the essentials in brief
- A Bumblebee nest insect lovers can also make their own from a flower pot
- A bumblebee's nest can't just be removed; in addition, the peaceful ones Bumblebees pose no danger to humans
- If the bumblebee's nest was built in an inconvenient location, it can be relocated by a specialist
Build a bumblebee nest yourself
Of course, you can also build a nesting site for bumblebees yourself. A wooden box in the manner of a bird's nest box is very easy to make, you will find numerous building instructions on the Internet. Depending on the species of bumblebee, the nesting aid should be designed a little differently. For bumblebees, Nabu also recommends the nesting box(€ 8.99 at Amazon *) dig into the ground and connect it to the surface via a pipe.
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A nesting aid for a bumblebee's nest from a flower pot is sometimes also recommended. However, according to the Nabu, it should be filled with nesting material. If the flower pot already contains filling material such as dry moss, grass, and soft, insulating dog or sheep wool, the bumblebees are more likely to adopt it as a home.
The Nabu advises against digging in the flower pot for bumblebees. Clay flower pots in particular can draw too much moisture in the soil and make it wet and uncomfortable for the bumblebees inside. Therefore, it is better to place a flower pot nesting aid in a dry place on a stone wall.
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The bumblebee's nest on August 9th, 2019. Pictures 2 to 4 show the last recordings in comparison. Within the last 15 days, new larval cradles have been placed on the old brood pit of already hatched bumblebees. The old brood warms are used as storage for honey (reflection of the light shows the liquid). There seems to be enough food. In the meantime, new breeding grounds have been acquired from the larval cradles. The baskets with the transparent lids (bottom center-right) will hatch shortly. When checking the nest, I still saw relatively few mites. On the video you can z. B. see a point wandering on the kabok in the upper left corner. The old Queen Lilly II is also still alive. She is (still) the largest bumblebee, which is watching the action in the top center right-hand corner. #bumblebee #worker #bumblebee worker # ackerhummel # bombuspascuorum #bombus # pascuorum # commoncarderbee #bumblebee # hummelhaus # hummelnest #nisthilfe #self-made #hummelkasten #bumblebee house #nist control
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Eliminate bumblebee nest
Basically, if you discover a bumblebee's nest in your garden or on the wall of your house, you should be happy. On the one hand, bumblebees are extremely valuable for the garden: they take on an important pollinator task true, are far more effective than honey bees and are similar to the pollination of early and late bloomers the end. On the other hand, with their plump, funny appearance and their deep hum, they are sympathetic and summery visitors.
The moderate size of the nests and the low level of aggressiveness of the animals also make them quite easy to come to terms with. It is also not that a bumblebee's nest stinks - stinging-voice nests that develop an unpleasant odor usually come from Hornets.
Remove yourself?
The independent removal or destruction of inhabited bumblebee nests is taboo. All species of the genus are strictly protected by the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Anyone who deliberately harms, traps or even kills the animals, or Destroying a bumble bee's nest that is still inhabited must expect high fines. You should not simply close the entrance for animal welfare reasons, but also because you will irritate the bumblebees to sting.
If you are concerned that children living in the household could be at risk from the bumblebee colony, you should compromise. There is certainly no harm in introducing children to the usefulness of bumblebees with proper guidance and caution. In order to prevent curious toddlers who are not yet well controllable with a bumblebee nest in the Garden soil come into contact, you can simply cordon off the corresponding area for the season.
It is usually not necessary to have a bumblebee's nest removed. In any case, because of their smaller colony size, less aggressiveness and less intense stings, they do not pose as acute a risk as large honeybee or wasp colonies.
If you absolutely want to have a bumblebee's nest removed, you have to obtain official permission and hire an expert because of the existing species protection. Anyone who can remove a bumblebee nest is, for example, a beekeeper or an employee of a local nature conservation association. The costs for this result from the effort required, which arises from the accessibility of the nesting site and the size of the colony. Normally you should expect around 100 euros.
