How to move bumblebees?
gumby_ct
16 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (18)
ninjabut
16 years agogonefishin
16 years agoRelated Discussions
How to move bumblebees?
Comments (12)Here is some input from Iowa State: "Bumble bees are big, fuzzy insects recognized by almost everyone by their robust shape and black and yellow coloration. The common species are 3/4 inch in length or more. Like honey bees, bumble bees live in a colony where the adults care for the young (larvae) produced by a single queen. Bumble bee nests are small compared to honey bees, as each nest contains only a few hundred individuals. Also, unlike honey bees, a bumble bee nest is annual and is used only one year and then abandoned. Bumble bees may re-appear in the same area from one year to the next but they do not reuse an old nest. Bumble bee colonies are usually underground in a deserted mouse or bird nest though they are occasionally found within wall cavities or even in the clothes drier vent. In the spring, each new queen selects a nest site and starts a new colony. She lines the cavity with dry grass or moss and then collects pollen and nectar to produce a stored food called "bee bread." Her first brood of offspring, (5 to 20), will all be workers (daughters) who take over the colony responsibilities of nest enlargement, food gathering and storage, and feeding and caring for the larvae. The queen continues to lay eggs throughout the summer. By late summer, new reproductive males and females (kings and queens) are produced. These mate on the wing and the fertilized females move to hibernation sites in the shelter of loose bark, hollow trees or other dry, protected places to lie dormant through the winter. The males and workers still in the colony die with frost or the first hard freeze. If the vicinity of a bumble bee nest can be avoided, then leave them alone and wait for them to die in the fall as the preferred "management" option. Live-trapping bumble bees for relocation is not practical and covering the nest entrance does not usually solve the problem." http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/bbumbleb.html If the nest is indeed movable, my recommendation would be to do it on a dark, moonless night by disposable flashlight, and if you rouse the bees, throw the lit flashlight in one direction and run in the other, around and into your house through your unlit front door. Insects instinctively head for light. Wear heavy leather gloves and jacket, long pants, a hat and scarf and a mask. The cooler the night, the better; it will make the bees drowsy. Don't wait until dawn, as they will be getting up then. You would probably need to slip a thin board or thick cardboard under the bag to maintain the integrity of the nest, and just place the whole arrangement under a remote shrub or in some other inconspicuous corner. Try to match the lighting and amount of exposure they presently have so they don't bake to death or get flooded out. You may find, though, that your bees are actually in a tunnel under the clipping bag, and are just using that as an umbrella....See Morehow to encourage bumblebees to move?
Comments (1)You can't: you have to change the place.... burn it?...See Moremaking first long distance move- how to find moving companies?
Comments (28)Stax, I guess so (my current posting date says "last month")! However, I'm now adding a new thread asking for help/advice on my current move. As I said in my earlier post (5 posts up), my earlier move was done by myself using a rental truck. For my current move, in progress, I couldn't find a rental truck from any local rental companies (U-Haul, Penske, etc. My last one was Ryder, which no longer rents to individuals). So I decided to use a local moving company which advertises local and long distance moves. First mistake - I didn't read any reviews then and when I did yesterday, they were horrible! Anyway, like Dianne47, my move is fairly complex, from a house on Long Island to a new house in the wilderness of Northern NY. I wanted to avoid the movers reloading my stuff between trucks, so I specified a one-truck move, which they agreed to. I also have a piano which I am concerned about. They were very good on meeting their pickup time, but I was appalled that they came in a 24 foot Penske rental truck. There were three men, the driver (Ron) and two helpers. We had boxed most stuff into 24 boxes, mostly paintings (my wife is an artist). The first thing they loaded was the piano and, as they lifted it up, one leg fell off (not their fault). So they put the piano in the front of the truck, along with the leg. They carefully wrapped all the furniture and skillfully placed the pieces, along with the boxes in the truck and stabilized them with straps. The truck was 3/4 full. They said that they would deliver the next day. I agreed to pay them 1/2 then and the other 1/2 upon delivery. We drove up to our new house (a 6-hour drive), somewhat concerned that they would get there before we did, but that didn't happen. We waited the rest of the day and, so far, no show (yet - I am writing this the morning of the third day). When I called that afternoon, the company manager said they were in a meeting and would call me back. Several complications: 1. Google has my address mis-located, so I explained to the driver exactly where we lived and he said he understood. 2. For the final 30 miles of the trip, there is no cell service, except for in my town, where there is only Verizon, so I confirmed with the driver that he had Verizon, which he did. 3. They only accept payment via cash, certified check, or one of two phone payment apps which I don't use. So I paid the first half in cash and have enough for the final payment. 