HUGE UNDERGROUND BUMBLEBEE NEST RELOCATED TO NATIVE PRAIRIE ON CHURCH LAND! NATIVE POLLINATORS SAVED

[@ivoryjohnson4662]

Thank you for helping that nest to survive.

[@greenwaspremoval]

@ivoryjohnson4662 - Thanks for your comment. It was a pleasure assisting our local beneficial pollinators!

[@mikings2]

That’s a crazy number of bumblebees. Had no idea the nests could get that large.

[@greenwaspremoval]

@mikings2 - Thanks for your comment. It is surprising how large some Bumblebee nests can get. Most sources indicate that Bumblebee nests might average from 50-400 bees in the nest. Other sources have said nests could have up to 1,700 bees but we've been unable to verify this high number (if anyone can verify that any Bumblebee nests have actually been officially documented with up to 1700 bees, please name the source material in the comments).

[@imagin916]

I can see how it would be difficult to move a bumblebee nest but thank you for saving these important bees. It's funny how out in the wild bumblebees won't bother you but if you disturb their nest those cute little fuzzies can get nasty! I believe they can sting multiple times too as they don't have a barbed stinger like honeybees do. A few summers ago I was in a pool and it was so hot that week that these bumblebees would come and land in the pool in the same exact spot, one by one, to collect water and then fly off without bothering anyone in the pool.

[@greenwaspremoval]

@imagin916 - Thanks for your comment. So true! Foraging bumblebees are usually so mellow and almost never sting anyone. But they are fierce defenders of their nests! As a kid, my friends and I were playing in a barn hayloft and we found out the hard way that bumblebees defend their turf aggressively. We all got stung up as we ran screaming back to the house while chased the whole way by the bees!

[@cherylkoenig5509]

I didn't know that the bumbles were ground dwellers. The beautiful queen looked like she was wearing a crown.

[@greenwaspremoval]

@cherylkoenig5509 - Thanks for your comment. Bumblebees are opportunists when it comes to nesting. The queens look for nice dry protected places like abandoned rodent dens because they are often already lined with soft grass or animal fur, so they often nest in the ground (the queen in this video probably used a big rodent tunnel that already existed and a spacious rodent den that may have been expanded by the bees). But they also nest in all sorts of other places like hay lofts/bales, under sheds, anywhere they can be dry and put their little wax cells for larvae and little wax honey pots/pollen.

[@cherylkoenig5509]

Amazing little creatures.

[@greenwaspremoval]

@cherylkoenig5509 - Bees are amazing indeed. Our native bees need all the help they can get. Honeybees are invasive and get bred by Big Agriculture by the zillions as livestock. So there are plenty of honeybees around. But our native pollinators like Bumblebees, Solitary Bees, Mason Bees, Leaf Cutter Bees, etc. are in true peril. Wherever honeybees are introduced, native pollinators get driven out or have much lower populations than they should. We need a lot more native prairie lands to help support native pollinators. There is a great movement to try and get people to allow their yards and land to just grow wild native plants naturally rather than turning it all into useless mowed grass lawns. Let's hope this movement brings back a lot more native flora and fauna.

[@danielfoley5843]

You guys are amazing. I wonder tho if the cardboard will restrict their digging and building? Or they will just chew through it as they build the nest bigger?

[@greenwaspremoval]

@danielfoley5843 - Thanks for your comment. The short answer is we don't know for sure how the bees will respond to their new cardboard box home buried in the ground. They have a tube to get out so they can always leave if they need to. That said, there are many people who have relocated bees to small "bumblebee boxes" such as repurposed birdhouses, wooden boxes, plastic, metal, etc. So if they can survive in these boxes, we assume the cardboard would be ok for them too. The biggest risk for them may be moisture problems. Hopefully, they will find a way to adapt to their new situation!

[@redbloodedbutterfly]

Can you please tell me the scientific name of the bumblebees you relocated? I hope they will be much happier and safer in their new home. :-)

[@greenwaspremoval]

@redbloodedbutterfly - These were one of the several Bombus bee species in this region. Probably Bombus impatiens, but could any of the similar colored ones noted at this link: beespotter.org/topics/key/color_pattern_guide.html

[@redbloodedbutterfly]

@@greenwaspremoval Thank you!

[@greenwaspremoval]

Welcome anytime.