Bees nests

[ideasguy]

I was weeding around a Penstemon last week and gathered up this handful of moss from the base. Thats a bit odd, I thought. Then I noticed the bees and beat a hasty retreat before they got angry
 I wasn't sure, so I returned later and poked the mass with a digging fork and disturbed what I later discovered was a honey comb (at least I think it is)
What does one do in such a situation? Can the nest be lifted and relocated elsewhere?

A few days later, I picked up a bag of decomposed leaves to mulch my Rhodos. More bees, and another nest.
I was clearing the bags from that area, so I carried that bag to the top of the garden and emptied it gently beside an Azalea, without scattering the contents.
I watched and seen the bees emerging and reentering.
When I went down to the original location, a few bees were buzzing around, very confused, looking for their home.
Would they meet up with the other members of the hive and find their way to the new location of the nest?

Almost forgot - there is another nest in an old compost heap. I was digging it in to parts of the garden, but now that part of the heap is out of bounds

I hear Bees are on the decline. I wonder if its because they have swarmed to my garden?

[Trevor Ellis]

Just read your post on bees George. Lucky old you having a garden full of bees! I doubt if the bees that weren't in the nest would find their way home. Were they honey bees? I used to keep some hives some years ago - wonderful creatures. When I introduced mine the garden really became alive. They used to feed on the longest avenue of lime trees in Europe the end of which was about a hundred or so yards from my home at the time and produced fantastic honey from them. Maybe if you need to move any in future try to do it after dusk when all the bees are in. That way, they might re-adjust their directional apparatus to the new location O.K as they emerge the following day. I'd give bees a home any day!

Cheers,

Trevor

[newplantguy]

You are very lucky, each year in my garden I have three plants that the bees just will for, a Ceanothus Concha, Lonicera Graham Stewart- Thomas and two Eryngium - Jos Eijking and Big Blue. The Eryngiums are always covered the bees seem to get drunk on these.
This year though I'm sure there are not as many as in previous years, there are also less of the Bumble Bees.
We all should plant more Bee friendly plants.
So keep your bees if you can George.
Paul.

[ideasguy]

I delayed replying to Trevor until I did a "rain check".

The first nest in the compost heap has been untouched.
The second nest which I disturbed at the base of a Penstemon 'White Bedder' is "refurbished". I see lots more moss!

The third nest which I "relocated" is still inhabited and I see activity.
It was in a bag of leaves which I had saved for dressing my Rhodos - and I relocated them by sliding the contents out of the bag around my precious Azalea (the one I asked Paul about how to go about submitting it for trials as a new plant).
Today I looked, and saw a bee emerging from the entrance. Then I noticed a moving mass close beside it!
Thought at first it was a mouse under some leaves, but no, it appears to be the bees - one emerged!

So, bees are happy. Me? I'd prefer if they were next door 

[Trevor Ellis]

As a matter perhaps of passing interest to anyone who happens to get stung by a bee or wasp (which are much worse I always think). My daughter, who at the time was just starting to independently toddle around the garden, had somehow found her way into the area where I kept my hives and we found her poking her finger into a hive entrance and was in the midst of a mass of rather irritated bees. I took about thirty stings out of her head (being careful of course not to squeeze the venom sac whilst doing so. Immediately I applied a tiny spot of tincture of pyrethrum (a homeopathic preparation available from chemists )to each of the sting locations. Then as a precautionary measure took her off to casualty for a check up. I almost thought that the doctor who saw her doubted the story since she was in no pain at all and it was difficult to see any evidence of the stings. For anyone concerned about being stung, it may well be worth having some to hand. Chemists do sell a 'sting cream' containing pyrethrum but I prefer the tincture which is a clear liquid in a very small glass dispensing container. One tiny drop suffices.
Having said all this, bees really don't sting unless they feel threatened, after all, they do die (wasps don't of course) as a result of their defensive actions and they are far more interested in gathering than stinging.
Sadly, these wonderful creatures, vital to our own survival, are themselves endangered and deserve all the help that we can give them. As Paul observed, bumble bees are scarce this year and of course there's a shortage of honey bees too.

Regards,

Trevor

[NightHawk]

Thanks for posting that important bit of information Trevor.

In the past few days we've noticed that Bumble Bees have started to nest in the rear garden extension to our house.

They've managed to find a small gap at the end furthest from the house under the guttering.

We made quite sure that they were Bumble bees by getting a close look just underneath the area in question.  As we weren't interfering with them directly, they just flew in and out unconcerned.

Being completely aware of the impact being caused by their reduced numbers countrywide, we have left them to their own devices, happy in the knowledge that we are doing our bit to help in their conservation.

Laurie.

[ideasguy]

  Hope mine stay outdoors Laurie!

Thanks indeed for that tip about Bee stings, Trevor.
RE:

being careful of course not to squeeze the venom sac whilst doing so

Please explain a little more about that
 
RE:

they do die (wasps don't of course) as a result of their defensive actions

Havent heard that since I was a kid. I thought that was a tale to make a child feel better after being stung!

Wasp stings are really nasty! I can vouch for that

[Trevor Ellis]

You asked for more info re. the venom sac George.

When a bee stings, the stinger, which remains in whoever is stung until it's removed, has a small sac at the outer end of it which contains the venom. The bee doesn't sting willingly since it's rather like pulling it's own guts out ( sorry to be so blunt but that's what it's like) and it dies as a result. If you pull the sting out and squeeze the sac whilst doing so, you simply inject even more of the venom. You have therefore to remove the stinger below the sac i.e. in between the point of insertion and the sac. A pair of fine pointed tweezers is ideal. Otherwise push/scrape the stinger out with something like a knife blade or a finger nail ensuring that you don't squeeze the small sac at the outer end of the stinger.

Without wishing to cause any alarm, some people are allergic to bee & wasp stings. This is called anaphylaxis and is a severe or even life threatening allergy in rare cases. I've experienced this. My former wife was allergic. I arrived home from work one day to find her lying on a sofa almost unable to speak. I thought that she'd had a stroke or something. She had no fear of bees and would go into a hive without protection and had never been stung - until that day. I rushed her to hospital and she recovered ok but it was severe. It didn't diminish her love of bees though but from then on she wore protective gear. I'm talking here about being in the midst of thousands of flying bees mind - not the odd few in a garden. If, after a bee sting the person has difficulty breathing, or experiences dizziness, it's best to get medical help asap.
 
Without pyrethrum tincture or cream handy, maybe rubbing with a dock leaf where a stinger has been removed might help.
Stings are rare though, and I personally just love to watch and listen to them at their work. They are really wonderful creatures and we are dependent on them more than many people realize.

Should anyone be interested in helping bees, it's worthwhile contacting the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Stirling. Members get a regular newsletter, and emails. They also send out other information where we can all help in some way to conserve and help them.

The following links might be useful:
www.bumblebeeconservation.org
membership@bumblebeeconservation.org
enquiries@bumblebeeconservation.org
beewatch@bumblebeeconservation.org

Trevor

[Trevor Ellis]

Being completely aware of the impact being caused by their reduced numbers countrywide, we have left them to their own devices, happy in the knowledge that we are doing our bit to help in their conservation.

Laurie.

That's great Laurie. You might be interested in the links that I've just posted re. the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Regards,

Trevor

[NightHawk]

Thanks for those links Trevor - very useful indeed.

Let's hope this topic helps to raise the awareness, not only for our members but others who are reading this, about the importance of protecting our bees - Honey Bees and Bumble Bees.

Preservation of their habitat and their nest sites are VERY important.

Laurie.