[wee-willy-winky]

hi all

last year i had the good fortune of having a bumble bee's nesting in my shed down the bottom of my garden.
i took pro advice and let them do their thing all summer long
it was very interesting to see them working away and not bother me ever...
the only thing i could not use that part of the shed where they were nesting...
so the plan was to move in the winter and hope they will do well in where iam going to site the nest,

i have an old rotting ash tree with a very large hole in the middle, from root to top,,,termites
i was thinking of digging them in to the roots inside the tree
cover with some old wood to let the nest breath and a small bore hose to let the bee's in and out
then cover with my old compost rich in biobizz nute's, to about 1 foot deep

thats my plan for today
any ideas ?

winky \o/

[leroy]

there must be some 'bee keepers' club type thing you could phone and ask for advice

[ripthedrift]

wee-willy-winky, on Jan 16 2011, 12:36 PM, said:

hi all

last year i had the good fortune of having a bumble bee's nesting in my shed down the bottom of my garden.
i took pro advice and let them do their thing all summer long
it was very interesting to see them working away and not bother me ever...
the only thing i could not use that part of the shed where they were nesting...
so the plan was to move in the winter and hope they will do well in where iam going to site the nest,

i have an old rotting ash tree with a very large hole in the middle, from root to top,,,termites
i was thinking of digging them in to the roots inside the tree
cover with some old wood to let the nest breath and a small bore hose to let the bee's in and out
then cover with my old compost rich in biobizz nute's, to about 1 foot deep

thats my plan for today
any ideas ?

winky \o/

Bumble bees are protected an on the danger list, very gentile. rarely sting, in the last 70 years 2 types have become extinct and many under great pressure

the Tree thing is a good idea as is the old wood, the old compost might not be such a good idea there very very sensitive to there environment unless its been back through composting process

But if there happy where they are then leave them to there own thing unless they bug you ....still prepare the stump ect ..... thats a good idea for other insects ...if the bees wants to move in they will

...............

[wee-willy-winky]

job done

the nest has been relocated to the roots of the tree
inside a wooden box and covered with compost
i put in two hose pipes comming from the nest to either side of the tree
the reason for doing two pipes is, one in and one out sorta thing
so the bee's can choose what suits them, one facing west and one east
both pointing downwards so the rain dont get into the pipe / nest.

so i hope they like their new home as it was real good fun seeing them come and go last year
if they stay? . i have pole position on the patio with a few joints to sit and watch them this year on a sunny afternoon
roll on the summer

winky \o/

[Matt 08]

wee-willy-winky, on Jan 16 2011, 03:42 PM, said:

job done

the nest has been relocated to the roots of the tree
inside a wooden box and covered with compost
i put in two hose pipes comming from the nest to either side of the tree
the reason for doing two pipes is, one in and one out sorta thing
so the bee's can choose what suits them, one facing west and one east
both pointing downwards so the rain dont get into the pipe / nest.

so i hope they like their new home as it was real good fun seeing them come and go last year
if they stay? . i have pole position on the patio with a few joints to sit and watch them this year on a sunny afternoon
roll on the summer

winky \o/

Sounds like your some bee expert. Well done.

[farmer boy]

if you could have found a redundent rabbit hole you could have put them down there and put a few handfulls off leafs in the entrance

peace out farmer boy

[wee-willy-winky]

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i got a pic of the nest before i buried it
i tried not to disturb them when moving them

winky \o/

[demux]

did you see any when moving or where they all sleeping?

[wee-willy-winky]

demux, on Jan 22 2011, 04:46 PM, said:

did you see any when moving or where they all sleeping?

i did see some dead ones, well they looked dead
also a few black egg's
all were left alone, and i done my best not to disturb them

but time will tell
lets see what spring brings us

winky \o/

[rob1484]

Nice one willy!
Hope everything works out for you & the bees.
keep us posted in the spring!