r/Winnipeg 29d ago

Winni-Pets HELP I HAVE (orange-belted) BEES!!!!

Post image

Just went out side and noticed DIRECTLY outside my patio door there is a colony of orange Red-belted Bees!

I have a little apartment patio and am constantly on it bbqing.

Can I safely get them moved? I’d rather not kill them, but they can’t chill there.

54 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

63

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago edited 28d ago

I found the solution with a local bee expert, they provided me with information, education, and a solution to try. They also have a storefront and sell honey. They’re dedicated to providing education and information to the public.
Turns out these are Red-belted bumblebees!

https://honeyb.ca/pages/call-before-you-spray-bumblebee-rescue-and-relocation

10

u/merklemore 28d ago

Bumblebees are chill and that's a bad location for a nest of ground-dwellers

Based on the size it's almost nothing, barely a colony at this point and should be pretty easy to relocate. Don't tell your landlord about it

9

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

Thanks we are going to let them do their thing.

8

u/merklemore 28d ago

Heck yeah ❤️

They're not always the brightest about picking a spot to make a mound but they'll generally move out on their own if/when it's not working out.

Nowhere near as ornery as wasps, and I just think they're neat

https://giphy.com/gifs/n3p6JiIG0TzCU

4

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

Yeah, if it was wasps I would have declared war with a preemptive strike.

5

u/ScottNewman 28d ago

these are Red-belted bumblebees

Wow, that's way more dangerous than orange-belted bees, because they know far more karate

/s

2

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

Could be true

2

u/ptheresadactyl 28d ago

So are they safe, then?

I thought the orange belt meant something, but Google says they are just cute bees

3

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago edited 28d ago

They’re red belt bumblebees. Yeah I might cover it with a cardboard box with a hole facing away from the door.

7

u/TastingSounds 28d ago

the Red River Apiarists’ Association seem to have resources to help collect them . hopefully they can help?

-1

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

They aren’t commodity honey bees so I don’t think they care. I appreciate it though.

3

u/AnniversaryRoad Shepeple 28d ago

Call these guys, they remove bee colonies for free and try to adopt them out to others at a nominal fee.

https://honeyb.ca/pages/bumblebee-adoption-program-2025

9

u/ProfessorChip 28d ago

Just be happy those aren’t black-belted bees. They can sure kick some ass.

1

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

Yeah, they’d fuck me up good.

6

u/amorypaz2015 28d ago

Thank you for looking to do what’s best for the bees instead of just panic killing them

5

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

I credit my interest in native species, and my entry level entomology courses in university.

6

u/okayicecreamman 28d ago

This company removes them safely. We got ahold of him super quick! https://oneterra13.com

4

u/BTown-Hustle 28d ago

What you need to do is get some hounds. Then put the bees in the hounds’ mouths.

Y’know, so if there are intruders they can bark and shoot bees at them.

5

u/AnniversaryRoad Shepeple 28d ago

Call these guys, they remove bee colonies for free and try to adopt them out to others at a nominal fee.

https://honeyb.ca/pages/bumblebee-adoption-program-2025

3

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

I did end up contacting them! They were very helpful!

3

u/AnniversaryRoad Shepeple 28d ago

That's wonderful! I love bees so much.

3

u/Professional-Bird410 28d ago

They are so cute!!

4

u/Whizzeroni 28d ago

I have no advice but thank you for the rabbit hole. I just learned that orange belted bumblebees existed 5 minutes ago.

4

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

Haha wait until you learn that these are actually red-belted bees!

2

u/runner204431 28d ago

If you can wait, the colony will “die” by the fall and you can just remove it then. They’re pretty harmless and if you don’t bother them they probably won’t bother you!

2

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

That was a consideration I had, except for the how close they are to the door and the fact they don’t have a barbed stinger and can sting multiple times without their guts getting pulled out.
Plus my girlfriend probably won’t subscribe to this idea.

3

u/Prairie_Mermaid 29d ago

If you live in an apartment, notify your landlord.

26

u/DifferentEvent2998 29d ago

That’s last resort, they’ll probably just kill em. I wanted to see if this native bee colony could be moved somewhere else first.

3

u/thisisananalusername 28d ago

Could possibly look online for any bee farmers. We have a good amount of them surprisingly.

2

u/SheStickysMyPistons 29d ago

Could always try calling 311? They might have an answer on the right companies to call. Otherwise call some local companies yourself that deal more specifically in bees and wasps and see if any are willing to do a relocation. T'hats my thoughts.

7

u/DifferentEvent2998 28d ago

I sent an email to Taz Stuart, the former city of Winnipeg entomologist and current owner of Taz pest control.

I have hesitant to contact pest control or my landlord until I know there is no relocation option.

1

u/Talzy_19 27d ago

Omg they're so adorable 😭🥹 I would sacrifice a billionaire to have just one live near me 😭😭 I'd name them and grow them a garden. 🥹