Selection of frequently asked questions
Question: Is it really that important to base it on the inner diameter of the pipe? I have purchased a bumblebee and I don't want to change it.
The best-selling bumblebees on the Czech market are supplied with a corridor with an internal diameter of 14mm. During last season, we encountered several cases where bumblebees almost blocked this particular entrance tube, as they try to carry waste material through the corridor. In one case, it even went so far that the workers refused to return to the nest and started building a new structure on the branch in front of the flap. We dealt with it as an emergency, it ended with pulling out the blocked tube and destroying the external structure of the nest. The bumblebees then returned to normal. If this had not happened, the nest would have collapsed.
Question: Isn't it better to make the interior corridors larger than 25mm?
According to the observations of Mr. Stuchl and Čížek, when a female wasp attacks a nest, the workers stand next to each other in the tube and try to drive the wasp away or kill it. In a large tube, the wasp would probably bypass them and they would no longer be able to overpower it in the nest space. However, this problem is solved by the flap. Its inner diameter is never enlarged. The space is small, sufficiently clear and its maintenance is therefore easy for the beekeeper. Another reason is that some workers might consider tubes wider than 30 mm as a space where it is appropriate not to take out waste, but to store it. This would create a situation similar to that in the case of hives containing various vestibules. A tube that is too large would also lose its purpose - to give the settling queen a sense of security.
Question: Why do you recommend 25-30mm for long exterior corridors?
For corridors around 1m and longer, it is necessary to count on the accumulation of waste material, moisture can be retained here, the whole system is much less accessible to the breeder during the operation of the colony and, moreover, in the case of an external solution, it cannot be canceled because the bumblebees remember the route and the exit from the hive. Therefore, in these specific cases it is better to use a diameter of 30mm. The loss of nest protection (see question above) is compensated here by the length of the corridor that a potential parasite must travel before reaching its own nest.
Question: Is it really necessary to cut the lining?
Long fibers need to be cut to prevent the bumblebee from getting tangled in the fibers and dying. Cutting is therefore necessary and this also applies to commercial products sold directly as bumblebee bedding. The filling is cut and torn into fine fluff, creating a fluffy mound.
Question: Can and how can I use the old lining?
Yes, but it must not be moldy or contaminated with, for example, nest debris or bumblebee waste. The smell of old lining attracts some queens, increasing the chances of them being accepted by the hive.
But the lining must be clean and free of parasites! It needs to be sanitized = let it pass through heat. Be careful not to burn or scorch the lining, but it is necessary to destroy any germs / parasite larvae with a temperature above 60°C. However, all the lining must pass through this temperature in its entire volume. Trust, but verify! Personally, I would sanitize every donated lining.
Some beekeepers boil the lining. The disadvantage of this procedure is the loss of the scent trace and, depending on the material, its structure/consistency may change. However, it is always necessary that the lining is placed in the hive clean, dry and fluffy.