A Guide to Bumble Bee Rearing

Tips for capturing a bumble bee queen, feeding your bees, and rearing a successful hive are discussed.

[@SeanRhoadesChristopher]

You might want to mention that to feed the bees without getting stung, it helps to do it in darkness with a red light, as the bees are calm and blind in darkness as well as blind to red light.

[@SPQR-Z]

This is a pretty good instruction video. I've pretty much done this process and it works. After you set it up in a few days the queen gets "broody" and settles into nest making. I put a wood divider with a hole in it to divide the nest box, put the food on one side and the nesting material on the other. When the nest expands and there are 10 or so workers I remove the divider so the nest can grow. After you setup the box and the queen has built a small nest you can move the box out into an area of the yard where it won't get disturbed or be a hazard. Keep feeding until there are several workers, then you can stop and remove the entrance block. The workers will forage for the colony after that. Typical life of a colony is late March to early Sept but allot depends on what part of the country you live in. Farther north the timing would be different from the southern regions. Best time to capture a Queen is right after they emerge from hibernation early spring. You see them cruising around the yard, looking into holes and under clumps of grass. As mentioned, those that are collecting nectar and pollen already have a nest started somewhere. The ones flying around looking for a nesting site are the ones to capture and start a Bumblebee colony. By late summer new queens and males are raised in preparation for next year. The original colony will die out by early fall. The new queens will have mated and found a place to hibernate until next spring when the cycle repeats. Clean out your old nest box real well and don't reuse the nesting material. Throw it all away because it is full of parasites like wax moth larva and bee mites. This is a great little science project to do with your kids, just watch it because bumblebees do sting and will come after you.

[@demchenkoyaroslav4382]

evan h How long and where you kept the box with the queen before opening the entrance?

[@SPQR-Z]

You can keep the box inside your house or garage.Keep it in a quiet location and covered for darkness. Don't bother her except to add food and nectar. I catch the queens in very early spring when they first start flying. In my area it's late March or early April. You can see them searching around the yard, going into clumps of grass or under things lying on the ground. They are looking for a nesting site, like an abandoned mouse nest. They can smell these old mouse nest. After you capture your queen, install her into the nesting box and start feeding her. She will settle down and become broody. That is get into nesting mode, just like a chicken. You will notice this after a few days and soon afterwords you will notice she has started a small honey pot and a brood cell. She will lay eggs & continue to care for the first larva for a few days then seal them into the cell. She will continue building cells and honey pots. In about 20-22 days the workers will start hatching out. After a few workers have hatched out that is generally when I move it outside to the location I have selected. Since the workers are smaller than the queen you can put a reducer in the entrance hole that will allow only the workers to come and go but not let the queen out. My success rate is about 75%. I start 3 or 4 colonies and usually end up with 2-3. Make your box two rooms. A small room for the food and a larger room for the nest. Upholstery cotton works the best. Good luck.

[@demchenkoyaroslav4382]

evan h Thanks.

[@isaki82]

+evan h hello evan h can you to send me more information for food please./

[@Hobbitfan23]

bumblebees dont sting ! at least european ones dont

[@ShortFuseFighting]

i know this is incredibly stupid but...i wish they were as big as a guinea pig and trainable like a dog....i'd want one

[@bushoffire6577]

That would bee so cool (- _ -)

[@damarisramirez5171]

Thankyou so mucho for the beautyfull help.

[@leetlebob8203]

*whips out a dagger size sting*

[@henriyudistian4837]

And you'll died with just one sting 💀

[@ShortFuseFighting]

@@henriyudistian4837 thats what "bumblebee anti-sting diapers" are for

[@notoriousqueenpigeon]

you're so enthusiastic!! i can tell u really love them. i do too. especially the bombidae!!

[@davidrodgersNJ]

Thank you for posting this, Kimberly. Questions: How do you know if a bumblebee is a queen? What size is the entrance hole on the box? Do bumblebees cluster for warmth like honeybees do?

[@poodleoodle7689]

Great video, I had no idea bumbles were so different from honeybees

[@christophe5954]

What an awesome video, many thanks from France for spreading such knowledge !

[@Doxicyclin]

catching that queen... you make it look so easy XD

[@dutchbird100]

If you catch a feeding queen nearby flowers she will most likely already have a nest. You will destroy the breed in that nest.

[@alysiaradtke8765]

I can see this working but I do see some downsides to it also. I prefer attracting the queen naturally by letting her choose the nesting box by her self. Without catching her. It can be done you just need to provide the proper requirements for the nest box to make the queen feel safe and happy. I have done this for the last few years. The thing is If you catch a wild bumble bee you would need to do it before she builds a nest. Otherwise you will kill off her hive that she had put so much energy into. And that will be a setbacks to her life cycle. even if you successfully get her to start a brood in the box the queen can still move her colony to another location if she is not satisfied with the location you choose for her.

