Native Bees

Celeste Ets-Hokin

As always the home of Tom And Shirley Butts is a wonderful setting for an informative and helpful presentation.

Gudrun shows a bird house that was used by bumble bees. When the bumble bees disappeared and maggots were found in the nest the garden club network provided a resourse to explain what happened.

We learned the following from:

Robbin Thorp

Professor Emeritus

Department of Entomology

University of California

The bumble bee is Bombus melanopygus, one of our more common bumble bees in CA. It nests underground as well as above ground. It is usually the first bumble bee to establish nests each year. Queens newly emerged from hibernation are most often out and about when manzanitas come into bloom and often establish nests as early as January. Their nests at lower elevation locations are beginning to complete their annual cycle at this time of year (April). I just picked up one that was active earlier at Cosumnes River Preserve (between Sacramento and Stockton) in a Wood Duck nest box. It expired of natural causes a week or so ago.

The "maggots" are actually moth caterpillars. A form of wax moth that recycles the old pollen, wax and cocoons of bumble bee nests when the colonies start their natural decline. Nothing special can be done about them. They are usually not a problem since they start their activities when the colony is already on its way out.