4. I have two entrances to my house, the piano and several other pieces of heavy furniture go into my basement - fortunately I have a walk-out basement with two rather large doors, reachable by a dirt driveway. The rest go on the main floor, which has a porch which can be driven up to via a different driveway. The paintings all go up to a loft, reachable by a ladder from the main floor. All of this was explained to the driver who said that it would be no problem. THIS IS WHY I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THE SAME DRIVER (AND TRUCK) MADE IT ALL THE WAY! Since the piano was the first in, it would be the last out, so the first unloading should be to the main floor and loft and the second around the back of the house to the basement entrance. So, I am sitting here waiting.......See MoreHow Do You Sell, Buy, Move Out, Move In, Close all at once
Comments (11)Sorry, but your question made me laugh- I just did the same thing moving 1200 miles with pets and a handicapped relative. We did purchase our new home (on a contingency) before the old one sold, so that was added stress, but it can be done. I did all my new house shopping online and bought sight unseen although local relatives did check it out and provided me with 100's of high resolution photos of every inch of the property. The key in my case was to get organized and stay that way. I had a notebook with sections "selling FL house", "buying KY house", "services FL", "services KY", "actual move" involving truck and car rentals and hotels and so on. Keeping all the phone numbers, FAX numbers, and notes in one place helped tremendously. We also did use a POD to store items while our old house was being shown, but unfortunately PODS did not deliver where we were moving, so I had to transfer all that stuff over to a rental truck when we were ready to go. I hired KY drivers to fly down to FL and drive my rental truck so the husband and I could each be free to drive a car- he drove with his Mom and I drove with the pets with separate hotels along the way to limit the stress. We had a weeks wait to get possession of our new home which we solved with a combination of hotels and relatives- I refuse to board my pets so this was my only option. It is a huge task- the only way I made it through was to look at one thing at a time- the storage stage, the selling stage, the closing stage, the moving out stage, the driving stage, the moving in stage etc. All at once it is simply too much to undertake but when you look at it one stage at a time it becomes manageable. Every time a step was completed I gained confidence in my planning and began to realize that it all just might work. We are now two weeks in our new home and still can't fathom how it all came together and worked in the end. So plan, plan, plan, stay organized, and be flexible to changes because problems will crop up. I have to say that selling the old house was 99% of the stress involved in the whole situation- once you see the light at the end of the tunnel in that regard everything else is easy. Relatively :)...See Moregumby_ct
16 years agogonefishin
16 years agoclockwork
16 years agoole_dawg
16 years agoclockwork
16 years agogumby_ct
16 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
16 years agoraisemybeds
16 years agogumby_ct
16 years agogumby_ct
16 years agocambse
16 years agogumby_ct
16 years agoKaren Pease
16 years agogumby_ct
16 years agoblueberrier1
16 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESSupport Bumblebees by Providing Forage in 3 Seasons
Bumblebees are fascinating and fun to observe foraging in gardens. Find out how to create a buffet for these fuzzy, charismatic bees
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Please Bumblebees by Planting Baptisia Lactea
Plant wild white indigo in central and southeastern U.S. gardens for its large white flower heads and early-spring interest
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESGreat Design Plant: Dwarf Blue Indigo Offers Carefree Beauty
Drought tolerant and a bumblebee magnet, spiky Baptisia australis may be the easiest plant you ever grow
Full StoryFLOWERS AND PLANTSPlant Baptisia Bracteata for Blooms Pollinators Will Love
Longbract wild indigo is great in dry soil, and its spring flowers attract butterflies and bumblebees
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIESGardening for the Bees, and Why It’s a Good Thing
When you discover how hard bees work for our food supply, you may never garden without them in mind again
Full StoryPRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: Let the Ants Come Marching In
Catch the decorating bug — or maybe even a whole colony of ’em — with accessories sporting cute versions of crawly critters
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESHummingbird or Moth? See Why You Want Clearwings Around
These fascinating moths may be helpful pollinators for your garden. Here’s how to coax them your way
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESLessons in the Rewards of Selfless Gardening
Let go of gardening for your own vision and watch the garden’s own true vision come forth
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES3 Ways Native Plants Make Gardening So Much Better
You probably know about the lower maintenance. But native plants' other benefits go far beyond a little less watering and weeding
Full StoryFALL GARDENING20 Favorite Flowers for the Fall Landscape
Vivid blooms and striking shapes make these annuals and perennials a delight in autumn gardens
Full Story
jbann23