Bees in the compost bin

[ferrit worrier]

Yesterday I spotted quite a large number of bees flying around the compost bin in the garden

compost bin

this evening Mrs FW and I were discussing the Bees she sad she'd seen as very large one with a red mark on it. not wishing to disturb them if they are looking to nest etc I'm not bothered by the Bees as I get them in the garage quite a lot in the summer, it's the wasps I can't be doing with
The little bees I saw yesterday were more like red tailed Bumble Bee Bombus lapidarius while Mrs FW says those she saw today were more like the tree Bumble bee Bombus hypnorum

I don't want to lift the lid of the compost bin which at the moment is full of fresh grass cuttings, We can well do without the use of the bin for the summer so it's not a problem. Whats the best plan of action ? leave them "Be" no pun intended the front of the bin has quite a bit of Spiders web round it, one of the little fellows got caught in it is it worth brushing the web away. they appear to be using the gap between the wall and the top for access

access gap

any advice will be most welcome.

Malc

[thirdcrank]

Some identification tips and info here

https://www.bbka.org.uk/swarm

[ThePinkOne]

If it's tree bees they will be gone by the end of July once the next generation is raised.

We had a nest in the eaves a year or two back, they were no bother, the drones flying the guard pattern outside the nest were fascinating to watch.

TPO

[ferrit worrier]

If it's tree bees they will be gone by the end of July once the next generation is raised.

We had a nest in the eaves a year or two back, they were no bother, the drones flying the guard pattern outside the nest were fascinating to watch.

TPO

Mrs FW did say that when the "Big" Bee appeared at the entrance it was accompanied by a number of smaller bees that took off with her ( I'm assuming it was the queen ) as a sort of guard.

[ferrit worrier]

Some identification tips and info here

https://www.bbka.org.uk/swarm

Nice one TC I've sent the link on to Mrs FW it'll give a bit of bed time reading

Cheers

Malc

[francovendee]

Unless they're a danger I leave all bees alone. When our house was just a holiday home it was left shuttered up for long spells, after one such period we arrived to find a big nest between the window and the shutter. It was very interesting to watch. A neighbour rang a local beekeeper who took them away and gave us a large jar of honey.
We get lots of carpenter bees when the Wisteria is in flower. They were quite alarming at first, very buzzy and large but in 15 years weve never been stung and look forward to their arrival.
Although this year the Wisteria had it's usual mass of blooms the number of bees was less.

[thirdcrank]

I dug out the beekeepers www because in the past, local beekeepers have been invaluable in helping with reports of swarms be it bees or wasps. I think the attitude of those who turned out to assist was to take the rough with the smooth: in return for dealing with wasps they often got a welcome swarm of honey bees. That was ages ago, of course, and in an urban area where travelling distances were not great. And I think bee swarms were more common. Perhaps it's just a memory of summers long ago.

[Lance Dopestrong]

Time to move house.

[pwa]

I'm glad to hear about all this tolerance of bees going on. Personally, I had a wasp nest in the attic last summer, I left them alone, blocked up the entry and removed the nest in the winter when they were gone, and nobody was stung or bothered in any way.

[Bonefishblues]

If it's tree bees they will be gone by the end of July once the next generation is raised.

We had a nest in the eaves a year or two back, they were no bother, the drones flying the guard pattern outside the nest were fascinating to watch.

TPO

Mrs FW did say that when the "Big" Bee appeared at the entrance it was accompanied by a number of smaller bees that took off with her ( I'm assuming it was the queen ) as a sort of guard.

Bees flying in formation you say? I think they were Baltic Bees:

http://www.aeroresource.co.uk/operation ... -jet-team/

[ferrit worrier]

If it's tree bees they will be gone by the end of July once the next generation is raised.

We had a nest in the eaves a year or two back, they were no bother, the drones flying the guard pattern outside the nest were fascinating to watch.

TPO

Mrs FW did say that when the "Big" Bee appeared at the entrance it was accompanied by a number of smaller bees that took off with her ( I'm assuming it was the queen ) as a sort of guard.

Bees flying in formation you say? I think they were Baltic Bees:

http://www.aeroresource.co.uk/operation ... -jet-team/

Manchester Airport us only a few miles away perhaps they could give them a buzz

[ferrit worrier]

Mrs FW and I have just spent a good half hour watching the Bees ducking and diving around the compost bin. referring to TC's link they are definitely Tree Bees. we found one that didn't make it.

there are usually four hovering around the entrance and the workers nipping in between them. There are some that are bigger than the drones or workers and are possibly Queens although I don't know if the colony will support more than one queen. It might be the same one "poping out of the back door" we're leaving the compost bin alone till they've departed, then I'll have a nosey and see what they've been up to.