You can also save the costs and effort because a bumblebee nest is not used for several years. So you don't have to worry that the place will be populated again by bumblebees in the following year. If you want, you can dig up an orphaned bumblebee nest in winter to prevent other insects from nesting there.
A bumblebee nest is usually not a threat
Relocate the bumblebee nest
A bumblebee nest should not be relocated without authorization, because they are under nature protection. So you have to hire a company to do the job, which consequently costs money. Therefore, ask yourself the question: is it really necessary to relocate the bumblebees? Bumblebees are extremely peaceful animals and often only sting when stepped on. When relocating, the bumblebees are sucked in, put in a nest box and released to another location. The whole thing takes several days to weeks. Does that sound awkward? It is. So think twice about whether it's worth the hassle and cost.
The genus of bumblebees
Zoologically, bumblebees belong to the family of real bees and are summarized under the funny generic name Bombus, which fits their character all too well. Within this genus there are around 70 different species in Europe, 36 of which are native to Germany. t
In the garden, the insects fulfill a very important pollinator task and are therefore primarily for Garden owners appreciate the fruits and vegetables such as zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, pumpkin or strawberries cultivate.
Digression
Bumblebees as pollinators
The way they are pollinated makes bumblebees interesting even for commercial fruit and vegetable growing. By creating shock-like vibrations when collecting nectar to shake the pollen out of the flower, the flowers of tomatoes, Strawberries and other economically relevant plants are particularly evenly and completely pollinated, resulting in symmetrical, good-looking Fruit leads. Whole bumblebee colonies are therefore increasingly being used as pollinators in greenhouse operations. Their resistance to cold, in turn, makes them attractive to help with pollinating early flowering plants.
| Art | Garden bumblebee | Earth bumblebee | Meadow bumblebee | Bumblebee | Tree bumblebee | Stone bumblebee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appearance | Light abdomen, black middle segment, a total of three yellow stripes on the back and abdomen, workers 11 to 16 mm long | Light yellow Earth bumblebee: Light abdomen, black middle segment, one yellow stripe each on the back and abdomen, workers 9 to 21 mm long; Large bumblebee: similarly colored, worker bees 11 to 17 mm long | Rear orange abdomen, black central segment, two yellow stripes, workers maximum 14 mm long | Reddish-yellow central segment, abdomen with many thin stripes in gray and black, workers 9 to 15 mm long | Middle segment rust-orange, black-grayish abdomen, workers 8 to 18 mm long | Very dark appearance: completely black with a red-orange abdomen, workers 12 to 16 mm |
| Nesting habits | Above or below ground, but mostly close to the ground: in abandoned mouse structures or bird nests, in stables or in attics | Underground in the moss, and herb layer, preferably in abandoned mouse dens | Predominantly above ground in hedges or stone crevices | Above or below ground in very variable habitats: in meadows, forests, close to people, gardens, parks. Nests in abandoned mice, bird nests or nesting boxes, in attics, in summer houses etc. | Above ground, e.g. B in abandoned bird nests, rodent burrows, crevices in the rock or in roof trusses, sheds, stables, etc. | Rather underground, according to the name, often under piles of stones or walls, but occasionally also in abandoned animal structures and bird nests or in stables in the straw |
| frequency | Very often | Relatively often | Moderately frequent | Frequently | Relatively often | Very often |
| Most important identifying features | Typical bumblebee appearance, three stripes | Typical bumblebee look, two stripes | Comparatively small | Softly shaded, gray-black striped pattern on the abdomen | Rusty brown, fluffy back | Overall dark in appearance, bright reddish-orange rear part |
Bumblebees and their life cycle
Bumblebees go through a similar annual cycle as honeybees or wasps. It can be roughly divided into the following stages:
1. The queen awakens from hibernation
2. Nest foundation and first egg-laying
3. Raising a herd of workers
4. Raising of sex animals and copulation
5. Withdrawal of the state
1. Queen awakening after hibernation
Bumblebees are early birds of the year. In contrast to honey bees or wasps, only the mated young queens overwinter with them. These awaken from theirs as early as February Numbness and set out to gather strength and look for a suitable place to found a state. This is possible because they are able to heat up their flight muscles through vibrations. As a result, queens can fly in frosty spring temperatures from 2 ° C and workers from around 6 ° C and not only from around 12 ° C like honey bees.
