Food for a bumble bee?

[wobbegong]

I've got a massive one lurking around my front door, looking a bit slow and sad...

Any suggestions?

Are you sure it's a bumble bee? It sounds more like Threaded in his cycling gear.

[NotAllThere]

I give them honey, which quickly perks them up.

I had a bat fly into my top-floor flat once. Those are quite spooky to see flying around inside - almost silent and almost fly into you before missing. It wasn't interested in any of my food offerings and couldn't find it's way outside, so I left it perched above a door and in the morning it had...

Sucked the blood from your veins.

[Sysman]

I've got a massive one lurking around my front door, looking a bit slow and sad...

Any suggestions?

The last one I had I dropped off the balcony. It was huge and could have been a Queen. I didn't want it getting ideas about making a nest in the eaves.

(I'd had that the year before, along with a bird's nest and associated droppings all over the terrace.)

[EternalOptimist]

Yep - sugar water is what to give bumble bees (and butterflies).

you want to give them a sugary drink with no nutritional value ? dont you like them ? - SasGuru

[malvolio]

WE had a bat in the house recently, probably courtesy of one of the cats. Wife was having hysterics, how can we get rid of it, blah-di-blah. Don't want to handle it - might get bitten but also didn't want to get human scent on it.

So I left the back door open for five minutes and relied on Batty using his built-in radar to find it's own way out. Took it about 30 seconds.

[MarillionFan]

Little known fact this, but raw steak will tempt away a bumble bee. You just need to stand in front of a large window, preferably on the street side (you see bumble bees are exhibitionists(sic) and love an audience) and wave your arms around while holding a steak.

Trust me works every time.

Let us know how you get on.

[Pogle]

Little known fact this, but raw steak will tempt away a bumble bee. You just need to stand in front of a large window, preferably on the street side (you see bumble bees are exhibitionists(sic) and love an audience) and wave your arms around while holding a steak.

Trust me works every time.

Let us know how you get on.

[wurzel]

Little known fact this, but raw steak will tempt away a bumble bee.

Indeed, when I was growing up in Somerset we used to hang a dead animal from a tree so we could enjoy our barbecues without being pestered by wasps.

[Drewster]

The last one I had I dropped off the balcony. It was huge and could have been a Queen. I didn't want it getting ideas about making a nest in the eaves.

(I'd had that the year before, along with a bird's nest and associated droppings all over the terrace.)

I think you are getting confused between "Bumble Bee" and "Honey Bee" (and possibly even Wasps/Hornets).

a) Bumble Bees - (Generally big and "furry") - Don't have queens they are basically fairly solitary sort of chaps/chapesses (even though you often find many nests together they a not actually communal nests).
b) "Honey Bee Queens" - Are not actually that big... they are a bit bigger (thicker) than Workers but not noticeably, they are noticeably longer but still not huge.
c) A Honey Bee queen (that is likely to "make a nest") will certainly not be on her own she will be in (the middle of) a swarm of 1000s of workers (they are looking for a new home - thats why they swarm...)
Incidently Honey bees are very docile and mild mannered when swarming. Either leave them alone or (probably better) contact your local BeeKeepers Association and someone will come along and take them away for you.
DON'T contact pest control bods cos they will (possibly) a) Charge you money (bad) or b) (Much worse) Squirt them with nasty chemicals and kill them (even though they aren't supposed to).

Aside from that (IRT Cojak/OP) a few drops of sugar solution is not a bad idea (for exhausted Bumble/Honey Bees) but Honey is actually not that good an idea cos if its foreign Honey (fairly likely) it runs the risk of spreading nasty diseases that local Bees won't be resistant to.

My Bees were very active before I left UK yesterday.... gathering loads of Pollen (probably Ivy) but not much nectar at this time of year.....

[The Wikir Man]

WE had a bat in the house recently, probably courtesy of one of the cats. Wife was having hysterics, how can we get rid of it, blah-di-blah. Don't want to handle it - might get bitten but also didn't want to get human scent on it.

So I left the back door open for five minutes and relied on Batty using his built-in radar to find it's own way out. Took it about 30 seconds.

Stun the bat by hitting it with a tennis / badminton / squash racket, then take it outside.

You won't be able to hit it with much else, because it senses the movement and avoids it. Rackets, on the other hand, work - the bat can sense the frame but not the strings, so tries to fly right through the middle.

HTH.