Bumble bees

I’ve been watching some really cool videos on Youtube about how to set up bumble bee nest boxes. Here is just one good one. You can make a box and hope they use it, or you can actually catch a queen and confine her to the nest box with some food until she lays eggs and then release her. Once she lays eggs, she will not abandon the nest. I’ve never tried it before, but I’m definitely going to have a couple of these for 2016. The bumble bees don’t make nice, neat combs the way honey bees do. Their nests look pretty messy to me, but I’m going to try some of the honey anyway. I see them on marigolds alot, and there are alot of marigolds in the gardens surrounding my beeyard. I have a collection of various marigold seeds to plant next spring, so bumble bee marigold honey is most likely what I’ll be eating. If you’ve had any luck doing this or eating bumble bee honey, tell me about it.

Author: brucelovesbees

I keep honey bees in Reading, Bernville, and Fleetwood, PA without treatments. I love to garden and observe Wasps, Bumble bees, and ants. I also raise mealworms for my Eastern Spotted turtle and myself. View all posts by brucelovesbees