2. Nest foundation and first egg-laying
The young queen is after awakening from the Hibernation once busy looking for food. It can be found in the flowers of early bloomers such as willows or alders. The sweet pollen strengthens them and prepares them for their nesting task. To do this, bumblebees choose different places, sometimes underground, sometimes above ground, depending on the species. For example, many choose abandoned mice burrows in the ground, cavities in piles of stones, an old bird's nest or even a birdhouse.
Bumblebees work tirelessly
3. Raising a herd of workers
After forming the first brood cells, the queen lays the first eggs. From this, larvae hatch in the form of small maggots, from which the first workers develop after a direct supply phase by the queen and pupation. Similar to honeybees and wasps, these then take over the work of searching for food for the next clutch, while the queen spends the rest of her life in the nest. There she warms and feeds the growing larvae and lays new eggs until a sufficiently large base of workers is available.
4. Raising of sex animals and copulation
The first sex animals will be produced from July onwards. To do this, the queen stops the pheromone secretion, which has previously ensured that only workers are produced from the eggs. So now for the first time male animals and fertile young queens are forming. When these have grown into complete insects, they leave the nest to mate.
5. Withdrawal of the state
After mating, the bumblebee state dies off pretty soon. Workers and drones are no longer needed and perish while the mated young queens look for a place to hibernate. As a rule, a bumblebee's nest is orphaned by September.
Here again a detailed insight into the year of the bumblebee state:
Youtube
What does a bumblebee's nest look like?
In contrast to the nests of other colonizing stinging insects such as honeybees or wasps, bumblebees' nests are not constructs made of paper mache-like wood pulp. Anyone who discovers such typically balloon-like prey in a niche in the roof truss or in the shed, has it more with wasps, most likely with German or common wasps or with hornets to do. It is also these species that like to nest in roller shutter boxes, window frames, wood, under plaster or in compost heaps.
Places in the apartment and around the house that are frequented by people - such as areas near the window or the wall of the house, on the balcony or in the garage - are less for the more peaceful bumblebees delightful. If you choose nesting places close to people, it is more likely to be places in the masonry, in less frequented sheds, on haylofts, under the roof or in the birdhouse in the garden.
To build the brood cells and the outer shell, bumblebees also use largely different materials than wasps. The brood chambers are made of wax that they excrete from their abdomen. On the outside of the urn-shaped cell conglomerate, the animals put a protective and insulating outer layer of grass, moss, other plant fibers and hair, which they apply with wax and honey stick together. Since they are mostly in the ground, bumblebees' nests are usually not really recognizable as a complete, self-contained construct, but rather as a bird's nest-like cave. The moss and hair material on the round opening adds to this impression. The waxy brood chambers can be seen directly beneath the mossy bulge.
Bumblebee states are also typically smaller than honeybee or social wasp colonies. A bumblebee colony only has up to 50 to 600 individuals - the social wasp species that are frequently represented in this country can number up to 7000 animals per colony at the end of the season.
