According to Cecil Bumblebees only live two-three feet above ground.
Why do i have an entore colony living in my chimney then? We are on the second floor of a house and the chimeys are not interconnected with those on the ground floor.
This was not a comment by Cecil, but by SDStaff Doug. Here’s the link to the Mailbag Answer: The Straight Dope Mailbag: Honeybees have hives, wasps and hornets have nests–what do bumblebees have?
I will ask Doug to respond to your question.
I can’t find anything to explain bumblebees in a chimney.
The Bumblebee pages have instructions on moving a bumblebee nest, but the author doesn’t say categorically that bumblebees only nest close to the ground. The author does mention that «Some of the bumblebees that make smaller nests … do sometimes chose strange places to nest» and has as an example the pocket of a gardening jacket left in a shed.
Encyclopædia Britannica says «They often nest in the ground, commonly in deserted bird or mouse nests.» I notice that they don’t say always.
In general, I think absolute statements about a species’ conduct have the risk of being contradicted by the exceptional behaviour of a few offbeat members of that species. Maybe you have exceptional bumblebees, or a race of super-bumblebees, living in your chimney?
I would be VERY surprised if those were bumblebees in anyone’s chimney. What would be holding the nest up?? Doesn’t make any sense, and I presume it to be a misidentification. I have never heard of a bumblebee nest more than 2 meters above ground level, either.
[homer simpson] I wish I had a race of super-bumblebees living in my chimny[/homer simpson]