swarm-list Mailing List: Re: Swarm taking up bird house in Rockridge No Oakland

[yoko kumano (yokuma]

Thank Jerry! 

Yes, I very much enjoyed the zoom talk about bumblebees last year. It was helpful. I love this group for all of the things I learn.

The past two rehoming missions, I indeed felt like a failure because they faded out in a few months. It was good to know that this is normal. I'm hoping that I will get to enjoy this new one for at least a couple months before they fade out. I will let the group know when they finish up. 

The species is bombus melanopygus (black-tailed bumblebee). I think that's the one I see most after bombus vosnesenskii (yellow-faced bumblebee). The black-tailed bumbles seem to come out earlier in the year, when it's still kind of cool, than the yellow-faced, according to my amateur bumblebee observations (i.e. during the walks around my neighborhood). 

The bumblebees are orienting now in my yard as the sun peeks out.

On Sun, Apr 6, 2025 at 1:25 PM Gerald Przybylski via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:

Thanks for coming to their rescue.
Last year, I think, we had a zoom speaker talk about bumblebees.
(terrific pollinators, btw, especially for tomato)
I was surprised to learn they nest for only part of the spring/summer,
then produce queens that 'winter-over' until the next brood cycle next
year.
The colony will build and become progressively more of a mess.
They will produce queens, and then activity will cease.
We beekeepers may think we failed because they died out, but queen
production ends their brood cycle
probably before our usual dearth.
Yoko, can you let us know when they finish up, and if you can, what
species they are?
It would be cool to know when the various species end their brood
cycle.   (as a hotline volunteer it's info I can share on those calls)
Thanks,
Jerry


On 4/6/25 1:02 PM, Yoko Kumano via swarm-list wrote:
> Checked on these earlier today and they were bumblebees. They were active already at 10am, so I told the homeowner I would go back and get them around 7:30.
>
> He has a small child and seemed anxious to have them out of his yard.
>
> I love bumblebees and will rehome them in my yard. Last year, I rehomed some that were living in a box full of dryer lint.
>
>
>
>> On Apr 6, 2025, at 09:33, Pamela Weimer <pamela.weimer [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Claim to Yoko
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Apr 6, 2025, at 9:22 AM, Yoko Kumano <yokuma [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> I can go.
>>>
>>> Yoko
>>> 510-862-2232
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>>> On Apr 6, 2025, at 09:18, Pamela Weimer via swarm-list <swarm-list [at] alamedabees.org> wrote:
>>>> Caller went out to check for baby birds and found bees inside.  He ID’d them correctly.  Bird house is on a tree trunk with twine and easily cut at about 4 ft up.  He said he’d like the house back if possible.
>>>>
>>>> Who would like this?
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> Safety first! No swarm is worth risking injury to self, or host.
>>>> Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
>>>> <https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> Safety first! No swarm is worth risking injury to self, or host.
>>>> Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
>>>> <https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.
>>>>
>>>> To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, to learn how
>>>> to filter these messages, or to view the archives, see:
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
Safety first! No swarm is worth risking injury to self, or host.
Make sure you're familiar with the swarm catching guidelines at
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-catching-guidelines/>.

To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, to learn how
to filter these messages, or to view the archives, see:
<https://www.alamedabees.org/swarm-list-tips/>.