Subject: Bumblebees

From: [email-masked] (Allen, Brian James )
Date: 15 May 1996 16:35:54 GMT

This may be a touch off topic, but after all it is rec.beekeeping, not
rec.honeybeekeeping.  

Anyway, in addition to two standard honeybee hives, I have somewhat of 
an interest in all the social insects and would like to build a number of
"observation enclosures" for the various types.  I have built and maintained
glass observation hives before with no problems.  I have built and maintained
 "ant farms" as a youngster.  I don't see any problem in catching and hanging a
paper wasp nest inside a glass box with a tube to the outside, but I do have a
few bumblebee questions.  

Now I know bumblebees tunnel underground and dig out a single "brood area".  
Has anyone ever dug up a bumblebee nest? How big is this brood area? Any
opinions on whether it would be possible to construct a "bumblebee observation
hive" using, say a large Erlinmeyer flask (large spherical flask with a thin
neck - kind often used by chemists) with a tube to the outside? 

If I was to capture/dig up a bumblebee nest, getting the queen and some brood
cells, and transfer them to an observation hive, any ideas on how I could make
them stay?  Daylight doesn't seem to bother ordinary honeybees in an
observation hive, but I would think a bumblebee hive would be much darker than
standard honeybee hive.  Would I have to keep this covered and dark or would
the bees cover the glass with propolis or some other substance?  

Anyone with any experience/advice on building a bumblebee observation hive?

I may or may not be able to get this project off the ground this summer, but if
I do, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Brian Allen

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From: A. J. deLange <[email-masked]>
Date: 15 May 1996 23:58:55 GMT

In article <[email-masked]> Allen, [email-masked]
writes:
>hive" using, 

This sort of thing is discussed in the Bombus list. I have seen
discussions of techniques for laboratory rearing of Bombus spp.
there. Try  [email-masked], get yourself added to the
list, and try reposting there.

AJ
[email-masked]