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Bumblebee gripping a yellow tomato flower

Buzz Pollination: Why Bumblebees Matter for Ohio Tomatoes and Blueberries

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If you’ve stood near a tomato plant in July and heard a bumblebee give off a sudden, louder buzz, you’ve heard buzz pollination. The USDA Forest Service explains that the bee grabs the flower and rapidly vibrates its flight muscles. That shakes the whole flower, and pollen streams out of small openings in the anthers. It’s one of the best reasons to relocate a bumblebee nest instead of killing it.

How Buzz Pollination Works

Some flowers don’t leave their pollen out in the open. Penn State Extension notes that blueberries and tomatoes keep their pollen hidden inside tube-shaped anthers, so it has to be buzzed out. The bee holds on to the blossom and vibrates at the right frequency, and the pollen falls onto her body.

This isn’t a rare trick of a few plants. A 2016 study in Apidologie by Switzer and others (2016) notes that about 8% of flowering plants, around 20,000 species, have these pore-like anthers. The same study found that bumblebees change their vibration frequency depending on the plant they’re working.

Bumblebee on white bell-shaped blueberry blossoms, a crop that benefits from buzz pollination
Blueberries are one of the crops that do better with bumblebee visits.

Honeybees Can’t Do It

The Forest Service guide states it plainly: honeybees do not buzz pollinate. That doesn’t make honeybees less valuable. It just means some plants depend on other bees. The USDA Forest Service lists tomatoes, cranberries, blueberries, eggplants and their relatives as plants bumblebees buzz pollinate. Tomatoes produce pollen but no nectar, and greenhouse growers bring in bumblebees, most often the common eastern bumblebee, to pollinate them.

The USDA National Agroforestry Center adds that tomatoes, cranberries and blueberries produce larger and more abundant fruit when they’re buzz pollinated. It also notes that bumblebees and mason bees stay active in weather that’s too cold or wet for honeybees, which helps on cool spring mornings when fruit plants bloom.

What Buzz Pollination Means for Your Garden

Why We Relocate Bumblebees

When a bumblebee nest is under a step, in the mowing path or next to a door, it may have to move. We relocate it instead of spraying it. The colony keeps working, and the garden keeps its buzz pollinators.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is that loud buzz a warning?

Usually not. A short, louder buzz while a bee clings to a tomato or blueberry flower is the sound of the bee vibrating pollen loose.

Do honeybees help tomatoes at all?

Honeybees don’t buzz pollinate, so researchers describe them as poor pollinators of tomatoes, peppers, blueberries and cranberries.

Can I attract more bumblebees?

Plant a mix of flowers that bloom from spring to fall and avoid spraying open blooms. Bumblebees also need undisturbed nest sites.

Bumblebee Nest Where It Can’t Stay?

Honeybees, bumblebees and native paper wasps are always relocated, never exterminated. Call or text Northwest Ohio Wasp Removal at 419-614-6445, or use our contact page, and send a photo if you can. See humane bumblebee relocation and wasp and hornet nest removal.

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Bumblebee feeding on the orange center of a purple coneflower

Are Bumblebees Aggressive? Bumblebee Behavior Around People

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Bumblebees are big, loud and fuzzy, and when one buzzes past your ear it’s natural to flinch. So are bumblebees aggressive? Away from their nest, not really. Washington State University Extension calls bumblebees among the most docile of bees when foraging, but notes they will aggressively defend their nests if necessary (WSU Extension). Here’s how they behave around people and what changes near a nest.

Are Bumblebees Aggressive on Flowers?

A bumblebee working your coneflowers or clover is collecting nectar and pollen. OSU Extension notes bumblebees are important pollinators of certain clovers because of their long tongues (OSU Extension HYG-2143). Bumblebees can also fly in colder and wetter weather than honeybees, WSU notes, which is why you may see them out on cool spring mornings. A foraging bumblebee generally ignores people unless it’s grabbed, stepped on or trapped against skin.

Near the Nest Is Different

OSU notes that social bumblebees will defend their nests. Nests are occasionally hit by mowers, and the irritated workers will aggressively pursue and sting repeatedly. Unlike honeybees, WSU says, bumblebees don’t have barbed stingers, so they can sting more than once. Most nests are in the ground or in protected spots such as old rodent burrows, cavities in wood, dry grass or leaf litter, or vacant birdhouses. See bumblebee nest in the ground.