[@Carroll02]

Keeping them in a greenhouse makes sense. Thanks for your response. I've been seeing a blondish/golden bumblebee in my garden as well as the black ones. Had one like that at another residence garden too. Every year would bring a new blondie. I looked forward to seeing one each year. I wish you all the best in your studies. We certainly need more understanding regarding beneficial insects and people like you help make the difference, in my opinion. Regards...

[@pinestrawoutlet]

Thank you for this video. I am very interested in your work. Please share more of you work about bumble bees with your viewers.

[@dalecorra8744]

Excellent video. You are a credit to your craft and this informative and enabling work you have shared will help bumblebees around the world. Thanks!

[@CMZneu]

nice video but its missing some specifications like how to identify a queen and when to remove the plug from the nest. Do they always stay in the nest or do they sometimes abandon it? does light bother them in the nest, should I cover the nest with a nontransparent lid when not observing them?

[@barbll000]

Thanks for your video. You've got some great info that is helpful. I do wish though you could edit to advise to not collect queens from flowers as that's too late and those queens will have already nested somewhere. Instead to look for queens that are scouting potential nesting sites.

[@rdzawek5694]

Barbara Lindberg What is it at 4:56 because I do not know I'm coming from Poland

[@KB4QAA]

RDZ: Sugar (sucrose) and Honey.

[@leetlebob8203]

Getting a few honey bee hives, fascinated by bees and i just want the bees themselves, my family are more excited about the fresh honey part of it. Didn’t think much about bumble bees, always loved their clumsy movement of thief chunky bodies and knew they were much better pollinators than honey bees and seeing this I want to make one of those adorable bumble hives.

[@anitamcentofanti3277]

I have some of the same comments as others on this - don't capture a queen who is foraging for pollen!!! She most likely already has a nest. If you have reason to want to invite bumble bees to nest in your area where a queen would not normally nest (green house or roof terrace garden), it might be a better practice to position an appropriately-sized box with nesting material in a place where a queen is likely to emerge and start looking for her own place to nest. Then when she begins to establish her colony, the box can be corked at night (when all of the bees are back in the nest and quiet), relocated, and opened again the next morning. I think you should not transport them large distances as they need to be acclimated to your area. If possible, tent the nest box or keep green house windows closed so that they can make a few orientation circles when leaving the box before going off to forage.

[@sewziem5212]

I heard that in Poland were first attempts with bumbleebee rearing in the world. But there is very weak knowledge base in polish language. This video is very rich source of information. Thanks.

[@toomanyhungrycats0554]

I like bumble bees because they're so docile.

[@pinkymixology4965]

I can see they don't teach editing at OSU lol. Seriously though, this is helpful. Although sugar can ferment just as well as honey can. Get ya some drunk ass bees lol.

[@aceman4564564]

I have been a honey beekeeper for 3 years now, and i find that sometimes both bees have to work together to successfully pollinate a crop such as blueberries, i have never had a bumblebee hive under my watch, but i now really want to try it, even though i can't get any honey, as well as not being able to work them as thoroughly as my honey bee colonies

[@sebastians3773]

Well paced summary. Super informative, thank you

[@richardnoordam7201]

thank you for providing necessary info . They are a joy to have.

[@jcaron4222]

Thank you Very much for this wonderful information I’ve got a perfect box for this excellent project

[@lascapigliata3832]

Thank you for such great informations.Il try to catch a queen this spring and place the hive in the greenhouse.I also have bees ,so they will live a happy life if il grow a collony with lots of pollen from my bees.Hope the bumblebees dont get affected by varroa mites thogh or else il might have to treat them too as i do with the bees .Wonderfull video that i was looking for a long time,and wonderfull voice.Thank you.

[@dukenukem3568]

No, that queen you caught might have a early stage nest that you just took her away from. Any eggs she had laid are now doomed. Best way to do this is put your bumblebee boxes up early in the spring so queens emerging from hibernation will start their nest in your box. There is a good chance that you won't get a queen to move it, but you won't kill a new nest.

[@DavidHuckins]

I love your enthusiasm!

