backyard bees experiment #2
We came across a mouse nest a couple weeks ago (Peromyscus maniculatus maybe? It definitely wasn't Mus musculus), while tearing apart a (too) slowly composting pile of sticks in our yard. The downside of this event, at least from the rodent's perspective, was that a comfy, established home was demolished and reclaimed by its landlord. The mouse's loss, however, was the entomologists' gain, as the shredded vegetation that rodents often line their nests with is an excellent substrate for bumble bees (Apidae: Bombus spp.) to build nests in. And we obviously love bees.
This is the time of year when queens emerge from their overwintering spots and begin searching for nest sites. If you see a big, fat bumble bee hovering over a wood pile or gazing longingly into one of your wren houses this week (and she doesn't have any pollen on her hind legs) you'll know she's on the prowl for a place to rear her brood. Rodent burrows are a perennial favorite, and our hypothesis is that the smell of mouse litter makes sites even more attractive. To test this hypothesis I quickly built a bumble bee nest box with an entrance that accommodates Bombus queen-size or smaller organisms - i.e., neither rodents nor other undesirables - lined it with the ball of shredded leaves and stems, which (of course) reeks of rodent, and placed the box in a sheltered location that might appeal to bumble bees. Now the wait begins...
Bee box with lid removed to reveal the mousy substrate. The small entrance hole is visible in the upper right.
Bee box sitting in the shelter of a shrub, near a stone wall. Note the Lamium sp. (Lamiaceae), a decent plant for bumble bees to forage on, in front of the nest box.
Ok, I can hear some of you laughing at my experimental design - one replicate, no control, and no attempt to isolate the rodent odors?! Right. So it's not a real experiment. It's still fun though! I know it's a long shot, but I'll definitely post tons of pictures if we successfully lure one of those beautiful queen bees, and she grows her queendom for us to see. They'll earn their rent by pollinating our tomatoes. Last time I checked the box, though, all we had in it were four Forficula.
This is the time of year when queens emerge from their overwintering spots and begin searching for nest sites. If you see a big, fat bumble bee hovering over a wood pile or gazing longingly into one of your wren houses this week (and she doesn't have any pollen on her hind legs) you'll know she's on the prowl for a place to rear her brood. Rodent burrows are a perennial favorite, and our hypothesis is that the smell of mouse litter makes sites even more attractive. To test this hypothesis I quickly built a bumble bee nest box with an entrance that accommodates Bombus queen-size or smaller organisms - i.e., neither rodents nor other undesirables - lined it with the ball of shredded leaves and stems, which (of course) reeks of rodent, and placed the box in a sheltered location that might appeal to bumble bees. Now the wait begins...
Bee box with lid removed to reveal the mousy substrate. The small entrance hole is visible in the upper right.
Bee box sitting in the shelter of a shrub, near a stone wall. Note the Lamium sp. (Lamiaceae), a decent plant for bumble bees to forage on, in front of the nest box.
Ok, I can hear some of you laughing at my experimental design - one replicate, no control, and no attempt to isolate the rodent odors?! Right. So it's not a real experiment. It's still fun though! I know it's a long shot, but I'll definitely post tons of pictures if we successfully lure one of those beautiful queen bees, and she grows her queendom for us to see. They'll earn their rent by pollinating our tomatoes. Last time I checked the box, though, all we had in it were four Forficula.
