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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Lloyd Spear <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 25 Jan 1999 11:37:10 -0500
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"We are from Albuquerque, NM, USA and have a nest of beautiful black and
yellow ground bees (we call them bumble bees).  They love the orange
trumpet vine in our courtyard and we don't want to kill them.  We just
want to move them a bit further away from the back door."
 
Hmmm...if these are really bumble bees, it is unlikely that they will be in
the same place next year.
 
I am not certain of your climate, but I think it is pretty cold during the
winter.  If so, you almost certainly have a species of bumblebee that does
not overwinter (there are many, many species of bumblebees).
 
In temperate climates all bumblebees but the queen die during the winter.
The queen goes into a state of something like hibernation, and overwinters
in debris (leaves, twigs, pine needles, etc.) on top of the ground.  In
spring she comes back to life and searches for a cavity for a nest.  Mouse
cavities are frequently chosen.  It is said she rarely occupies a nest from
a previous year, and there is speculation that is an adaptation to minimize
disease.
 
She raises the first batch of larvae to adult on her own, i.e., with no
help.  As she had the entire job, the first adults are quite small.  After
the first batch, she only lays eggs and the adults take over the jobs of
feeding, tending the nest, etc.  As the larvae are better fed, they grow
into larger bees, which is why the jumbo bumblebees are found in late summer
and fall.
 
So, you are unlikely to have the bumblebees so close to your house
again...or at least in the same spot!
 
Lloyd
Email [log in to unmask]
Owner, Ross Rounds(tm), the finest in comb honey production.
http://www.rossrounds.com

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