Bees in your box?
Have you seen bumblebees going in and out of your nestbox? It’s very likely that you’re supporting a colony of tree bumblebees – a reason to be pleased, not alarmed! The tree bumblebee only arrived in the UK for the first time in 2001. It had been spreading naturally across Europe, and some pioneering queens managed to cross the English Channel. Now, 18 years later, it’s widespread across England and Wales, and is spreading quickly across lowland Scotland. Whereas other species of bumblebee nest in burrows or in tussocks of grass, this one nests in tree holes, and nestboxes are proving to be just as suitable for tree bumblebees as for blue tits. Tree bumblebee colonies are small compared to those of the honeybee, so it’s quite possible that you won’t even notice the workers coming and going. What might grab your attention, however, is that occasionally a little cloud of male tree bumblebees will hover outside the nestbox. This happens when the colony is producing new queens, and the male bees fly about outside the box excitedly hoping that their dream-queen is about to emerge. They’re no risk to us, our plants or property.