Bumble bees in Birds Nest

[colinaj]

this afternoon I was called to observe a colony of Bees which had taken over a recently disused Blackbird Turdus merula L.nest . Th eowner had tried to remove the empty nest but recived a bee sting on his finger whilst doing so. I was subsequently summoned to identify the bees in the nest & on arrival saw several workers enter from the top. On inspection I found that the nest had been totally sealed up & that most bees were entering & exciting from the front. Placing my net in front of the said nest I found the bees on inspection to be the common Bumble Bee Bombus pratorum L. This is was the most likely species as it has a penchant for using disused birds nest but I had to be sure in case of it being something rarer.

I am always pleased when members of the public contact me for identification purposes & as usual over afternoon tea we dicussed many other natural history subjects too.
CAJ

[nightshade]

CAJ,a friend of mine said that the tit box in his garden was never empty,tits then bees
one followed the other year after year for as long as he could remember

[catalaze]

And please remember that all birds' nests are protected by law and should not be removed or destroyed until early winter: I think November is the recommended month. Check with English Nature or the RSPB.

I've often found bumble bees in nestboxes and it is very interesting to hear of them in nests, too. Now that bumbles are becoming so scarce, a success story seems like good news. Generally, they don't sting although sticking a finger in the nest is likely to seem a mortal threat, as this unfortunate person has discovered. RIP bumble bee, as, sadly, stinging disembowels them.