Orange Rumped Bumble Bees and Bird Houses

We need all the pollinators we can get! Some people are surprised to discover bees taking up residence in a birdhouse. Since almost all species of bumble bees are in decline, you may want to consider the presence of Orange Rumped Bumble Bees a positive! Before you decide to reclaim that house for the birds, consider these important facts.

We need all the pollinators we can get!  Orange Rumped Bumble Bees, native to the Pacific Northwest, are important pollinators.  Since many species of bumble bees are in decline due to pesticides, loss of habitat, and human intervention, there is a growing interest in encouraging and preserving our native bees.

Bumblebees Nest Spring – Fall   Each spring, queen bumble bees search for a new nest site.  Once a site is established, bumble bees visit flowers for nectar and pollen to eat, and to use to feed an initial brood of larval worker bees. In the summer the bumble bee queen produces a few generations of workers who then take over the task of collecting nectar and pollen.  The summer generations help the queen rear the final generation of the colony—queens for next spring, and males to mate with them.

The Bees Vacate the House by Fall   By late fall, the colony has died out except for a few final workers and males, and the new queens burrow into the ground to wait for the following spring.