# Bumblebee nest remains



## Tom G. Laury (May 24, 2008)

*Apis Bombulus*

The fertile females disperse from the nest and overwinter as ( solitary ) individuals.


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Usually burrowed into soft soil or leaf litter. My attempt at overwintering a few queens:


http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214543&highlight=bumblebee


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

BjornBee said:


> This shows about how big the nest was, or at least what was still there.


Was there any waxmoth damage?


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Michael Palmer said:


> Was there any waxmoth damage?


No. The bumblebee nest was in a deadout that had alot of wax moth damage from the fall before. But I can't really say that any wax moths messed with the nest itself. The nest did look like a mouse rooted around after they hatched out.


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## Eaglerock (Jul 8, 2008)

Has anyone ever kept bumble bees as we do honeybees? I am not sure one could, but I have never even though of it until Bjorn brought it up.

>Do bumblebees overwinter in the summer location and maintain cells or a brood nest? Or do the bumblebees hatch out and they seek places to bury themselves in old logs etc.

I always wondered about that and even, not that I care, but bees like white faced hornets, wasps, ect., what do they do to come back and make my life a living heck when I mow or garden. Yellow Jackest live in the ground, so I assume they winter there.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Yellow jackets can winter in the South. In the North it's like bumble bees, only the queens survive the winter and they bury themselves in the dirt.


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## Keith Benson (Feb 17, 2003)

Overwinter is one word for it . . .

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060717/NEWS/607180308/1007/9112002

http://litwc.com/2006/07/17/gigantic-yellow-jacket-nests-turning-up-in-south-alabama/

http://rescuebugblog.typepad.com/rescue_bugblog/2006/07/supersized_yell.html

Wild stuff.

Keith


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## dcross (Jan 20, 2003)

Apparently shb can infest them as well: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118596514/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0


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## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

*BUMBLEBEE QUEENS EMERGE in early spring,*

http://wildgardeners.blogspot.com/2007/04/bumblebees-part-1-bumblebee-lives.html

BUMBLEBEE QUEENS EMERGE in early spring, sometimes as early as February, from holes in the ground called *hibernacula.* They then start looking for food. A good food source for queen bumblebees in early spring is the pollen from willows (Salix spp.). However, if there are nectar-producing plants in bloom, they will visit these too.

Regards,
Ernie


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