Bumblebee flying toward purple catmint flowers in a garden bed, the kind of foraging scene where people ask are bumblebees aggressive
Bumblebees moving from flower to flower are foraging and rarely sting unless handled or trapped.

Behavior Changes Through the Season

The Xerces Society describes an annual cycle. In spring, a mated queen emerges from her overwintering spot and spends time searching for a nest site, which is why you may see a single large bumblebee flying low and slow over the ground or along a foundation. Once her first workers emerge, they take over foraging and nest defense while she stays inside laying eggs. By late summer, the colony produces males and new queens. The old queen, workers and males die off in late summer or fall, and only the new queens survive to overwinter (Xerces Society).

How to Stay on Their Good Side

  • Don’t swat or grab. Let a bumblebee fly on. If one lands on you, wait or gently brush it away.
  • Watch where you mow. Look for bees flying in and out of one spot before you start. See holes in the lawn.
  • Give nests space. Flag the spot and route foot traffic around it.
  • Catch strays indoors. WSU suggests trapping a bee in a jar against a window, sliding a card underneath and releasing it outside.
  • Know the allergy signs. WSU advises seeking medical help immediately for a known sting allergy or signs such as swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth, or difficulty breathing. See sting allergies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know it is a bumblebee?

Several large bees look similar. See Ohio bumblebee species.

Is it a bumblebee or a honeybee?

Bumblebees are larger, rounder and fuzzier. See why beekeepers never exterminate honeybees.

Do bumblebees come back to the same nest?

Rarely. WSU notes they don’t reuse old nests, and only new queens survive the winter.

Bumblebees Too Close for Comfort?

Bumblebees are always relocated, never exterminated. Call or text Northwest Ohio Wasp Removal at 419-614-6445, or use our contact page, and send a photo if you can. See humane bumblebee relocation and humane bee removal and relocation.

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Bumblebee at the entrance of a small hole in the ground under a shrub

Bumblebee Nest in the Ground: Leave It, Move It or Call?

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A fuzzy bee disappearing into a hole by the shrubs or under the deck is a classic sign of a bumblebee nest in the ground. Ohio State University Extension notes that bumblebees live in annual colonies formed in soil cavities, old rodent burrows or similar voids (OSU Extension HYG-2143). Most of the time, a ground nest can be left alone. When it’s in the wrong spot, it can be moved. Here’s how to decide.

What a Bumblebee Nest in the Ground Looks Like

The Xerces Society says most bumblebees nest on or beneath the ground in an existing insulated cavity, often an abandoned rodent burrow. The common eastern bumblebee often builds its nest 1 to 3 feet underground, with a tunnel from the surface ranging from about 18 inches to 9 feet. From above, you’ll usually just see a hole, sometimes hidden under leaves, grass or a deck board, with bumblebees flying in and out.

Colonies are small compared with honeybees. Xerces notes they peak by midsummer at roughly 25 to 1,000 bees depending on species.

Not every bumblebee nests underground. Xerces notes some species nest aboveground in tree cavities, bird nests or exposed housing insulation, and that foragers can travel up to two miles for food. So a bumblebee on your flowers doesn’t necessarily mean a nest in your yard.

When You Can Leave It Alone

  • It’s away from traffic. A nest at the edge of a bed or under a shrub is easy to work around.
  • It’s late in the season. Xerces explains that the founding queen, workers and males die at the end of the cycle in late summer or fall. Only new queens survive, and they leave to overwinter elsewhere.
  • It won’t be back. Xerces notes it is uncommon for bumblebees to reuse a nest site the next year, and WSU Extension notes they don’t reuse old nests (WSU Extension).
Bumblebee feeding on a red clover flower in a lawn near a bumblebee nest in the ground
Bumblebees are important pollinators of clover and many garden plants.

When to Call

  • It’s in the mowing path or by a door. OSU notes bumblebee nests are occasionally hit by mowers, and irritated workers will aggressively pursue and sting repeatedly.
  • Kids, pets or someone with an allergy use that area. WSU notes bumblebees don’t have barbed stingers and can sting more than once. See keeping kids and pets safe.
  • You’re not sure it’s bumblebees. Yellowjackets nest in the ground too. See ground bees vs. yellowjackets and holes in the lawn.

