Bumble bees in brick cavity

[WelshMoth]

Sorry if this isn't the right board. We have bumble bees coming in and out of an outside cavity in our home. I'm
Happy to leave them alone but DH wants to seal the hole.

Am anyone advise me please? If it were wasps, I'd let him be but bumbles aren't likely to burrow through, am I right?

We had this at work and the bees couldn't get out :( I'd leave them be but if they're causing an issue then you'll need to call in a pest controller to have them removed safely. Don't just seal them in, poor things.

I have bees in the cavity, never caused an issue. I would leave them alone.

We have them at the moment.
Bumble bees don't overwinter like honey bees, they will be gone in the autumn.
Leave them be. No harm being done.

Don't seal the hole! Just leave them alone

We had this last year, in the family bathroom, I went in there one day and all I could hear was bees, said to DS, he said mum don't worry they are fine they have been there for a while, he didn't think to tell me! Don't both ringing pest control, bees are protected, they won't dare touch them. If they are in the wall cavity, a bee keeper is no use either, as they need to get to the queen, for the others to follow. Mine went, I think they got too hot in the cavity and there was a mass exodus. Good luck OP.

Fab. That's outstanding news. Delighted to leave them there. Thanks everyone.

Just wanted to add - as a bonus you won't see any wasps whilst they are there (or at least not many) as they're a bit territorial so don't like to co-exist, we've currently got three nests, two in the soffit boards and one in a bird box, had two last year and they didn't/don't bother us at all. They're also good for the garden not to mention the environment

We lived in our old house for 4 years and had bees in the bedroom wall every year at this time of year for about 8 weeks. The first year we had a local beekeeper out to look. He confirmed that they were bumbles. They aren't aggressive in any way and don't cause damage, just fill the space that they find. I liked seeing them flying around but they were bloody noisy at night!

Yes please don't seal the hole!!

We desperately need all our bees.
They won't hurt you, they won't ruin the wall, and they will massively help the environment.

At my local pub we had a load of bees living in a hole in the car park.

Someone tried to seal the hole and we petitioned the brewery to stop it from happening.

BUMBLEBEES ARE IMPORTANT AND PROTECTED, PLEASE DON'T HARM OR KILL THEM!

iknow that's really interesting - I don't know where the hives are but there are masses of bees on our front garden at the moment, particular honey and bumbles. We have hardly seen a wasp at all so far this year.

I love bees

My mum's got this problem at the moment and I phoned the Beekeepers' Association. They said that the best thing to do is to just leave them alone and they'll die off.

Great timing OP.

I have Bumble Bees which have crawled up an old overflow pipe and nest just behind the loo in my En Suite.

This is the second year and with the noise they make you would think it is a massive nest. At first I worried they were Hornets and ready to break through at any time.

However after lots of research I have been assured that they are harmless and moreover protected. Just need to put up with the humming till Autumn arrives !!

Really happy to leave them there. I've reminded DH that our beautiful, Wild garden is thanks to our hairy little
Bumblers. He's leaving them well alone.

I have a soft spot for them I must admit.

We get at least one swarm a year in our tile hung walls or chimney. If they are a nuisance, a beekeeper will move them along for you for about £40.

How big does a swarm get?

The one in the wood burner had thousands. It was the height of summer and kept noticing bees in the lounge. I think much smaller in the walls and they moved on by themselves.

I'm pleased to see a healthy return of mason bees and bumble bees to pollinate our garden this year. Mason bees are the solitary ones that burrow their own hole into the brick mortar.