Bees on a balcony
- Thread starter Shelleyb
- Start date
Hi Fraggle,
It's for bumble bees only. The ceramic hive is quite small and as bees are in decline I thought I'd do my bit. I've read that you can have bees in an apartment but they don't say where, most blogs in in the UK and USA and I'm thinking they may mean on the roof-top of an apartment? My apartment balcony is big and shaded.
S
It's for bumble bees only. The ceramic hive is quite small and as bees are in decline I thought I'd do my bit. I've read that you can have bees in an apartment but they don't say where, most blogs in in the UK and USA and I'm thinking they may mean on the roof-top of an apartment? My apartment balcony is big and shaded.
S
If they are just bumble bees then I'd say it is worth a try! I'm not sure how you attract them to it though. I guess if it was placed in a shaded area near flowers they would find it themselves, after a while. I guess if you have other flowers on the balcony then you are more or less replicating the conditions and it's worth a shot!
We have honey bees, which is why I was wondering exactly what the setup was going to be. I wouldn't fancy honey bees in that situation!!!
We have honey bees, which is why I was wondering exactly what the setup was going to be. I wouldn't fancy honey bees in that situation!!!
Bumblebees are harmless, so there shouldn't be an issue.
You can usually place the hive/nester in such a place that they are forced to fly straight up to get out... e.g. face the entrance against a wall... they have to fly up and out to get anywhere and careful placement will mean they rarely fly into another balcony.
We have had a honey bee hive for a year now in our garden and I did the above and I actually rarely see them (except on the lavender bushes out the front!) and we have had no incidents.
You can usually place the hive/nester in such a place that they are forced to fly straight up to get out... e.g. face the entrance against a wall... they have to fly up and out to get anywhere and careful placement will mean they rarely fly into another balcony.
We have had a honey bee hive for a year now in our garden and I did the above and I actually rarely see them (except on the lavender bushes out the front!) and we have had no incidents.
Thank you again Fraggle. I am going to research it a lot more. The ceramic hive looks very small. I'm worried its more of a gadget and initially I was thinking of just having a small space for bumble bees but it looks like that might be unfair for any bumble bee! I love b-bees and have no fear of them. I have never been stung by one either. Just to calm the anxieites of the other poster, I will ask my neighbours about it. They are all quite nice. It should not be a problem as some of them have dogs (not that I mind) and are not supposed too!
Anyhow the most important thing is the welfare of the bees and its looks like they would really need a larger space?
Txs
S
Anyhow the most important thing is the welfare of the bees and its looks like they would really need a larger space?
Txs
S
truthseeker
Registered User
- Messages
- 2,577
Shelley(Bee) - I think this is a great idea. Where are you getting the nester?
How do you attract the bumble bees to nest in it?
I have a ground floor apartment and would definitely consider putting one of these on my small bit of patio. There are some flowers and shrubbery right next to it.
The only thing Id be worried about is how to attract the bumble bees?
How do you attract the bumble bees to nest in it?
I have a ground floor apartment and would definitely consider putting one of these on my small bit of patio. There are some flowers and shrubbery right next to it.
The only thing Id be worried about is how to attract the bumble bees?
Not sure if they are a gadget, but probably worth having a go and reporting back here. If it doesn't work at least it still looks nice and is a talking point!
You've probably seen it but I just found this:
An excerpt:
You can help bumblebees by providing them with somewhere to nest. The first step of course is to provide lots of the right kinds of flowers in spring. At this time of year the nest-searching queens will be attracted to gardens where they can find plenty of food to help them produce their first batch of eggs. Once she is ready to lay, she will start looking for a nest site. She flies low over the ground in a zig-zag pattern, stopping to investigate holes in the ground, or piles of leaves. If you want to encourage bumblebees to nest in your garden, visit this page to find out more about our nest box trial
You've probably seen it but I just found this:
An excerpt:
You can help bumblebees by providing them with somewhere to nest. The first step of course is to provide lots of the right kinds of flowers in spring. At this time of year the nest-searching queens will be attracted to gardens where they can find plenty of food to help them produce their first batch of eggs. Once she is ready to lay, she will start looking for a nest site. She flies low over the ground in a zig-zag pattern, stopping to investigate holes in the ground, or piles of leaves. If you want to encourage bumblebees to nest in your garden, visit this page to find out more about our nest box trial