Allow bees in and out whilst excluding butterflies?

[BeeMaster2]

Bum,
Are they bumblebees or are they carpenter bees?
Bumblebees build their nests in voids, sometimes in the ground and sometimes in bird houses or other voids. Carpenter bees cut holes in wood and lay their eggs in the holes. Sometimes they will use existing holes and make them longer.
Jim Altmiller

[Buk]

Those who do not want to have bees but want the benefit of pollination pay someone to use their hives for that purpose.  Payment can be bartered for a small operation.
Unless you are willing to rescreen the whole cage I would forget sieving out the unwanted.

I'm not into bees.

Intellectually, I am aware of their value to society as a whole and the hard time that anthropomorphic changes are giving them;
I appreciate them and their invaluable contribution to my existence.

But, I'm not 'into' them.

In part, my negativity may arise as a consequence of a couple of events in my life.


1) as a 9 y/o I was playing sword-fighting game with a few of my mates when we disturbed a wild bee nest and we got stung badly.
I spent 3 days in hospital in agony as a result. One of my mates, who it turned out was allergic, was there much longer.

2) As a teenager, I was in the back of a small van (Reliant Robin) making a journey to work one summer morning when a bee flew in a cracked window.
The driver, Richard, was one of those people with an irrational fear of all things stingy, and he panicked.

End result: A shallow bank at the side of the road; a huge amount of shattered fiberglass; and 3 months in hospital with a broken femure, collapsed lung; a hairline skull fracture and concussion.
Richard and the other guy, Tommy, both died.

I appreciate bees and their value; but my instinctive fear is not irrational.

I am thankful you came to a bee forum.  I am hopeful you take the advice.

Would I have bothered coming and asking if I did not care about the answers or outcome?

[Acebird]

Would I have bothered coming and asking if I did not care about the answers or outcome?

It is not uncommon.  Some people join discussions only to support their initial idea.  If you are not one of them then my hat goes off to you.

[The15thMember]

My bee hotel is positioned and appears to be attracting attention.

I've noticed a lot of (very large) bumble bees that (to my uneducated eyes) appear to be investigating my garden for nesting sites.
(There are no flowers (at all) here at the moment; and they seem to be nosing around any dark areas and crevices.
In the past I have blocked off a couple of gaps in the brickwork of my house to prevent bumblebees nesting there. )

Q: Could I create some kind of nest place (underground) with two entrances -- one outside and one inside the criter cage -- that would be attrative to bumblebees?

If this is a possible, non-harmful idea; what might that look like?

Hey Buk!  Thanks so much for keeping us updated on your project.  I've never made a bumble bee nest box, although I'd like to try it.  It can be tricky to get bumbles to nest in artificial nests, as they can be quite picky about them.  They would be a great benefit to your garden though, as bumbles can reach into deep flowers that smaller bees can't access, and they can buzz pollinate, which some plants really benefit from.  Here's a link from a reputable source about building a box.  https://www.beesinyourbackyard.com/post/how-to-make-a-bumble-bee-house

Bum,
Are they bumblebees or are they carpenter bees?
Bumblebees build their nests in voids, sometimes in the ground and sometimes in bird houses or other voids. Carpenter bees cut holes in wood and lay their eggs in the holes. Sometimes they will use existing holes and make them longer.
Jim Altmiller

Carpenters and bumbles can be difficult to tell apart.  I'm not familiar with your bees in the UK, but if you could manage to get a good picture (not an easy task with bees!) I could try and help you with an ID.  Carpenters have the same pollination benefits as bumbles, but your setup may be too small to house them, since they nest in a similar manner to the tube-nesting bees and would have to be trapped inside your garden, which is probably too confining for a bee their size. 

I'm not into bees.

Intellectually, I am aware of their value to society as a whole and the hard time that anthropomorphic changes are giving them;
I appreciate them and their invaluable contribution to my existence.

But, I'm not 'into' them.

In part, my negativity may arise as a consequence of a couple of events in my life.


1) as a 9 y/o I was playing sword-fighting game with a few of my mates when we disturbed a wild bee nest and we got stung badly.
I spent 3 days in hospital in agony as a result. One of my mates, who it turned out was allergic, was there much longer.

2) As a teenager, I was in the back of a small van (Reliant Robin) making a journey to work one summer morning when a bee flew in a cracked window.
The driver, Richard, was one of those people with an irrational fear of all things stingy, and he panicked.

