bees in the garden.

Alan

[si tate]

Over the past 3 years we've had wasps nesting in our roof & had them removed which im glad because they are evil ba$tards, bees however are ok & i wouldn't mind them taking up residence.

[gwh200]

Wasps ARE sh1theads and should die horrible deaths. My bees seem to have gone to bed for the evening. They are ace. I will try to get a close up of one,when it's pollen laden.

[stormforce]

i don't mind bees but i don't want them nesting in the loft as we have 5 nest with house sparrows which have been coming back for the last 7 years.Its lovelly in the early mornings hearing the chicks calling and then the parents in and out the nest all day feeding them

[Mikero]

I had some bees take up residence in my compost bin last summer. They were fascinating to watch and my two little girls were really interested in them. I even came home one evening to find them playing with the bees.They had made a village for them and were picking them up with no fear whatsoever.They did get stung occasionally but they now understand the bees and have a great deal of respect for them. The wierdest thing though was when the bees decided to swarm and move on. I stood out in my garden as a huge cloud of them flew around me,sounding like a garden strimmer, and not once did I get stung. When we opened up the compost bin it was amazing as to how much they had built in only a couple of months. The only problem I can see if they have burrowed into a wall is that there will be a hell of a lot of wax left when they leave.

[gwh200]

Apart from the illegality of killing them, the advice was to wait till they go. The scent of rotting/dead bees is apparently like an irrisistable aroma for swarming bees. My bumble bees don't swarm..so I'm told. Around august time, new queens will leave the nest and fi d a place to hibernate. Iwill seal there entry hole up then.

[Mikero]

Sorry, forgot to say that the bees we had were honey bees. The compost bin therefore smelled quite pleasant after they left. Good luck with your 'visitors' anyway.

[Rustinho]

A guy I used to work with had a wasps nest in his garden once. He poured a gallon of petrol in it, dropped a match in and then legged it for the house.

It's one way of dealing with it I suppose.

When I had a wasps nest in the bathroom of an upstairs flat I was renting I just phoned the landlord and told him to sort it out. He got some pest controller in who smoked them out and removed the nest.

For the next two and a half years I lived there an amber coloured gooey wax leached out of the bathroom ceiling and was a nightmare to keep clean. Once I moved out it was someone elses problem. Gawd knows how you'd actually be able to cure it...

[che2318]

i would love to have beehives but i live in town.

my missus is on a farm but i dont think they would be keen on a beehive.

[PM0077]

i would love to have beehives but i live in town.

my missus is on a farm but i dont think they would be keen on a beehive.

I remember an article about a month ago on the bbc website (I think) apparently due to the decline of bees they were giving away plastic hives to encourage more people to get in to beekeeping in towns. Might be worth a look. You can't beat fresh honey on the comb.

[che2318]

I remember an article about a month ago on the bbc website (I think) apparently due to the decline of bees they were giving away plastic hives to encourage more people to get in to beekeeping in towns. Might be worth a look. You can't beat fresh honey on the comb.

ill have a look into that.


might have to twist the other halves arm to persuade her!

[gwh200]

I was watering the plants his mornng, and there must have been 50 bees in our honeysuckle bush. They weren't on the slightest bit interested in me. It was great to watch them.

[che2318]

I was watering the plants his mornng, and there must have been 50 bees in our honeysuckle bush. They weren't on the slightest bit interested in me. It was great to watch them.

they were probably too affraid of getting pee'd on...