How We Relocate a Ground Nest

We don’t spray bumblebees. When a nest has to move, we relocate the colony rather than kill it. Until then, mark the spot with a flag, mow around it, and keep pets away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I pour water or gas in the hole?

No. It’s dangerous, it harms a native pollinator, and it can send defending bees straight at you.

Which bumblebee is it?

See Ohio bumblebee species.

Will they sting me?

See are bumblebees aggressive?

Bumblebees Nesting Where They Shouldn’t?

Bumblebees are always relocated, never exterminated. Call or text Northwest Ohio Wasp Removal at 419-614-6445, or use our contact page, and send a photo if you can. See humane bumblebee relocation and humane bee removal and relocation.

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Common eastern bumblebee with a yellow thorax and pollen-loaded legs foraging on a purple coneflower

Ohio Bumblebee Species: Common Eastern, Two-Spotted and Brown-Belted Bumblebees

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If you have big, fuzzy bees buzzing around a hole under your deck or in an old birdhouse, you are probably looking at one of the common Ohio bumblebee species. Bumblebees are some of the most important native pollinators in Northwest Ohio, Eastern Indiana and Southern Michigan, and they are gentle unless their nest is disturbed. As a beekeeper-owned company, we never exterminate bumblebees. When a nest is in a bad spot, we humanely relocate it. Here is how to recognize the bumblebees you are most likely to see and what to do if they move in close to your home.

How to Recognize a Bumblebee

Bumblebees are large, round and covered in dense hair, including the abdomen. They carry pollen in “baskets” on their hind legs, which often look like bright yellow or orange lumps. They fly with a deep, low buzz and visit flowers from early spring until frost.

People sometimes confuse bumblebees with yellowjackets or with other large bees. Yellowjackets are smooth, shiny and slender with a pinched waist. Bumblebees are fuzzy from head to tail. If you are not sure what you are seeing, our guide to identifying wasps, bees and hornets in Ohio walks through the differences.

Common Ohio Bumblebee Species

Ohio is home to a number of bumblebee species. Telling them apart takes a close look at the color pattern on the thorax and the first few bands of the abdomen. These three are the ones homeowners in our area meet most often.

Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)

This is the bumblebee you are most likely to find in a yard, garden or under a deck. Look for:

  • A fuzzy yellow thorax (the middle section behind the head)
  • Only the first band of the abdomen yellow, with the rest of the abdomen black
  • A black face and head

Common eastern bumblebees adapt well to suburbs and farms, and they often nest in old rodent burrows, under decks, in wall insulation and in compost or brush piles. They are also used commercially to pollinate greenhouse crops.

Common eastern bumblebees, one of the most common Ohio bumblebee species, at a ground nest under the edge of a wooden deck
Common eastern bumblebees often nest in the ground under decks and steps.

Two-Spotted Bumblebee (Bombus bimaculatus)

The two-spotted bumblebee looks similar at first glance, but the second band of its abdomen has a yellow patch that often looks like two spots or a short “W” shape. It is one of the first bumblebees out in spring and is common around flowering shrubs, fruit trees and gardens. Colonies tend to wrap up earlier in the summer than common eastern bumblebee colonies.

Brown-Belted Bumblebee (Bombus griseocollis)

The brown-belted bumblebee has short, neat hair and a yellow thorax, often with a small dark spot in the center. Its key feature is a brownish or orange-brown band across the second segment of the abdomen, the “belt.” It is common in fields, roadsides and gardens in our region and frequently nests at or near ground level.

Other Bumblebees You Might See

  • American bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus): A large bee with lots of yellow on the abdomen. It has declined across much of its range.
  • Golden northern bumblebee (Bombus fervidus): Mostly golden yellow, often found in meadows and grassy areas.
  • Black and gold bumblebee (Bombus auricomus): A big bee of open fields and prairies.
  • Rusty patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis): Federally listed as endangered. It has disappeared from much of its former range, which is one more reason we protect every bumblebee colony we encounter.

