![]() If sufficient resources are available, a bumblebee colony can reach a population size of 300-600 workers.įor more information about bumble bees, check out the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Instead they are heavily reliant upon the succession of blooms in the surrounding area from spring to fall. The original colony dies off near the end of the fall.īumblebee colonies do not store large quantities of nectar and pollen like honey bees. Once a queen has been mated she will spend the rest of the summer and fall feeding and building up fat reserves to survive through the winter. They spend their days feeding on nectar and defending territories with the hopes of attracting a new queen. Adult male bumblebees leave the nest soon after emergence and never return. Small colonies will only produce males and no queens. Only large colonies will produce queens because they have the worker force to gather enough resources to feed the developing queens. If the worker population in the colony is large enough, only then will the colony’s queen lay eggs that will become reproductive females and therefore the following spring’s queens. In the mid- to late summer reproductive females and males are reared. Soon after the female workers emerge, the queen assumes the task of egg-laying and will never leave the nest, while the female workers take on the other tasks needed to maintain the colony. Once stores have been collected, the queen will lay eggs that will emerge into female workers. In the early spring she will search for a new nest site, start constructing the nest, and forage for pollen and nectar. The males have no task other than to mate with reproductive females.Ī colony is founded by one mated female (the foundress queen) that overwintered alone. The queen is solely responsible for laying eggs, whereas the female workers take on the tasks of foraging, brood care, nest maintenance, and defense. The different castes in a bumblebee colony are: the queen, female workers, and males. However, bumble bee nests are very different from those of honey bees. ![]() If you are concerned about removing a bumble bee nest, by all means you could try calling a beekeeper - some are happy to help. Some preferred bumblebee nest sites are rodent burrows, overturned pots, and others of the like.īumblebees are considered social insects, meaning that each colony has a caste system in which each individual bee has a task (or tasks) that they are responsible for. Bumble bee nest in the attic or loft Bumble bee nest in the bird box Engaging the assistance of a beekeeper to remove a nest. They will not excavate their own nest site. īumblebees are ground-nesters and will occupy previously excavated cavities. Some steps to identifying different species are covered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife here. ![]()
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