[@ohoiboi9818]

Is it possible when using honey bee products for resource supplementation are we possibly introducing health risks ie disease contamination or pollution to the bumblebee queen and colony. Like deformed wing virus that adapts because we are introducing things that would otherwise never be consumed in nature? Thanks for the video great information

[@slurmforfree1754]

The instructions in this video are almost all nonsense. There has been a lot of Bumblebee research during the last centuries here in Europe and your video ignores all this knowledge. Just in brief: 1.) You will NEVER feed bumblebees with (honeybee)honey. 2.) You will NEVER catch a queen from flowers, because she is not seeking a nest 3.) You will NEVER "throw" a queen in a box. You will make her think, she has found a nest by herself. For that you have to catch her with your bare hands or with a tube and let her run inside the nest. You will not transport her in a small box for a long time/distance. You have to catch her nearby to a prepared box. And only when she is in a "nest-seeking" mood, you will catch her. 4.) The nest has to be protected from wax moth, using a hatch. 5.) Your box is too small and the entry too big. 6.) It seems to me, that you don't know much about bumblebees.

[@zacharykrawczyk3942]

Doesn't seem to have stopped them from building a nest in her hive box though.

[@eyvonnehammonds2949]

For all of your "NEVERs", she seems to have done a fine job! So, why dont you just sit your ass down, hmm?

[@mishagray2835]

I totally enjoyed this video. I want to set me up one. I already am a bee keeper.

[@thomasr.miller5553]

IM GUESSING THIS CHICK HASNT DISTURBED A NEST OF ANGRY BUMBLES>> IM TELLIN YA>>> ITS NOT A MISTAKE YOU MAKE TWICE. YES THEY ARE FUN TO WATCH.. DONT TOUCH!!!

[@MrTravisMaxson]

Thanks for posting this informational video. It gave me a good idea how to begin with my project...

[@Andreawashere2]

In some countries bumble bees are a protected species, which would make it illegal to catch a queen.

[@urskrik6353]

Seriously, How can I tell if it's a queen or a worker etc,

[@martinmazanek3549]

Most of the bumble bees you see in early spring are queens, because unlike bees only the queen survives the winter.

[@acoow]

Many people who use a greenhouse to grow their food keep a bumblebee nest in the greenhouse for pollination.

[@sadpotato1473]

haha her voice go up really high but i like what u have down on how to queen bumble bee rearing i used your methods and it worked but its cold down here and i doesn't really work

[@davesmith9844]

omg it is annoying isn't it!!! Imagine that during sex!!! >

[@yiyisun4607]

fiberglass may be very bad for human lungs not sure how it would affect bees

[@doomguy3136]

Thank you so much for this incredible video

[@BushLieWorldDie]

Ive searched for years on how to raise bumblebee queens and can find no information on modern rearing of them. The companys that do it keep it a secret. Anyone know any sources?

[@alexandermark6971]

fiberglass seems like a bad insulation material. If you look at fibreglass under a microscope it's basically tiny shards of razer sharp glass (hence: fiber"glass"). Bees will likely be hurt by walking on the material, even if they survive. The cotton was a much, much better choice.

[@asphaltandtacos]

Are they aggressive when you are tending to the plants?

[@jessediriteewater3942]

" I got dat dem dehr damn wheat beer... shuckem' up!"

[@theodorejohnyangco8943]

Are all species of bumble bee have the same behavior?

[@lauriecobain9604]

How do i move my queen(s) into larger boxes with their nests without ruining the nest? that is not specified, and i also do not want to be stung all over and the bees to die and the nest to be ruined. I plan to catch three queens and care for all in spring as i will have suitable land and want colonies to thrive, if any one knows how i successfully move my nests to larger boxes please let me know!!

[@davesmith9844]

+Lauren Fox Hi Lauren, the most successful way is to create a suitable nesting box/site, and let the queen move in herself. there are good videos on you tube that show this. Trying to relocate an established colony is always difficult and adds stress to the bees. Bumble bees are not usually aggressive, unless you interfere with the nest. also, plant a good range of wildflowers to support you colony and encourage bees to nest nearby. you will need flowers that bloom early, mid and late in the year. Best of luck.

[@davesmith9844]

+Lauren Fox look at this video. Bumble Bee Nest Boxes with Aidan

[@lauriecobain9604]

Dave Smith thank you!!

[@maqweraoa719]

In production of bumblebees families for pollination somewhere in Europe (seems, Аustria) the changing of nests is processing in special room with red light which soothes them.

[@nathanielreichert4638]

I’d love to keep a bumble bee box with some eastern USA native species, as that’s where I live. These honey bees people purchase online are replacing local species. Even if they are not the best honey producers, I’d rather preserve a native species rather than have success with a domesticated one.

[@sujayarao3564]

Queens have the same color patterns as workers but are larger in size. A Google search on western bumble bee species will take you to a guide that provides descriptions of various species. Queens emerge in winter (can be seen on warm days) and spring.

