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Originally Posted by RobSutton  This idea seriously worries me. The mites you see on queen bumblebees in the autumn are not an infection, they are not parasites. It is simply the way in which the mites move from bumblebee nest to bumble nest.
There is evidence that in the nest they may help supress infection from moulds - so their presence in the nest is likely to be of benefit to the bees.
I'm not sure that anybody has looked but it is possible, maybe likely, that as the mites stay on the queens overwinter they help protect her for fungal infections - it is after-all to their benefit that the queen survives to form a new nest the following year.
Unless anybody can produce documented evidence that removing the mites from bumblebees increases they survival overwinter, and of their nests the following spring, then I suggest, strongly, that washing the bees is more likely to do harm than good.
It might make you feel good and make a good story but I think you need to really consider carefully what you hope to achieve by doing this. |
I don t think you need worry too much about me washing one bumble bee Rob, or the few people that might try it, most will run a mile when they see how big she is, you need to worry about the people that don t like them in their gardens, and spray poison down their nests to kill them all, if you look up bumble bees on the net, you will find loads of places that tell you the best way to get rid of them, below are some letters from people that are paid to kill them.
Pest Control Forum - Dilemma
And as for the mites, I don t really know much about them, most sites don t say much, but watching this bumble on cam, you could see she was stressed, doing all she could to try and get rid of them, you could see the difference in her after removing the mites, she was much happier and settled down to sleep.
I used to have a lot of bumbles in my garden, and now I have very few, I want to know why, so I m trying to give them a helping hand and learning on the way, I ve found slugs eat their honey pots, and spiders catch them as they fly home through their holes.
I don t do this to make stories Rob, its my way of helping wildlife, I could write a book of all the different wildlife I have helped over the years, just thought I would share this story.
Below where I found out how to wash a bumble.
How to Repair a Bumble Bee - UK Safari
Pauline.