Beekeeping Bumble Bees: Why Beekeepers Don’t Keep Them

Introduction: Beekeeping Bumble Bees – Why Do Beekeepers Ask About Them?

Many new beekeepers wonder whether beekeeping bumble bees is possible in the same way honeybees are kept. The short answer? No—traditional beekeeping focuses on honeybees, while bumblebees remain wild pollinators. This article explains why beekeeping bumble bees isn’t a common practice and how beekeepers can still support their populations.

Bumble bees and honeybees play vital roles in pollination, but their lifestyles, colony structures, and behaviours are fundamentally different. While honeybee colonies thrive year-round in man-made hives, bumble bee colonies exist temporarily, dying off each season with only the queens overwintering. Understanding these distinctions helps beekeepers and conservationists work together to protect both species.

The Key Differences Between Beekeeping Bumble Bees and Honey Bees

Why Beekeeping Bumble Bees Isn’t Common

1. Bumble Bees Don’t Produce Harvestable Honey One of the main reasons beekeepers keep honeybees is to harvest their honey. Beekeeping bumble bees for honey production is impractical because bumble bees do not store large amounts of honey. Their colonies are seasonal, meaning they do not create the same long-term food reserves.

While honey bees produce excess honey each season that beekeepers collect while the colony remains strong enough to survive the winter, bumble bees only produce what they need on a short-term basis. Although bumblebees do create small nectar stores, this is not enough for human harvesting.

2. Bumble Bee Colonies Are Temporary Unlike honeybees, whose colonies persist year after year, bumble bee colonies die off at the end of the season. Only the queen survives the winter, hibernating until she starts a new colony in the spring. This makes beekeeping bumble bees unsuitable for long-term hive management.

A honeybee hive remains active throughout the year, with the colony working together to maintain its home, protect the queen, and store food. Bumble bee nests, however, are temporary. When cold weather arrives, the colony dies, and only new queens survive to start fresh colonies in the spring. This annual cycle makes beekeeping bumble bees impractical.

3. You Can’t Buy Bumble Bee Hives for Beekeeping Honeybee hives can be managed, moved, and split as part of a beekeeper’s routine. Bumblebees, on the other hand, form natural nests that cannot be relocated or kept in managed hives in the same way.

However, some companies do breed bumblebee colonies for commercial agricultural pollination, particularly in greenhouses for crops like tomatoes and strawberries. These colonies are not meant for long-term management and are typically short-lived and disposable. This is different from beekeeping honeybees, which involves maintaining and growing colonies over multiple years.

4. Bumble Bees Have Different Social Structures Another reason beekeeping bumble bees isn’t widely practiced is their vastly different social structure. While honeybee hives have thousands of worker bees that maintain the hive, defend it, and care for the queen, bumble bee colonies are much smaller and operate differently.

Bumble bees don’t have a highly regimented system like honeybees. Their social organisation is looser, and individual bees perform multiple roles rather than specialising in one. Because of their small numbers, bumble bee colonies do not need the same management as honeybee hives.

Some researchers and conservationists do “keep” bumblebee colonies for scientific study, but this is very different from traditional beekeeping for honey production.

5. Beekeeping Bumble Bees is More Like Conservation Than Beekeeping Supporting bumble bee populations is more about creating the right environment than managing a hive. Beekeepers can help by planting wildflowers, reducing pesticide use, and providing safe spaces for bumblebees to nest naturally.

Unlike honeybees, which can be bred, sold, and managed by beekeepers, bumblebees thrive best when left in their natural environment. Rather than keeping bumble bees in artificial hives, the best way to support them is through conservation efforts that improve their habitats and food sources.

How Beekeepers Can Support Bumble Bees Without Beekeeping Bumble Bees

Plant More Wildflowers

More flowers mean more food for all pollinators, including bumblebees. Beekeepers can plant diverse, native wildflowers to support both honeybees and bumblebees.

Provide Nesting Areas

Bumble bees naturally nest in abandoned rodent burrows, grassy patches, and hollow trees. Leaving undisturbed areas in your garden encourages bumblebee colonies to establish themselves.

Avoid Pesticides

Many insecticides harm both honeybees and bumblebees. Avoid using chemical pesticides in your garden or around your hives, as they can negatively impact the local bee population.

Support Conservation Efforts

Get involved with organisations like the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which works to protect and support bumblebee populations in the UK. Conservation efforts play a key role in ensuring bumble bees continue to thrive in the wild.

Conclusion

While beekeeping bumble bees is not practical, beekeepers can still support these valuable pollinators. Instead of keeping bumble bees in hives, beekeepers can support bumble bee populations by planting pollinator-friendly flowers, avoiding pesticides, and ensuring they have safe nesting sites.

If you’re passionate about bees, one of the best ways to help is to create a bee-friendly environment—whether you keep honeybees or simply want to encourage more pollinators in your area.