UKC

Saw this on my mornings walk. It’s an owl box, probably 50 cm tall?  And it seems rammed with bees. Is this normal, to have them bunging up the hole ?  

Perhaps the comb they've built lays just behind that opening, and once covered in a layer of bees, looks like the bees alone are filling the box.

One could grasp the string of a blue baloon, float up to the entrance and have a close look ?

Or would a green balloon be better?

Either way check for gorse bushes...

We had a bird box in our garden where that would be regular sight, especially when it was sunny when they would be going mental flinging clouds of pollen everywhere. It did rather curtail activities near it but everyone loves happy bees!

I'm almost turning into a windmill just looking at the picture. 

I'm a bit gutted, for the second year in a row we don't have a bee hive / nest in the garden. Plenty of visiting been but no residents. 

A few years ago we had 4 different groups of bumbles, one lot went to ground by the patio at the end of the pond, it was lovely sitting there of an evening with them coming and going within arms reach. 

Could be a swarm (splitting the colony) which can happen about now for a couple of months on warm sunny days  - part of the colony will follow a Queen and protect her. You can find the swarms in temporarily in unusual places. There will be bees that go searching for a suitable place for the new colony to go (which may or may not be the bird box!).

Bee keepers often collect swarms to extend their hives, or go and find their own bees and take back to a new hive that have swarmed!

I have seen wild bees fill up and use a hole in a tree.  They were there for a year or two.

In reply to Trippin Mark:

Sorry, no I don't.  I'd suggest that Climbing Pieman's post is a little more accurate, in that its a new swarm, looking for somewhere.

Based on your advice, me and my mate dodged out and he took this photo of my attempt at getting a better photo.  Apols for the haircut. I’m stuck in the 70s. 

Hard to tell from the photo but may well be bombus hypnorum or tree bumblebee. Increasingly common in UK over last few years. I have dealt with a few of their nests in bird boxes. Apparently they also like tumble drier vents.  https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/tree-bumblebee-bombus-hypnorum/

I’ll get a better look and photo next time I’m there. Fascinating stuff. 

The area is Chisnall Hall, an old pit, which now holds willow warbler, garden warbler, lesser redpollo, sometimes a big flock of whimbrel. Volunteers are doing amazing work, and have planted a variety of wild flower areas so I guess things will get even better. 

I’ve had solitary bees nest in my garden for many years. Last couple of years one place had been under the arm rests of my patio chairs - there is a cut out adjustment slot they lay in (used for the back rest angle, but I leave them fixed). I’ve seen they are back to the same place again this year though there is a resident spider in one of the chairs so I don’t expect much success there this year; maybe a bird will take the spider though.

Using the chairs has never bothered the bees fortunately and they would just continue their egg laying activities around me, so I’ve had many close up views of them flying to and fro.

I enjoy the bees and wasps that visit my garden and my planting scheme had been trying to attract more. Last year for whatever reason there were less and particularly a lot less wasps. Time will tell what this year brings.

I saw a couple of hornets laying siege to the wasps nest in my front garden last year. Fascinating but terrifying for me and the wasps! 

I have a nest box for solitary bees. It currently has red mason bees actively nesting. There are also some leaf cutters from last year in there that haven't hatched yet (June or July apparently), so I'm looking forward to those soon. I like the nest box because I can take the sides off and observe them.

Yes - I didn't get any mason bees last year. I think the problem was related to an early warm spell, then a cold snap. My males from the year before hatched during the early warm spell, then died in the cold snap. When the females hatched later, there were very few males left to mate with. This year seems much more successful - I have several bees actively laying.

I’ve put up a small bird nest box this year and that may attract some bees since I’ve never found the cane type ones to be used and they have been there for a few years. So far nothing in the box though last time I looked. It’s not in a location I reckon small birds would like or choose, but either way it would be interesting to see if it gets occupied.

Bees are quite fussy about the size and cleanliness of the holes they use. Canes are variable size and often not that clean inside. I never had much luck with those either.

The box I have now has blocks of wood with channels put into it with a router and sanded so they are a consistent size with no rough parts. It's covered with perspex to close the tunnels, which means that I can see into it. That was occupied almost immediately I put it up. However, of course, it will only attract bees which use holes of that specific size. It isn't the best photo, but it looks a bit like this: https://photos.app.goo.gl/heuKFFnKN7YwRjBb6

The other option I've seen work well is cardboard tubes (e.g., https://www.masonbees.co.uk/product-page/nesting-tubes), which are similarly clean and a consistent size, but you do need to replace those every year.

Mason bees do best with a little care. I remove the cocoons from the box in the autumn, clean off all the inevitable pollen mites, and store them safely over the winter. Much better survival rate, but it does require a nest box system that you can access. I can get into mine by unscrewing the perspex cover.

I built my own Bee Hotel on Monday and it’s already being used. I left it on the bench on my patio prior to putting in place on the fence and it was in use immediately and now I don’t want to move it 😀

I drilled 6mm, 7mm and 8mm holes, all around 150mm deep. It’s noticeable that my bees, small black ones, check out the sizes and choose the 6mm ones…

Thanks for this. I know what I'd like for my birthday now, and husband is happy to oblige!

Thanks for that; I’ve lots to learn.

A btw, distracted this afternoon Osprey watching.  Not much happening as female still on eggs though an intruder male caused a bit of upset for a bit.

Interesting, in previous years, I’ve seen a bee using the drainage holes of the step at my back door. They must be about 6mm.