Fwd: report om bumbles

[yolanda huang]

update

I removed 2 bird boxes of bumbles from 2 different yards.  One, the homeowner tried to tape the bumbles into the house, and the other, the bird house rotted and the bumble nest fell onto the ground.  I was able to remove both nests, and tried to situate them in my yard.  FYI, all the bumbles abandoned their nests.  Too much movement and handling?

Yolanda

[Claire Lussier]

I’m sorry to hear this Yolanda. When I have relocated bumbles, I will place their existing structure in another structure because I’ve noticed they like a lot of protection. I also place them in hidden and out of the way spots on my property, away from my honey bees. They seem to like more privacy. I currently have two colonies of Bumbus Californicus that I have extracted when there was no other option. They are extremely sweet but really don’t benefit from small spaces that are overcrowded with other creatures. 

When extracting them, I bring an empty hive with nesting material in it, so if theirs is damaged, they have ideal material to reconstruct. I’ve had good luck with chopped up straw, shredded tissue paper and other insulating materials so far. Nestle whatever you extract into the empty hive.  I also drilled out a larger hole entrance in the box and they seem to like that a lot. 

Here’s a video of one of my recent ones. It’s short because I try to disturb them as little as possible. They built in old insulation and loved it. Despite being furry and able to warm themselves faster than honey bees, they really like to be cozy. 

I’m very partial to bumbles of all kinds and am happy to collaborate on strategies for supporting them when they absolutely must be moved. 

IMG_8491_VSCO.mov

Added

	Claire Lussier M. (510) 590-1789

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[yogre...@gmail.com]

Will the bumbles like or wee use old nesting materials or should that stuff be composted 

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On May 4, 2026, at 9:21 AM, Claire Lussier <lussier...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Claire Lussier]

They don’t return to the same nest as a tule so I would probably not save it personally. 

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