Bees in heather bush

[Nell12]

For the past few years we have had bees nesting in our heather bush and I now wish to dig up this bush. Is this safe to do at this time of year?

[Mellifera Crofter]

What kind of bees, Neil? And what do the nests look like? Can you see the bees or the nests now?
Kitta

[Nell12]

Hi Kitta

Sorry I don't know what type of bees they are and I can't see the bees or the nest at the moment. The heather bush has become so overgrown and looking a bit sad, so that is why I want to remove it. In previous years we could see a hole in the earth below the heather and we assumed this is where the nest was.
Nell

[busybeephilip]

Wasps - they love nesting under heather bushes

[Mellifera Crofter]

If they’re wasps, BBP, then it’s likely that the nest is empty now - unless a queen is hibernating in there. Should Nell wait maybe a little bit longer to give any queen that might be there time to leave and search for a new nesting site?
Kitta

[Mellifera Crofter]

Actually, do wasps use holes in the ground? If the bees used a hole in the ground, might they not be bumble bees or miner bees?

If bumble bees - then, again, as for wasps, perhaps only an overwintering queen. I don’t know about miner- or other bee types.
Kitta

[Thymallus]

Actually, do wasps use holes in the ground?
Yes, frequently. They are able to enlarge the cavities as the next expands, unlike most social bees that nest underground where they are limited to the size of the "hole" they find.
Solitary bees and wasps are quite capable of digging their own holes.

[madasafish]

Actually, do wasps use holes in the ground? If the bees used a hole in the ground, might they not be bumble bees or miner bees?

If bumble bees - then, again, as for wasps, perhaps only an overwintering queen. I don’t know about miner- or other bee types.
Kitta

They use holes in the ground in our garden. Then the badgers come along and dig them up..
Saves on digging I suppose:rolleyes::rolleyes: