Bumble Bees

Scientific name - Bombus app.

About Bumble Bees

Bumble bees have round, furry bodies with black and orange coats and a bumbling flight, making them easy to identify. They are approximately ¾ inch in size and do not live in hives. The 'queen' hibernates over winter then will look for a suitable nesting site in spring (such as old bird's nest, compost heap etc), where she will raise her offspring. Each nest consists of a large queen together with female worker bees and tiny male or drone bees. Only queen and worker bumble bees sting.

Biology

A bumble bee colony never amounts to more than a few hundred individuals and does not swarm. During late summer and autumn, fully fertile male and females are produced which mate. The fertilised females hibernate until the following year while the remainder die in the cold weather.

Control

Bumble bees are relatively harmless and normally don't sting unless threatened. They are valuable to the environment as pollinators.Therefore Englewoods Environmental DOES NOT PROVIDE any pest control for bees. Most enquiries may be referred to a local bee keeper who may charge for the removal of a swarm.