We have a tattered old garden shed in a shady back corner of our property and if it wasn’t for the wisteria growing over it I’m not sure it would remain standing.
I was weeding near this shed recently when I heard the unmistakable low sound of a bumblebee as it droned slowly past my ear at close proximity. Nothing unusual about that really, except it was quickly followed by another, and another, and then one more.
I spotted the last in the queue coming from somewhere in the undergrowth close to the shed, and a closer look revealed the source – the bees are nesting in a hole under the shed.
I spent some time watching them come and go, and it made me realise I know very little about bumblebees and their habits.
So I did some quick online research. And whaddya know, like most things on the internet, there is a site specifically dedicated to the topic.
This is a very good gardening site from the UK which also has good info.
In there is everything any kid at school or interested adult could possibly want to know about the bumblebee. I was intrigued to learn, for example, that bumblebee nests can produce honey, but in very tiny amounts.
What made me smile, though, was to see some of the latin species names, eg: Bombus terrestris, Bombus lapidarius, Bombus pratorum
I suspect whoever came up with these are fans, like me, of World War 2 movies and docos, especially the ones where squadrons of bombers are shown lumbering into the air on their missions to Germany.
Because that is exactly what I was reminded of watching and listening to the bees emerging from the nest.