[@jewelciappio]

How can you tell if a bumble bee is actually a queen? When should we expect queens to be most active? What was you ratio of water to sugar/honey?

[@martinulstein9087]

A very good video.

[@danielgrafflin9689]

Always wanted to start a colony of bumblebees, I have found them to be a bit picky about nest temperatures though. too hot or cold, the queen just leaves.

[@TimeTravelStudios]

+daniel grafflin The Queen must be a rather fussy missy xD

[@danielgrafflin9689]

+Studer Andrew I think ones I find already have a site selected or started.

[@TimeTravelStudios]

daniel grafflin Must bee =p I...LOVE Bumble Bee's....Any idea what the best method is to STOP them from swarming? (Although I'd [PERSONALLY] love to see a swarm of the fuzzy friends..... =D.....I think someone may "cart" me off to the "funny farm" and seal them away :( but yeah....I love 'em =D)

[@snarky_user]

Move that down another four octaves.

[@user-nl3sp7cn4c]

Play bumble bees don't seem to survive all year round is there a way to have a constant beehive

[@RobinCurrie]

Thank you!

[@Joolzratbag]

best to give them honey water - not sugar water, honey contains all the vitamins and minerals they need, sugar is more detrimental to their long term health

[@jeremiahfisher6994]

These lil furry guys love my flowers and they're actually really friendly. I don't spray them or kill them they're very good for my flowers I get 75 to a 100 every late summer. I know they don't live long but they're pretty used to me I can come up on them with in inches and watch them and they don't fly away. They hang out with the painted ladies. On the flowers

[@albinfiskare]

when do you unplugg the cork? Do you wait until the queen started building the nest?

[@wilmorris1955]

Good question. I am not sure but I would think if it's opened too soon she may leave

[@mba2ceo]

1. How do U know if it is a fertilized Queen ? 2. Why does the Queen NOT abandon the Nest ? 3. How do U collect pollen if need be ? Thanks ... Best Wishes.

[@theodorejohnyangco8943]

She used pollen from a different bee (apis millefera). Using a pollen trap you can collect it.

[@Lol-ry6kr]

Don't catch Bumble Bees by the flowers! They have a nest, The brood will die!

[@salmonsaladsandwich8161]

In early spring they have a very small nest or no nest at all. Most of the time the colony fails.

[@alysiaradtke8765]

If you catch them early in spring before they start a new brood than you wont kill her nest she that she already put so much energy into building. Also probably want to make shure somehow that she has already mated with a drone.

[@deejieweejie815]

Could be an Interesting video, but important details are needed

[@ArtAi192]

How Can we see if the bees are male or female And Can you come to Albania beacuse we work with bumble bees too

[@jodyreeder4820]

BTW, any plans to show how to make bumble bee boxes?

[@maciejzamarlik3130]

whether each bumblebee create yourself a house there ? what if he does not like to that box ? after how many days begins to build?

[@wilmorris4225]

At what point do you allow her to leave the box to forage without supplemental food assistance?

[@supersonici]

Great video!!!

[@dewainkoester1026]

This looks fun!!!

[@frankwerner9698]

what kind of flowers are those?

[@V2k2010]

Excellent done video.

[@donseeya9094]

Too bad you don't answer questions like how do you move them to a bigger box without being stung ? Is there no other way to get pollen except from a bee keeper ? How long does it last after you mix it ? How do you store it ? How much does she eat daily ? Why would you make so much at once ? Should her food be replaced daily ? How do you do any of this without her escaping ? I also wouldn't use tape unless you use it on the inside of the box so you don't glue her to the tape. You'd be better off taping some screen to her hole and removing it later or just cork it like you did. You never showed anyone how to identify a queen. You left so many questions unanswered.....

[@davesmith9844]

+Don Seeya This video is a good start, but never force queens into a nesting site. Look at this vid Bumble Bee Nest Boxes with Aidan.

[@theodorejohnyangco8943]

How would you know if the queen is already pregnant once you collect the queen? Is it a hit or miss?

[@lisarobinson266]

The queens are fertilized in the fall, then they overwinter. The first ones out in the spring will be queens looking to build nests to raise eggs into workers. Once she has a colony of workers she will then stay in the nest to lay eggs while the workers go out to forage. Later in summer the colony raises new queens and the males to fertilize them. Then they all die at the end of the year except for the queens that hibernate and begin the entire process the next spring.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

About how long does it take for her to build up a nest and when do you pull the cork for her to fly?

[@Vinegaroon]

Use the honey to make blackbiar mead

[@erinmartin7186]

Thanks, Misha!

[@multipotentialite]

How do you identify a queen?

