Latin: Bombus lapidarius
In Denmark, we have about 10 different species of bumble bees, and most of these species prefer to build their nest in the ground, which includes the species bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) and house bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum).
The bumble bee is not picky about living conditions, and they may find themselves settling into everything from an abandoned mouse hole and small spaces in stone dikes to bird boxes and insulation materials in attics. It differs from species-to-species what types of beehive they prefer.
Appearance
The bumble bee belongs to the chubby end of the scale when it comes to bees. An adult bee grows between 15 and 20 millimeters long – and the queen slightly larger. The bees that hatch early in the season are most often the smallest.
The bumble bee is available in several color variants, but has consistently yellowish, orange, brown and black and even whitish colors. Its body is furred.
Biology and behavior
On paper, the fate of the bumble bees constitutes a tragic tale. For unlike the honeybees, whose entire community overwinters through the cold winter months, the bumble bee communities are only annuals. This means that entire communities of bumble bees die in late fall when they have served their duty. The survival of the genus then rests solely on the shoulders of a few young queens from each nest.
After the queens have mated, they go to sleep. After this, the young queens are first seen the following spring, where they emerge from their winter hiding place. It is these bumble bees that can be seen in early spring, where they rumble low above the ground in search of a suitable place where they can establish a new community.
Once the young queen has found a suitable place, she begins the work of preparing the nest. If the nest is not of a suitably large size, she expands it, after which she isolates it with moss, plant fibers or hair from mice.
She also takes care of the decor. She builds a couple of small jars of wax, which she uses to put storage and eggs in, respectively. When the larvae hatch in the jars, she feeds them with nectar and pollen until they grow large. Then the larvae pupate, and after a few days the first worker bumblebees see the light of day.
The first litter of bumble bees are often quite small, as the female has rarely had enough strength to be able to fetch enough food for them. Therefore, this litter is also a big helping hand for the Queen and future generations as she can leave the reins of the work to them. They then take care of everything from construction work to retrieving supplies, while the queen can concentrate her efforts more on the actual egg laying.
A community of bumble bees can easily reach 4-500 individuals in a season. But their nest does not seem nearly as neat and tidy as you know it from the honeybees. Bumblebees do not grow the same cubist or regular cell division as honeybees. In them, storage jars and larval chambers are mixed in between each other.
Damage
The bumble bees are not harmful to humans. On the contrary, they are a great gift for the garden that one should welcome and cherish. This is not least due to their important role as pollinators of fruit trees and seed crops when they make their search for nectar and pollen.
All in all, the bumble bees seem quite peaceful when buzzing in the garden. And so are they for the most part. However, they may sting if they are excessively bothered.
Prevention and pest control
Although bumble bees are useful in the garden, they can sometimes nest in inappropriate places where there is a lot going on. In such cases, one can treat the hole as they fly to and from, with an insect powder and thus fight the bumble bees.
"Pests in House and Home"
"Bed Bugs - Bites, Stings and Itches"
"Food Pests"
"Husets dyreliv" (Insects Around the House - Only danish)
"Skadedyr i træ" (Timber Pests - Only danish)
"Stuefluen" (Common Housefly - Only danish)