End result: A shallow bank at the side of the road; a huge amount of shattered fiberglass; and 3 months in hospital with a broken femure, collapsed lung; a hairline skull fracture and concussion.
Richard and the other guy, Tommy, both died.

I appreciate bees and their value; but my instinctive fear is not irrational.

Sorry to hear about these bad experiences you've had, especially your friends you lost.  I understand that stinging insects aren't for everyone, and thank you for being willing to work with these bees in spite of any misgivings you may have about them personally.  I do just want to reiterate, in case I didn't strongly enough before, that the solitary bees are not territorial and will in no way bother you, even if you were to stick your nose right up to their nests.  The only way to be stung by them would be to grab one and trap it in your hand, and even then, they might not jab you. 

The bumbles, as a social colony like honey bees, can be territorial about their nests, although usually not to the level honey bees are, since their nests are less rigidly organized and MUCH smaller than a honey bee colony.  In fact, I'm not even sure that bumble bees will mount a concerted defense like a honey bee colony will, but I have been stung by a bumble bee before, whereas I've never been stung by a tube-nester or a carpenter, and yes, I have put my nose right up to them!  You would want to put the entrances to the bumble bee nest somewhere where you aren't likely to get into it, and the bees aren't flying right out into a walking path or something of that nature, just to be safe.   

[Buk]

Bum,

You talkin' to me? 

Are they bumblebees or are they carpenter bees?

Definitely bumblebees. According to google "Are carpenter bees rare in UK? Distribution: Found in wooded areas in Europe, but a rare vagrant to the UK. "

We have several different types of bumblebee locally.

Going by the coloration (nearly all black) of those I've seen around my garden recently, they are either Ruderal or perhaps Red-tail;
and going by their size, probably queens looking for nest sites.

[Buk]

Sorry to hear about these bad experiences you've had, especially your friends you lost.  I understand that stinging insects aren't for everyone, and thank you for being willing to work with these bees in spite of any misgivings you may have about them personally.  I do just want to reiterate, in case I didn't strongly enough before, that the solitary bees are not territorial and will in no way bother you, even if you were to stick your nose right up to their nests.  The only way to be stung by them would be to grab one and trap it in your hand, and even then, they might not jab you. 

I'm fine around individual bees outside -- I even get up close to photograph them if they'll sit still long enough -- but the idea of messing with them on mass holds no appeal at all.

[The15thMember]

Bum,

You talkin' to me? 

Hahaha! 

Definitely bumblebees. According to google "Are carpenter bees rare in UK? Distribution: Found in wooded areas in Europe, but a rare vagrant to the UK. "

We have several different types of bumblebee locally.

Going by the coloration (nearly all black) of those I've seen around my garden recently, they are either Ruderal or perhaps Red-tail;
and going by their size, probably queens looking for nest sites.

You have all black bumble bees where you live?!  They are so pretty!    I don't think we have any black bumbles in the US, although we do have some all black carpenters.  But where I live we only have yellow and black species. 

I'm fine around individual bees outside -- I even get up close to photograph them if they'll sit still long enough -- but the idea of messing with them on mass holds no appeal at all.

You mean this doesn't look fun to you?! 
https://abcnews.go.com/International/man-underpants-covers-11-million-bees-sets-world/story?id=31321278

[Buk]

You mean this doesn't look fun to you?! 
https://abcnews.go.com/International/man-underpants-covers-11-million-bees-sets-world/story?id=31321278

You ever seen any of those youtube vids of teens doing stupid things for hits? You know, like riding a skateboard over a ramp aimed directly at a gorse bush or cactus patch wearing nothing but a pair of sneakers and speedos.

Despite my misgivings about the value of stupidity; it seems infinitely preferable! :)

I got 23 stings as a 9 y/o; that guys took "over 2000"! All to get his name in a book that nobody reads anymore; and the few that do say: "Stupid sod"!

If I ever feel then need to immortalise myself in that book, maybe I'll challenge this guys record. {ouch}

[salvo]

Hi Folks, Hi Buk,

I'm laffin MAO! This should be in the humor section. Buk. please stop right here if you ...

I searched on *Tickle my bean with a feather.* I got an attractive young lady, with several multi coloured feathers, making tickle sounds.

It's funny,... and it's not dirty. Eleven minutes though.....

https://youtu.be/NOY2HfwO99k

Now! About that *Reliant Robin*! Had you said Hillman Minx I would have taken you seriously....

Bwahahahaha!

Thanks Buk, to you and all our responders.

Sal