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Keeping track of invading tree bee03/06/2010 09:34:38 Commonly make their home in bird boxes
Worcestershire is on the western edge of its range, and now the county's Wildlife Trust and the Biological Records Centre want to gather information about where the bees are nesting. Tree bees get their name from their natural nesting sites in hollows of trees. However, they are also commonly found in bird boxes in gardens. Tracking its progress through Britain Harry Green, trustee of Worcestershire Wildlife Trustt and committee member of the Worcestershire Recorders, explained: ‘It's really important that we gather as many records of this bee as possible - and not just for local interest. Any records we receive will feed into a national database that is tracking the arrival and spread of this bee in relation to climate change. ‘The bee is very distinctive with a ginger-brown thorax, black abdomen and white tail. It is so dissimilar to other species that there should be no misidentification.' Readers are invited to send records to the Biological Records Centre. Photographs, even from a mobile phone, would be appreciated to confirm the sighting. Tree bees are not generally aggressive and will not sting unless handled roughly or they feel that the nest is under attack. Male bees do not have stings, although worker bees do - nests should be observed quietly from a few metres away.
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Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment
I've had tree bees in one of my bird boxes in my garden in Hockley in Essex. They've been there for about 3 months but have now disappeared. Today I opened the nest box up and in amongst the remnants of an old bird nest are lots of small cells. I noticed some larve moving about so I've closed it up again and left them alone. Does anyone know how long it will be until the larve change into bees or will they die as there are no adult bees there anymore. Thanks.
Posted by: David Wardle | 16 Jul 2011 16:25:34
I found a queen in the Phear park exmouth and also a nest in Gunfield Park Exmouth which Jame Chubb registered for me and registered it with the bee consercvation.
Posted by: Beryl | 08 Jul 2011 20:22:08
came into my kitchen today and saw a huge bee! never seen 1 with those colourings and markings before. caught it in a pot and checked it out on the web, discovered it was these tree bees.I am very excited and i am going nest hunting tomorrow in my garden! which is in bolton, greater manchester.
Posted by: omeran amirat | 22 Jun 2011 23:35:21
I have found a queen in an Exmouth park and registered it with the Bumblebee conservationist
But just recently I have discovered a nest in a bird box in another local park in Exmouth.
I also let James Chubb our local Wildlife Ranger know also
Posted by: Beryl | 17 Jun 2011 20:00:53
I live in York and have recently had new fascias and soffits fitted on my house and have now got some tree bees nesting behind them. They use the mortar channels between the bricks to get in there!! There are often up to 20 of them buzzing around the guttering. They seem harmless but are incredibly noisey especially at night in their nest as they are just beside my bedroom window!!
Posted by: Karen Thorpe | 15 Jun 2011 12:04:19
we have spootted some tree bees / bombus hypnorum in our back garden in christleton, chester. they are living in the compost bin at the bottom of our garden.
:)
Posted by: lucy | 12 Jun 2011 10:21:59
I have theTree Bees in my garden in Southport, they fit the description and are hovering around a blue tit nesting box.
Posted by: Chas King | 05 Jun 2011 11:22:31
Regasrding Tree bee invasions, I was at the Tolkein weekend here at Birmingham where a bumble expert was advising on encouraging them into the garden. I askeorumd zbout a bee than had recently decided to nest in the house eaves. According to him the description I gave fits with Bombus hypnorum and seeing this pictured on the website I think that is comfirmed. I hope that whoever is tracking the spread of this species may find this this of interest.
Posted by: Les Franchi | 22 May 2011 18:13:56
I have a nest of tree bees in my bird box in Colchester Essex. I got stung by one yesterday! I was standing quietly some distance away and one just came straight for me landed on my cheek and stung me..it was quiet frightning.
Not sure if I want them in my garden now!
Ceci
Posted by: ceci | 13 May 2011 10:38:26
We spotted this bee for the first time in our garden in Sheffield this year. It is present in very large numbers and we have discovered that it is nesting under the flashing of our extension roof.
There are often several bees on the wing darting around outside the nest and, from the other comments posted on this site, it may well be that they are 'dancing'.
Posted by: Jim Dignan | 10 May 2011 17:58:02
For the 2nd year in a row, I have seen bees with a rich brown thorax and black abdomen--not able to see if rear is white. They are constantly on my standard lavender bush, up to 6 at a time. I think they are workers, all smallish. I live in Fleetwood, Lancashire--we have our own weather system--the last 2 summers have been quite warm and sunny. Are they likely to be tree bees?
Posted by: Valerie Mary Leather | 27 Aug 2010 14:15:39
in the last few weeks i have noticed half a dozen bees in our garden that i havent seen before after investigation and looking at lots of photos i'm posative they are tree bees i live in coventry and wonder if any body else in the midlands has seen them
Posted by: garry loughrey | 24 Jun 2010 20:48:33
Got tree bees living in one of my bird boxes on an allotment on the South common Lincoln.
Witnessing the bee dance every day.
Posted by: Barry Whitworth | 17 Jun 2010 19:55:20
A Bee keeper confirmed that we have a Tree Bee nest in a bird box in our garden in Sheffield. There are sometimes up to 20 male "dancing" bees outside the nest and the workers queue to bring their pollen/nectar into the nest. He informed us that it was a very healthy nest stating that there could be up to 400 bees living there.
He explained why the smaller bees were hovering around and when I informed him that I had actually seen one of the smaller males mating with what I now believe to be one of the queens on a ledge under the nest he was surprised as he understood them to "do it" on the wing.
Posted by: Rich T | 07 Jun 2010 21:29:16
Whilst in the garden this wekend I spotted a several bees on my dwarf cherry tree,I knew immediately that I had'nt seen this type of bee before and upon research discovered it to be the tree bee,I'm located in Bromsgrve Worcestershire,I am yet to locate a nest but will endeaver to find it.
Posted by: gavin o'seachnasaigh | 06 Jun 2010 14:53:51