Disturbed bumble bee nest.

[PippaC]

Hello, not sure if I'm posting in the right section...
We bought a new nectarine tree and wanted to plant it where our old tomatoe box was. So we dug all the dirt out of it and when we got to the bottom & moved it we found a couple of holes in the earth that we believed to be from mice. But then a bumblebee came out of the holes so we think we have really disturbed her nest! I think it is the queen as she was big. I thought bumble bees had like a homing device to find their nests again but she was looking like she was totally lost & couldn't find the holes. We waited for about 2 hours until she found it but then she flew out & looked lost again... Do you think she will be alright? & do you think we can plant the tree next to her next? Or will this disturb it too much?
Thank you for any advice in advance!
Pippa.

[applestar]

I wish I could give you an answer. It might help if you put/pile some loose straw or dried grass in the hole to cover up the hole a bit -- I don't think they like their nest to be in an exposed area.

A couple of years ago, I realized bumblebees were flying to, and crawling into, the base of the yucca cluster and started watching -- realized there was a regular traffic ... Must be their nest under the yucca.

So I stopped trying to weed around it and generally tiptoed around the yucca when I was tending the garden around that bed. But I have my raspberries planted in a row next to that bed, and I had to put up the trellis. You should have heard them when I was pounding in the metal fence posts! LOUD buzzing ensued after each series of pounding.

Everything was OK until I had to pound in the last post right next to their nest! This involved quietly setting up, pounding the heck out of the post, then retreating while they poured out, then waiting until they calmed down and went back inside, sneaking up and whacking some more.... It took three attempts before the fence post was sufficiently grounded.

Bumblebees are generally gentle and they didn't even mind me picking raspberries next to the nest, although they did hover over my head to watch and warn -- much like the carpenter bees do. Best to retreat if they start head-butting you.

(It could have been a drone (male) that came out to investigate.)

[applestar]

If you want to co-exist with the bumble bees, I could move this to the "Gardening with Wildlife in mind" forum.

[HoneyBerry]

It would be nice if you could postpone the tree planting. Such as, keep it in a pot, or plant it in a temporary spot, until after the bees leave the nest permanently. I disturbed a bumble bee nest under a grass pile once. I was going to move the grass, and had no idea the bees were there. The ground around me actually vibrated from the disturbed state of the bees as I wrapped my arms around a bunch of grass and lifted it. I put the grass back immediately. I waited until the bees eventually left the nest on their own. I enjoyed having that bumble bee nest in my yard. They are such mild mannered bees. They are threatened and dwindling in numbers, which is another good reason to postpone your tree planting project. The best time to plant trees is in the fall.

[HoneyBerry]

Bumble bees certainly are mild mannered compared to yellow jackets. I disturbed a yellow jacket nest in the ground while digging up some dandelions. They attacked me, got underneath my shirt and stung me. I ended up with about 10 stings on my torso. Fortunately, I wasn't allergic and eventually recovered. The bites itched alot for quite some time. Best to be careful of yellow jackets when digging. Sometimes they build their nests in the ground. It can be a dangerous situation to disturb yellow jackets.

[DR1VEN]

Everything was OK until I had to pound in the last post right next to their nest! This involved quietly setting up, pounding the heck out of the post, then retreating while they poured out, then waiting until they calmed down and went back inside, sneaking up and whacking some more.... It took three attempts before the fence post was sufficiently grounded.

...... Best to retreat if they start head-butting you.

LMAO.....I'm dying over here! ....That's funny. You are braver than me my friend....