• Bumblebee Wasps& Bumblebees

    Bumblebee
  • Bumblebee
  • Bumblebee
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Elimination

It is not recommended to destroy a bumblebee nest, as these insects play an essential role in pollination. However, intervention may be considered if their nest is close to homes or in a wall cavity. In this case, it is important to identify the entrance of the nest, often located in the ground or an external opening.

If action is required, it must be taken with caution. Do not obstruct the entrance of the nest with any material, as this would prevent the bumblebees from coming out and could cause them to look for another way out... sometimes inside the house.

You can also use a capture device, such as a Maheu&Maheu Universal Glue Trap , placed near the nest entrance. Bumblebees that land there will remain stuck, which helps to reduce activity around the nest.

The intervention should ideally take place at night, in the absence of natural light. It is strongly recommended to wear protective clothing such as a coverall, a hat with mosquito net and resistant gloves.
For more safety, you can place a flashlight on the ground, directed towards the nest entrance. Position yourself outside the light beam: that way, the bees that escape will be attracted by the light and will move away from it.

Finally, for more fearful people, it can be reassuring to have at hand a device designed to neutralize flying insects that approach too closely.

Do not hesitate to request the intervention of a qualified technician from our team if the nest is not visible or if you prefer not to approach it.

Actions

  • Work after the night falls
  • Put extra glue traps in places where insects land if the nest is hard to get at
  • Request assistance from one of our pest management experts

Prevention

  • Seal off outside cracks and crevices where insects could get in and build nests in structural voids.

Description and development

Bumblebees belong to the Apidae family (the same family as bees—but bumblebees are not male bees!). There are approximately 20 species of bumblebees in Quebec. You can easily tell them apart from wasps by their stout body covered with yellow, black, orange, or white hairs. Bumblebees from the same colony can vary tremendously in size, but on average they measure between 15 mm to 25 mm long.
A colony lasts only one season. The workers die in the fall, but the queens survive the winter. In the spring the queens leave their overwintering sites and look for good places to found new colonies (abandoned mouse dens, holes in walls, etc.).

During the summer, the colony’s population grows to several hundred workers. When the colony becomes mature, the sexual forms appear and mate around mid-August to produce the new queens who will hibernate over winter. The males and workers then die, and the cycle continues.

Habits

Bumblebees are important pollinators. Since they lack a barbed stinger, they can sting more than once, but they are unaggressive insects that prefer to spend their time foraging. In contrast to domestic bees, the queen and the males take part in domestic chores like building the nest, feeding larvae, and defending the colony. Bumblebees can travel up to 2 km from the nest in search of nectar and pollen. They are also Formula 1 foragers, visiting up to 70 flowers a minute!

Tips

It is not recommended that people with insect sting allergies perform this task. Ask a friend or pest management specialist for help.

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