[@workwithnature.atochizos6360]

What material do you add for her to build her egg shell

[@AK-pg3tn]

What are the benefits of keeping them?

[@peeeepsi]

please use a pop shield net time you make a video.

[@wesleysmith811]

Will the bees be there after winter or do they leave and hibernate in a hole and then go to a different place after winter?

[@inidribejtja7708]

how to keep them hibernating while winter help please?

[@rudolf3933]

Kapok is the best for the interior

[@kevinbyrne4538]

When do you remove the cork that blocks the entrance to the hive?

[@CaseysOffRoadRecovery]

Do you have a guide on Queen Indentification? I am assuming early Spring is the best!

[@andrypopa8465]

where i can find a book about bumble bee? how to keep bumble bee and feed them?

[@thewr0ngchild]

Also I don't know anyone or anywhere locally where I could get pollen. I might look online to see if any beekeepers have any in stock.

[@huebdoo]

what happens after 120 days? Does the hive swarm or die off? how do you get new Queens to keep hives going? Do they have royal jelly like honey bees that would enable you to create a queen from a worker?

[@Lol-ry6kr]

Hugh Burnham A bumble bee nest live 8 weeks, they don't swarm, only the queens fly out... I found a hurt bumble bee queen today. what should I do? answer me!

[@lauriecobain9604]

Miel Stroop i quickly killed a queen whose wing was hanging off and she could not fly or do anything and was sluggish, only one wing worked. How did your situation go? to make up for my lost queen i am now making nests and planting favoured flowers of bees on my lands to create a bee paradise and many more queens in honor of the one i had to kill. I hope it makes up for her lost life. If bees are not too hurt try nursing them with pollen and nectar. If she is too hurt to survive, quickly end it for her to save her suffering.

[@valken666]

If you gave her everything she needed to start a colony, then she never needs to fly. No need to kill it.

[@neagustas1669]

How long you have to live the queen in the boxs cloced?

[@mutlaqalqahtani7253]

Good job.

[@craftdragon1217]

Nice Video i have cought three

[@classyrobot5648]

Bumbly baby

[@zdenekkoupil4051]

We never catch a queen flying from flower to flower, because such a queen already has a nest and carries food there.

[@swiattrzmieli2057]

Nice Video :)

[@geoffrowley4534]

Ive followed all your steps but the queen i have is trying to chew her way out of the box. Not making a nest. Should i just open it and let her out?

[@samuelhirmer7846]

+Geoff Rowley Hi, I would put her with the box in a dark cool room. I suspect, she is flying against the ventilation grid? Insects always fly to the light, try to get it away and she should chill down.

[@danielgrafflin9689]

+Geoff Rowley What couple I have tried, the queen usually leaves because box temperature is too cold or hot. They are a bit pickey.

[@samuelhirmer7846]

+daniel grafflin Well, maybe you should let her go. I have did so too, after a few days, without any progress. I´ve put the box out at the evening, opened the entrance and let her do what she wanted. Now she is still there and maybe she will build a nest. But don´t be sure this works.

[@dummy7935]

Would a cardboard box work as a nest?

[@dobro_sot]

спасибо мой друг

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Thank you local hero

[@thewr0ngchild]

I'm so going to try this next spring as I want to help bees out, but how do you do it without a greenhouse? Also can you advise on a species as I am in the UK?.

[@pawe4860]

Can I keep them in a poly box?

[@Lol-ry6kr]

A bumble bee nest live 8 weeks, they don't swarm, only the queens fly out... I found a hurt bumble bee queen today. what should I do? answer me!

[@CastelDawn]

+Miel Stroop call Batman

[@insectsNL]

+CastelDawn Haha, this was one year togo :D

[@jodyreeder4820]

Will Bumble bee's go for the same type of plants as normal bee's, & is there a market for bumble bee honey?

[@JamesSeery]

Yes to the first question, no to the second. In contrast with bumblebees, honeybees store an excess of nectar, a trait that we've selectively bred into them. If we harvested bumblebee nectar, they would have no food stores. Furthermore bumblebees don't store nectar in a honeycomb, which is what makes it so easy for us to harvest honeybee honey.

[@KB4QAA]

Jody: Each bumblebee species has particular types of flowers that they prefer. Bumblebees do not make honey. They store small amounts of nectar in the hive. Honeybees naturally make honey by partially digesting it in a special stomach. Humans have nothing to do with creating bees to make honey.

[@anianowak2520]

Can you painting your bumblebee's House to blue. They are love blue!!!

[@gannonsmith4091]

how long do you keep the queen in the box?

[@brigsy]

HI there, Are you still monitoring this channel? Could do with some advice.......