How a Bumblebee Colony Works

Bumblebee colonies last only one season. Each spring, a queen that spent the winter alone in the soil wakes up, finds a nest site and starts a colony from scratch. She builds small wax pots for nectar and pollen and raises the first workers herself. Through the summer, the colony grows to anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred bees, depending on the species. In late summer and fall, the colony produces new queens and males. The old queen, workers and males die off with cold weather, and only the newly mated queens survive the winter, each in a separate spot. The old nest is not reused.

That short life cycle matters for homeowners. A bumblebee nest in an out-of-the-way spot will end on its own by fall, and the bees will not come back to that same nest.

Are Bumblebees Dangerous?

Bumblebees are generally calm and focused on flowers. Female bumblebees can sting, and unlike honeybees they can sting more than once, but they rarely do so away from the nest. Males cannot sting at all. Problems usually start when someone mows over a ground nest, steps near the entrance, or a pet digs at it. Anyone with a known bee sting allergy should treat any nest near a door or walkway seriously. Our article on sting allergies and emergency removal explains when to act fast.

Where Bumblebees Nest Around Homes

  • Under decks, porches, sheds and concrete steps
  • In abandoned mouse or chipmunk burrows
  • Inside old birdhouses and nest boxes
  • In wall voids and fiberglass insulation, often behind siding
  • In compost piles, brush piles, and thick grass clumps

Bee Removal for Bumblebees: Always Humane Relocation

Because bumblebees are vital pollinators and many species are in decline, we never spray them. When a bumblebee nest is too close to people or pets, our bee removal approach is to carefully collect the colony and move it to a safer location. You can read more about how that works in our guide to humane bumblebee removal. If you are not sure whether you have bumblebees or ground-nesting wasps, see ground bees vs. yellowjackets.

Until we arrive:

  • Keep kids and pets away from the entrance.
  • Do not pour water, gasoline or spray into the hole.
  • Do not seal the entrance. The bees may dig a new exit, sometimes into your home.
  • Skip mowing or trimming right next to the nest.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do bumblebees make honey?

They store small amounts of nectar in wax pots, but nothing like a honeybee hive. A bumblebee nest is small, messy and short-lived.

Will bumblebees come back next year?

The old nest dies out in fall and is not reused. A new queen may choose a similar spot the next spring if it offers the same shelter.

Can I just leave a bumblebee nest alone?

Often, yes. If the nest is away from doors, play areas and mowing paths, leaving it is great for your garden. If it is in a high-traffic spot, call us for relocation.

Bumblebees Too Close for Comfort?

Call or text Northwest Ohio Wasp Removal at 419-614-6445 or visit our contact page. We humanely relocate bumblebees across Northwest Ohio, Eastern Indiana and Southern Michigan.

Wasp removal under a wooden deck in Northwest Ohio area. Ohio Wasp Removal

Bumblebee Nests Near Your Home: Humane Relocation in Northwest Ohio

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Bumblebees are some of the most beloved insects in the garden, until a nest shows up under your deck, beside your front step, or inside a shed wall. If you are searching for bumblebee removal, the good news is that bumblebees are gentle, their colonies are small, and a nest can be relocated without harming the bees. Our company is owned by a beekeeper, and bumblebees are always humanely relocated, never exterminated. Here is what homeowners in Northwest Ohio, East Indiana, and Southern Michigan should know.

Meet Ohio’s Bumblebees

Ohio is home to a number of bumblebee species. The one you are most likely to see around your house is the common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens), which has a fuzzy yellow thorax and a mostly black abdomen. Other species have different patterns of yellow, black, and sometimes orange or rust coloring.

Fuzzy black and yellow bumblebee
Bumblebees are fuzzy all over and among the gentlest stinging insects.

How to recognize a bumblebee:

  • Large, round, and very fuzzy, including the abdomen
  • Slow, heavy flight with a deep, loud buzz
  • Pollen on the hind legs when returning to the nest

Bumblebees are often confused with carpenter bees. Carpenter bees have a shiny, bald black abdomen and drill holes in wood. Our stinging insect identification guide explains the difference.

