Bees

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Last revised: 22 November 2007

Picture of a Bee

Description

There are over 250 kinds of bees in Britain. The honey bee and bumble bees live in colonies and belong to a group known as the social bees, but the majority of other species do not live in colonies and are solitary bees.

Distribution/ Life Cycle

SOLITARY BEES:

Solitary bees are to be found in many gardens during Spring and Summer but go largely unobserved. Common species include the masonry, mining and leaf cutter bees.  

MASONRY BEES:

The female is often seen constructing a tiny tunnel in a wall normally in the pointing between the bricks where she lays a single egg.

HONEY BEES:

They are brown and yellow in colour and smaller than the bumble bee. They are the species kept by man in hives from which honey and wax are made. The numbers can vary in a colony from 40 - 50,000 at the height of the season (July). Those born at the end of Summer however survive the Winter living on stored honey. 

BUMBLE BEES:

Larger and rounder than honey bees and often produce a deep buzzing sound. Bumble bees build small round grass nests, often under buildings or in holes in the ground. They do not swarm nor do they sting unless the nest is disturbed.

SWARMS:

If a hive is overcrowded, bees may emerge in a dense cloud and headed by the queen, settle on a branch or tree. If left, scout bees will eventually find a sheltered situation and start a new colony.  

Control Methods

There is no treatment for masonry bees, the only answer is to re-point the area after the new adult bee emerges.

Solitary bees do not swarm and are unlikely to sting unless they are handled or their nest disturbed.

If at all possible, bumble bee nests should be left undisturbed for at the end of the Summer all bees except the queen will die and the nest abandoned.

The Council does not treat bees and for professional treatment you should approach an independent pest Control Company, details of which can be found in local telephone directories and Yellow Pages.