Just did my first ever. Neighbor had a bird nest box inhabited by a smallish orange bottomed bumble. He got stung by one when he had been working nearby yesterday and called me. I could have them, or they was gonna get sprayed. When I did the removal right now I was glad I had a bee suit on. Very protective of their nest box.

But happy to get them. Bumblebees are the best pollinators for our blueberries which still have about a week or two left for flowering this year.

This was the actual bumble that stung the neighbor:

I have a Ground hole nest I want to deal with but don't know how just Yet.

330 they make a dust, the name escapes me but I think you can get it at any home depot type store. If you know the location of the hive you just go at night and pour the dust over the entrance it's some sort of suficant after a few days climbing through it they should about all be dead

Go out at night and pour a tea cupfull amount of gasoline in the hole, end of bees. Note : no need to light the gas on fire, fumes kill the bees. Use it on yellowjackets all the time.

Bumble bees are generally pretty easy going, but bump that nest and things get spicy real fast!, lol
Had a nest in a bird box once that were belligerent if you got next to it, solved that problem by not getting next to it...

I sure hate to see them easy-going bumbles come to harm. But I do understand when they have their nests in the wrong spot something has to give.

Sevin Dust dumped heavily on the entrance hole.will have them all almost immediately dead.

Keith

Bumble bees are excellent pollinators.You should not kill them unless absolutely nessasary.We have a dwindling population.

The noise drives me nuts when they a flying,,,, but,,,,I like it when they sit down next to me,,,...

^^^Like!

I have to say though these gals were furious when I messed with their nest box this morning. I was very happy I had my bee suit on. Actually kind of surprising as it was in the low 40's this morning and they didn't seem to mind the chill one bit.

Dr Kyle Bobiwash did his Phd on the bumble bees that were the main pollinators of the BC blueberry crops. I think what he found is small artificial nest boxes with cotton increased the amount of bee colonies.
and as Tatiana has said even on the bare-katush artic landscape they can fly and survive with one flower per metre of landscape to feed on. Interesting around the old 1840 whaling station in the high artic they are concentrated because of the C left behind on the landscape of almost 200 years before.

North, thanks for the heads up on Dr. Kyle Bobiwash. Been great reading up on some of his work. We keep trying to do things to help our pollinators thrive. On the years where we have good bumblebee populations present our blueberry crops really benefit. Larger tastier fruits.

I have a small pile of cinder blocks tossed around an old grape post (locust) on the back 40
For close to 30 years I know of bumblebees have made their homes in these blocks. I consider them pets like my honey bees. They are the most docile of bees I've ever dealt with.

A good meadow vole population over-wintering and all the mouse/vole grass domes become their homes as the Queens come out from overwintering.

There's big bumblebees and there's little ones. The big ones are very docile. The little ones are real ornery.
I got attack by a ground nest one time while mowing. I went back after they had cooled down and parked the running mower over the nest. That was over 50 yrs ago
I don't harm much anymore.
The best way to capture a hive is to get them mad, then run and jump in the pickup. Every one of them will follow you in. Then jump out, close the drivers door, run around and slam the passenger door
Got em right where you want em

appears to be this species, butt, the black blobs on the back throw me !
Bombus ternarius (tricolored bumble bee)
consult the Minn survey page

There's at least 3-4 possible candidates when I look at the PNW bumble bee field guide. Bombus ternarius is certainly one of the ones I also thought it could be.

Never seen one with orange on it around here

Looks like someone dusted it with flo orange paint

That's what I meant when I said I don't know how I'm going to deal with them yet.

Thanks for those references Slick!

bp, do you provide nest boxes on your place?

I've tried to set up a couple but never got any customers. I'm trying to do more in that regard. For the most part our bumbles seem to find places on their own....lots of abandoned vole nests and wooded areas on our farm.

My understanding is the size of Bumblebees is dependent on nectar flow and colony population. A prosperous colony will build large cells and pack with more honey and pollen to produce a large bee. Tough times result in smaller cells and less food resulting in smaller bees.

I had some move into a vacant nuc hive one year. They filled it with moss and never reused it the next year.