Subject: Bumblebees

From: Sharon Litton <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 1996 15:57:53 -0500

We have a bumblebee hive in/behind one of our compost pits in our back 
yard, within viewing distance of my dining room window, and fairly near 
my bird feeder.  We are organic gardeners, and I have real problems with 
harming bees, especially.  But LOTS of the bumbley bees attacked my 
spousal unit a few weeks ago, getting him several times on his head, 
when he dumped some grass on the next compost pile over, not realizing 
that they were there.  Then, 2 weeks later, they attacked our Australian 
Shepherd, who had to be rushed to the vet - luckily, he has a very thick 
coat, and the worst bites were in his mouth and on his feet - they sure 
look sad when their hairs are totally wet.  

Anyway, I would really like them to move, but don't wish to harm them - 
for years, the bumble bees have pollinated our flowers, trees, and herbs 
in back and front yards, especially now that the honey bees seem to be 
at a very low population level.

The main question I have, though, is an observation of their behavior, 
and was wondering if someone out there could help.  The definitely have 
guards that patrol the perimeter of the area, but I also notice bees 
scratching around on the ground around the perimeter of the compost 
pit/beehive.  What are they doing??  Are they keeping it neat and tidy, 
keeping clear of obstructions, or something that I am missing?  

I suppose they will go away if we have a really hard freeze this 
winter??  When do they start dying back?  When would it be safe to work 
around our compost pit again??

Thanks in advance for any help, input, and education you can impart!

     Sharon in Dallas, TX

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From: [email-masked] (ChukQuist)
Date: 15 Sep 1996 17:38:55 -0400

You might check a book out at the library entitled "Bumblebee Economics"
by
Bernd Heinrich. He describes how to make a bumblebee observation hive and
how 
to care for them.  I don't know how cold it gets where you are in Texas,
but here in Denver all of the bees die in the winter except for the queen
which hibernates till next spring.