Bumblebee nestbox

[Jennie]

Have been looking on the Bumblebee conservation website recently with a view to purchasing/making a Bumblebee nestbox.

Has anyone had any success with these, and if so, what worked for you?

[Dogghound]

By all means give it a go. BUT the general consensus is that they dont work very well with very few being taken up. I myself have tried with no success trying several sites.

[Geoff F]

I have been considering making some general purpose bug boxes this winter, although my garden has plenty of natural cover, and have looked at several garden centre versions which I could copy. The dearest was almost £100, which would give me a sting, even if the bees are friendly!

I see that in Baldock's 'Bees of Surrey' there is a different design which I haven't seen before. This is arranged more like a 'cooling radiator' design. A box with 8 tubes 125 mm long and 8 mm ID which run from left to right instead of the commoner designs with tubes running from back to front.

I'm not sure if it really does work but I might try adapting this idea into a general purpose box.

I don't know if there are any 'plans' available for optimum sizes, but so far I haven't discovered any definitive designs. A couple of years ago RSPB produced some recommended dimensions for birdboxes. My adaption has worked well with the prototype being inhabited for 2 years and a second box was immediately 'purchased' by a pair of blue tits last year despite only being erected in early March.

[Jennie]

Thank you Dogghound and Geoff.

I will probably still go ahead with this - but I won't hold my breath waiting for the occupants!

[2dogs2000]

I have had a mouse in my bee box, bees in my hedgehog box, a mouse in my hedgehog box and finally a hedgehog in my hedgehog box. Maybe we should put names on the doors.

[paulinemiller10]

Bumble bees will be searching for mice nests in Spring, they often make their nest in an old mouse nest, they spend time searching at the bottom of my garden where I have wood mice, it helps them find your box if you put some of last years mouse nest in your box.

I used to have loads of bumbles in my garden in summer, but now I have very few visiting, I grow all the plants they like to visit, and buy cut flowers in Spring for early visitors.

When bumbles come out of hibernation in Spring, they are often weak, and on cold wet days they find it hard to find food and fly into cars, and you can often find them cold and wet on the pavement, I pick these bumbles up and but them in a warm box with a sugar drink until they recover.
Bumble bees need all the help they can get, and every year I try a new way to help them. Pauline.

[Tormentil]

Originally Posted by paulinemiller10

Bumble bees will be searching for mice nests in Spring, they often make their nest in an old mouse nest....

I was given a Bumblebee nest box fer Crimble and one of the tips was to put an old mouse nest in it to attract them. Failing that, an old bumblebee nest !

Where does one obtain these??

[paulinemiller10]

I feed hedgehogs Tormentil, and I have quite a few wood mice that pinch the food, they also nest in my shed, I find little piles of paper and hay all chewed up, I can then mix it with bedding for the bumbles, as long as it smells of mice the bumbles will be attracted to it.
Its an idea to look for holes in mossy, or grassy banks, you might find a nest in one of the holes. Pauline.

[Jennie]

I suppose one could always buy a pet mouse and use its' bedding.

Or wouldn't that work?

[Tormentil]

It might, but if it really needs a wild mouse (not easy to catch), perhaps one could rile a tame one?