Any advice for my bumblebee box?

[stigofthedump]

Hi Peter and a warm welcome to WAB

Unfortunately where we live we couldn’t encourage birds to nest, some of the local ‘human’ population would just find them target practice!
Making a home for insects seems to us the safest way of encouraging wildlife into our garden. Thanks anyway.
Any other suggestions regarding bumblebee boxes?

[Peter Nalder]

Thanks for the welcome.

I'm no expert so do check anything I say here, but...

Different bumblebee species select nest-sites variously underground, at ground level and above ground level. One Brit species varies among all three of these. It sounds like you need to concentrate on the below-ground level. Try a concete slab lying on the ground with a less-than-football-sized space beneath it and a bumblebee-sized way to get to it under one edge of the slab. The space for the nest might contain some straw, dead grass, wood-shavings, torn up (not-plastic) egg boxes. Lots of critters will enjoy such a space and it should become an ecosystem quite quickly. Bumblebees may elect to be a part of that system. It is still not quite too late in the year to try this, but - if no luck - refurbish the home in Jan/Feb next year for 1010's house-hunters, because some start quite early in the year, though rather later further north. Make sure, by the way, that it won't become flooded in the wettest weather: Drainage to a lower chamber might be good.