Why Bumblebees Matter

  • Powerful pollinators: Bumblebees “buzz pollinate,” vibrating flowers to shake loose pollen. Tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, and many native wildflowers benefit.
  • Cold-weather workers: Their fuzzy bodies let them forage in cooler temperatures than many other bees.
  • Species in decline: Several North American bumblebees have declined. The rusty patched bumble bee, once common across the Midwest and Northeast, was listed as federally endangered in 2017.

Where Bumblebees Nest

Bumblebee queens look for a dry, insulated cavity. Common nest sites include:

  • Abandoned rodent burrows in lawns and flower beds
  • Under decks, porches, steps, and sheds
  • Inside wall or ceiling insulation, especially near the ground
  • Compost piles, brush piles, and thick grass
  • Bird houses and old furniture cushions stored outside

Ground nests are sometimes mistaken for yellowjacket nests. The difference is important: yellowjackets are smooth, fast, and pour out in large numbers when disturbed. Bumblebees are fuzzy, slow, and far fewer. See our guide to yellowjacket ground nests to compare.

The Bumblebee Life Cycle

Bumblebee colonies are annual, much like wasp colonies:

  1. Spring: A queen that hibernated through the winter emerges, finds a nest site, and raises her first workers on her own.
  2. Summer: Workers take over foraging and the colony grows. Most bumblebee colonies are small, from a few dozen to a few hundred bees, far fewer than a honeybee or yellowjacket colony.
  3. Late summer: The colony produces new queens and males.
  4. Fall: The old queen, workers, and males die. Only the new, mated queens survive by hibernating, usually in soil or leaf litter. The old nest is not reused.

That means a bumblebee nest in a low-traffic spot will end on its own by fall. For nests in problem areas, relocation is the answer.

Are Bumblebees Dangerous?

Bumblebees are among the gentlest stinging insects. Workers are focused on flowers and rarely sting unless the nest is disturbed or a bee is trapped or squeezed. Females can sting more than once, so it is still wise to give a nest space. Male bumblebees cannot sting.

A nest becomes a concern when it is:

  • Right next to a door, step, or walkway
  • In a lawn area that needs mowing
  • Inside a wall or ceiling where bees are finding their way indoors
  • Near someone with a known sting allergy

How Humane Bumblebee Removal Works

We never exterminate bumblebees. Instead, the nest is carefully collected and relocated to a safe location away from your home, where the colony can finish its season. Because bumblebee colonies are small and gentle, relocation is a practical way to protect both your family and the bees.

Our methods are pesticide-free, so no chemicals are sprayed around your garden, lawn, or home.

Should You Just Leave the Nest Alone?

Often, yes. Because bumblebee colonies are small, gentle, and naturally end in the fall, a nest in a quiet corner of the yard, behind a shed, or at the edge of a garden bed is usually best left in place. You will get a season of excellent pollination, and the colony will be gone by the time the leaves drop.

Relocation makes the most sense when the nest is somewhere your family cannot avoid, such as beside the front steps, under a deck you use daily, inside a wall where bees are finding their way indoors, or near anyone with a sting allergy. In those cases, moving the nest protects both the people and the bees.

What Not to Do

  • Do not pour water, gasoline, or chemicals into the nest.
  • Do not plug the entrance. Bees may find another way out, possibly into your home.
  • Do not mow directly over the nest until it has been relocated.

Making Your Yard Less Inviting Next Year

  • Fill old rodent burrows in early spring.
  • Seal ground-level gaps in siding and foundations in the off-season.
  • Keep bird houses cleaned out in late winter.
  • Consider leaving a wild corner of your property for bumblebees to nest well away from the house.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you kill bumblebees?

No. Bumblebees are always humanely relocated, along with honeybees and native paper wasps.

Will a bumblebee nest come back next year?

The old nest is not reused. A new queen may choose a similar spot, so sealing gaps and filling burrows helps.

Is it a bumblebee or a carpenter bee?

Look at the abdomen. Bumblebees are fuzzy all over. Carpenter bees have a shiny, hairless black abdomen and are usually seen around wood.

Where do you provide bumblebee removal?

We serve Northwest Ohio, East Indiana, and Southern Michigan.

Bumblebees Too Close for Comfort?

We can relocate the nest so everyone stays safe, including the bees. Visit our contact page to reach Northwest Ohio Wasp Removal.

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