Let's summarize the most important distinguishing features of bumblebee nests:
- Mostly not recognizable as an externally closed construct, rather like a bird's nest
- Typical places are existing cavities, especially mouse structures, nesting boxes or niches in sheds or in the attic, in the hay
- Brood cells made of wax are sealed with an outer layer of moss, grass and hair that is glued with wax or honey
- Places such as roller shutter boxes, window frames, balconies, compost heaps or house walls are not typical of Hummel
- not as densely populated as wasp states, for example
Here you can watch the life and goings-on in a bumblebee's nest from the inside:
Bumblebees as popular figures
Bumblebees are valuable companions not only from a horticultural point of view. The fluffy, cozy humming animals also have a lot of potential for sympathy. This is partly due to their funny, cuddly appearance, but also due to their nesting habits. The rather small size of their peoples and the bird's nest-like, cozy style of their dwellings, in which they humming around each other, make the bumblebee's nest the namesake of many daycare centers and after-school care centers. Who hasn't come across a 'Kita Hummelnest' or a 'Hort Hummelnest' while driving through the city or looking for a childcare place for their offspring?
When it comes to cuddly toys, bumblebees and bees always like to represent the extended Stechimmen family. No wonder, because if they didn't have such a formidable sting on their abdomen, one would just like to cuddle the fluffy, brightly colored animals in real life ...
Bumblebees are also a small physical miracle: for a long time it was a mystery to science how they fly at all with their body and the relatively short wingspan can. Today we know that their wings generate air vortices and the necessary lift through a fast flapping frequency.
“Just fly like a bumblebee, even if you actually cannot fly according to the law of physics.” Ebo Rau, German doctor
frequently asked Questions
Are bumblebees dangerous?
With their plump stature, their fluffy hair and their leisurely way of moving about, bumblebees generally seem more harmless than the more agile bees or the nimble and aggressive wasps. And that's basically not a deceptive appearance. At least as far as the stitches are concerned. Bumblebees, like all real bees, belong to the stinging voices and have a stinging device with a poisonous bladder. However, they rarely use it and the effects are not as devastating as with their relatives for various reasons:
On the one hand, unlike honeybees, the sting does not stay in the due to the lack of barbs Puncture site and thus cannot get the entire contents of the poisonous bladder into it empty. Accordingly is a Bumblebee sting usually less painful and also less swelling. Often there is a small, reddened area with a white halo that is only moderately thick and does not hurt or itch particularly well.
But if the sting goes deeper and the bumblebee is not immediately removed from the puncture site, it can of course also more venom injected and pain, redness and itching similar to a bee or wasp sting fail.
Insect venom allergy sufferers must of course expect more violent reactions in the event of a bumblebee sting and, if necessary, call an emergency doctor.
Bumblebees are not aggressive in their stinging behavior. They only use their sting for defense in emergencies, especially when they feel constricted or their nest is attacked. Particularly with bumblebees is their extensive advance warning strategy, which still gives the attacker the opportunity to protect himself Withdraw in good time: Before really stabbing, first raise one middle leg in the direction of the Menace. If that doesn't help, the next warning level comes: Here the bumblebee lies on its back, stretches its stinger directly towards the attacker and hums loudly. Only if this warning does not get through is stabbed.
By the way: the drones, i.e. the male animals, do not have a pricking device in bumblebees.
How can you attract bumblebees?
Bumblebees are extremely valuable pollinators in the garden. Especially fruit and vegetable crops with zucchini, pumpkin, cucumber, strawberries, cherries or tomatoes benefit greatly from the hard-working fluffy insects. That, and of course their likable character, is enough reason to lure bumblebees into the garden.
The best way to do this is to create beds with decorative flowers, which bumblebees are particularly fond of. What they are flying at in the truest sense of the word are about Corn poppy, Phacelia (their common name is tellingly bumblebee flowers), species of clover (especially white clover, meadow clover or horn clover), adder head, Knapweed, Cornflowers, sunflowers, Nasturtiums, Monkshood, lupins, Hollyhocks or knight spur.
Basically, a bumblebee-friendly garden should be as natural as possible and free from insecticides and herbicides. This is essential if you want to welcome bumblebees. As a nesting aid, you can, for example, set up a nest box or create a decorative pile of stones. In the area of nesting aids, it makes sense to plant forage plants that bumblebees like to feed on.
