Just curious…I’ve noticed there are a lot of bees, bumblebees, and yellow jackets on my property. What happens when I introduce my bee colony next year? What is the relationship or interaction that occurs between random bees on my property and then my new bees I bring in next season?
Bumblebees are no problem, Hornets and wasps are predators on bees. You’ll will need to do some investigating in your local area for the effects of these predators. In some regions they will pick off bees at a low unnoticeable rate and other regions they will decimate your hive unless you manage the problem.
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I have mostly bumblebees and some honeybees (though I can not find their hives - lots of rocky hills near me though) but also some wasps. I figured I would try the orange soda trick (found in another post here on the Flow Forums) this fall to thin out the wasps.
Our front yard is a breeding ground for bumble bees. Every year one claims its territory right in front of my apiary. In the Spring we had 8 claimed territories and alot of bumble matings. It is really interesting as they fly way up in the air and spiral down mating on the way.
The bumble bees pose no threat to the honey bees. They are very curious creatures and watch me when I inspect the hives but no harm done. In fact, I have seen them go after wasps and hornets. A big plus for keeping them around!!
Are Bumble bees protected in USA?
I’ve never heard of this or any other native bee species being protected in any particular way if they are.
I was working at a jobsite this last summer and was lucky enough to watch two bumble bees mating with a female. I tried to take video/photos with my phone, but it would not focus on them correctly. It was very cool to watch though 