Bumblebees, often seen buzzing among flowers, do not construct the large, permanent “hives” typically associated with honeybees. Instead, they create smaller nests established anew each spring. These nests serve as temporary homes for a single season, housing a colony that grows and develops over several months before concluding its annual cycle.
Understanding Bumblebee Nests
A bumblebee nest differs significantly from the highly organized, perennial structures of honeybee hives. Bumblebee nests are generally smaller and less structured. Unlike the intricate hexagonal wax combs of honeybees, bumblebees construct irregularly shaped wax pots for storing nectar and pollen, and for rearing their young. These nests are temporary and are typically insulated with soft materials like moss, dried grass, or animal fur. The queen initially builds these wax cells and fills them with resources for her first brood.
Where Bumblebees Build Their Homes
Bumblebees prefer establishing their nests in existing cavities rather than constructing elaborate structures from scratch. A queen bumblebee emerging from hibernation actively searches for a suitable, dry, and sheltered location. Common nesting sites include abandoned rodent burrows, dense tussocks of grass, compost piles, spaces under sheds, tree cavities, or unoccupied birdhouses. The availability of these pre-existing, insulated spaces is important for bumblebee populations, as they do not excavate their own extensive tunnels or chew through wood.
Life Cycle and Colony Structure
The life cycle of a bumblebee colony is annual, beginning each spring with a single queen emerging from hibernation. She has overwintered alone, often buried in the soil, and seeks a nesting site to lay her first batch of eggs. These initial eggs develop into female worker bees, which emerge after about two to three weeks. Once the first workers appear, they take over foraging duties and nest maintenance, allowing the queen to remain within the nest and focus primarily on laying more eggs.
As the season progresses into late summer, the colony reaches its peak size, ranging from 50 to 400 individuals. At this point, the queen begins to lay unfertilized eggs that develop into male bees (drones), and some fertilized eggs develop into new queens. These new queens and males leave the nest to mate. Following mating, the new queens build up fat reserves for winter, while the original queen, workers, and males perish. Only the newly mated queens survive to overwinter, to founding new colonies the following spring.