Determine the presence of bumblebee nests

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Guest, 28.07.2013 21:44

Is it difficult to determine if a bumblebee nest is located on a plot near a building? You need to mow the grass near the building (the grass is large), but you don't want to harm the bumblebees. Bumblebees sometimes noticed on the site. Will bumblebees living in an old mouse hole die if they step on the hole or the entrance itself? Will the bumblebees be able to dig their own way out of the ground if it turns out to be filled in?

Comments

30.07.2013 11:38, Роман Ракочий

That's the problem, I don't know. Maybe it's not there at all. Bumblebees on the site noticed. In the spring of large, now small (workers). How visible is the burrow? For example, how often do bumblebees fly there (in July-August)?

In my practice, bumblebee burrows are often marked randomly. I will also say that if you notice bumblebees on the flowers on your site, it does not mean that you have a burrow with a nest there. Working bumblebees have a fairly large flight radius, so the nest may be far away.
I advise you to do what you planned, and do not be afraid to destroy the nest, as it is underground. The mink is usually small and narrow. In July-August, foraging is extremely small. Some species have already completed their developmental cycle. If you step on it by accident (although this is unlikely), then nothing terrible will happen. But it will be better to do your work in the garden when there was no rain: the soil will be firm, the hole will not fall down just like that, if you have good luck

This post was edited by Roman Rakochy - 30.07.2013 11: 42

01.08.2013 10:39, Роман Ракочий

Do you mean that they rarely fly out of the hole? In general, how often do workers fly out (in what time interval does one worker fly in/out), when there is a large foraging load?

Yes, they rarely fly out of their burrows at this time already. Since my main interests are social wasps, I can't say for sure. I watched several nests, then in early June the foraging rate is about 5 bumblebees per minute, but this depends on the strength of the family, maybe much more.
If you see a lot of bumblebees, then the only way to find a nest is just to watch one bumblebee on a flower, and maybe if the burrow is not far away, it will fly up from the flower and you will see it land on the ground - that's where the burrow will be. You can do this several times with different bumblebees, so you have a better chance of tracking down the nest.