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Bees in the barn


walshie
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Mrs w just went in the barn for something and came out yelling she had been stung by a wasp. Right on the temple. Looks like it smarts.

Brave as I am, I went off in search of the culprit, expecting to find a wasps nest. I moved everything one by one and - nothing, right up until I got to a folded up tarpaulin. When I moved it I heard the buzzing sound getting louder and louder. I few pokes with a stick and I had the occupants coming out of it, but they were bees, not wasps.

Is it known for bees to live in something like that? What's the best course of action as they are quite near the house now.

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12 minutes ago, Davyo said:

If they little bumble bees, the will be Tree Bumble Bees, we have them in the bluetit box.Wife got stung couple of weeks ago, funnily enough on the eye brow. Apparently it was my fault!

A quick google and that's exactly what they are. She's still poking the tarpaulin. I'm giving my moral support from inside the house.  :lol:

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Those are not SMALL bees either, very much the size of our bumble bees big orange bums. I first came across them in a blue tit nest box and fortunately rang a friend who is a pro vermin guy. He said leave them alone and they will be gone in two weeks and he was correct.  They are aggresive if disturbed.  Don't kill them as they are very good pollinators, leave them be...no pun intended...oh yes it was... and they will depart in a couple of weeks.  They do like nest boxes and have had three or four since.

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They've decided to relocate the nest out of the barn. At the moment mrs w is running round swatting at the air round her head, and walshie jr is out there with his hoodie on, hood up and pulled tight under his nose running up and down. I think it's going well. :lol:

Just needs the Benny Hill theme to complete the picture. 

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1 minute ago, walshie said:

They've decided to relocate the nest out of the barn. At the moment mrs w is running round swatting at the air round her head, and walshie jr is out there with his hoodie on, hood up and pulled tight under his nose running up and down. I think it's going well. 

Just needs the Benny Hill theme to complete the picture. 

Please video it on your phone!

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As I understand it these are big bumblebee sized bees..yes?   If so they will have a go at you if disturbed.  IF you have a honey bee swarm then if diturbed the quenn may decide she doesn't like the new 'hive' and will relocate anyway.  Just let them go and don't go swatting and flailing as this just may get you stung. IF they are honey bees then at this time of year a bee keeper will be interested but later in July they would be a waste of time.  ALL bees are important, so don't go killing them unless absolutely necesaary.

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10 minutes ago, Walker570 said:

As I understand it these are big bumblebee sized bees..yes?   If so they will have a go at you if disturbed.  IF you have a honey bee swarm then if diturbed the quenn may decide she doesn't like the new 'hive' and will relocate anyway.  Just let them go and don't go swatting and flailing as this just may get you stung. IF they are honey bees then at this time of year a bee keeper will be interested but later in July they would be a waste of time.  ALL bees are important, so don't go killing them unless absolutely necesaary.

As Davyo correctly said, they are tree bumble bees. Like a smaller version of the bumblebee we know, but with white tail ends. They've been relocated out of the barn so hopefully will go of their own accord soon enough. I can come out of the kitchen now. 

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We had a pest control guy come out last year for similar. His idea was to leave them and they would go in a few weeks and he couldn’t take them as everyone had full hives. 

He said the only time he would destroy them would be in hospitals, schools or in a case where someone had an allergy. 

Tjey were gone in a few weeks

he did say it was (if I recall) only the females that stung and any hovering about were harmless. I don’t recall as it was a year ago so don’t take this as gospel!!

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Excellent. Hope no stings other than the original.  I had a colony last year in a bird box and saw feathers sticking out of the hole, at last light and activity had subsided I went down and gently pulled the feathers, it was an almost ready to fledge blue tit chick. Whether it was dead when the bees arrived or they had done the deed I do not know.  The bees vanished in about two weeks as expected.

Similar advise from my pro Vermin friend. Leave them alone unless a danger and he said they always got kitted out to deal with them if they needed too.  The first nest one of his workers came across was in a public park and he thought ..Oh just bumbles... he soon backed off as he got hit three or four times, hence they always kit up now.

They are not compatible with honey bees so the idea of hiving them is just plain stupid.

As an aside, I have had six bumblebee nests dug up so far this year in my wood and orchard by badgers. Anyone else seen similar.  It isn't just hedgehogs that suffer.

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The best advice with bees and wasps is just leave them alone. People think they have to go on the offensive and "do something" but nothing is by far the best option.

I know of somebody last year who paid £160 to have a pest controller come and spray a wasp nest. Why? its paranoia 

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22 minutes ago, Vince Green said:

The best advice with bees and wasps is just leave them alone. People think they have to go on the offensive and "do something" but nothing is by far the best option.

I know of somebody last year who paid £160 to have a pest controller come and spray a wasp nest. Why? its paranoia 

Walking in the barn and getting stung on the face isn't paranoia though. It's a nuisance.

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she is from limerick ? here is a limerick for you

walshie found a bees nest in the barn

i told him to do them no harm 

but as quick as a trick

he bashed the nest with a stick

and they stung his  old girl on the  arm

(not quite true i couldnt get temple to rhyme?

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2 hours ago, nobbyathome said:

she is from limerick ? here is a limerick for you

walshie found a bees nest in the barn

i told him to do them no harm 

but as quick as a trick

he bashed the nest with a stick

and they stung his  old girl on the  arm

(not quite true i couldnt get temple to rhyme?

:lol: Not quite true either as there was no poky stick involved until after the sting, but nice one.

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2 hours ago, nobbyathome said:

she is from limerick ? here is a limerick for you

walshie found a bees nest in the barn

i told him to do them no harm 

but as quick as a trick

he bashed the nest with a stick

and they stung his  old girl on the  arm

(not quite true i couldnt get temple to rhyme?

Don't give up your day job!:whistling:

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