With great expectations you have hung up a nesting box in your own garden and are now hoping to meet a soon-to-be resident. Of course, the house is intended for birds. If the nest box is still empty after a long time or if a bird only lives in it temporarily, bumblebees could be the cause. Read what you need to know about insects here.
Nest boxes also serve as a retreat for bumblebees
Bumblebees in the nest box?
A nesting box (€49.85) not only serves as a breeding ground, but also offers many animals ideal winter quarters to protect them from the cold and precipitation. This applies not only to birds but also to numerous small animals such as squirrels or insects. It is therefore not surprising if you suddenly find bumblebees in your nest box instead of the desired guests.
Why bumble bees are problematic in the nest box
Due to the enormous spread of humans, many birds are losing their natural breeding grounds. Nest boxes still offer protection and are therefore gratefully accepted. With a nesting box you make a major contribution to bird protection. It is all the more annoying when bumblebees take up space for the animals. However, animal rights activists have found through experiments that the consequences of a nest box occupied by bumblebees are far more serious. The animals do not turn out to be just beneficiaries, as previously assumed, but drive birds away with their humming. This can lead to parents leaving the nest box prematurely and their young starving to death.
Consciously settle bumblebees
However, bumblebees are also useful animals that are indispensable in a functioning ecosystem. Maybe you want to deliberately keep bumblebees in your garden. There are also special bumblebee nesting boxes that you can easily build yourself. Here are some tips:
- offer nest boxes of different sizes, as the number of animals within a colony varies greatly
- a vaulted roof drains rainwater better
- spread newspaper on the ground to make it easier to remove the nest later
- fill your nest box with hay, moss or padding wool