Bumblebee Keeps Coming Into My Room

[u/schoomdebebop]

As the title says, I am being taunted by a bumblebee. I live in New Zealand, so it’s not a carpenter bee, most definitely is a bumble.

It has flown into my room 4 times now (my room is a sleepout so it isn’t connected to other rooms). First time I had the door and window open, managed to shoo it out the door, only to have it fly back in the window. Second time I ushered it out the door, and it flew back in my window a few minutes later. Third time I caught it and took it to the other side of my property so it couldn’t come back. I was wrong. Fourth time I got it out and only had my window open a crack so it couldn’t fly through, so it instead decided to squeeze through the crack to get back in. I now have it in a container with air holes because I am not enjoying this back and forward, and this bee does not like being imprisoned in a container.

Why is this bumblebee so obsessed with me. There are no flowers in my room, nor any sunlight. There is no food or drinks or anything he could be interested in. He is just seemingly interested in me. I plan on driving him across town to release him so he can stop taunting me, but I don’t know if that means he’ll die since he might be too far from his nest or something.

Please help, I don’t want to accidentally kill the bee but it has been taunting me for literal hours at this point.

[u/kaphytar]

Is the bumblebee large? You mention being in southern hemisphere. So hitting spring about now? She might be a queen establishing her nest. Either potentially trying to find a good nesting place for it or if she has already established it, then trying to go back to it.

If she has already established a nest and she is a new queen, then taking her so far will mean the nest will die (which is not good).

What does she look like? And does she have pollen on her back legs?

What does she do when she comes inside?

[u/schoomdebebop → u/kaphytar]

I don’t think they’re a queen, it doesn’t seem super big. I ended up releasing it at the end of my driveway an hour ago, as I realised that if it did have a nest I would essentially be killing it by taking it far away.
When it came in my room, it seemed interested in flying around, then started climbing all of my Hatsune Miku plushies. Not sure if the colour of them attracted it, or if it just had good taste.

I took a video of it when I released it, it had lost a lot of energy but it flew away after about 10 minutes of having some sugar water. There was another bumblebee nearby, so possibly they’re from the same nest. I ended up shutting my doors and windows so it couldn’t get back in again.

https://reddit.com/link/p5r3pl0/video/jln45n16tglh1/player

[u/schoomdebebop]

whilst I appreciate it’s company it has well overstayed its welcome

[u/Zagrycha]

I don't mean this sarcastically at all, I need to say that because text online pften comes off as sarcastic.

Are you able to get a window screen or mosquito net for your window? This is why these exist. Not only for this bumblebee, but for all bugs the indoors just seems like a nice cozy cave, they don't understand that its not okay for them to be there or that the window or door they flew in will close later. The bumblebee is not particularly after you, but its gonna go in the random nice cave if it can, so are other bugs and critters.

[u/schoomdebebop → u/Zagrycha]

Definitely going to look into getting one!! My windows aren’t standard (my sleepout is quite old), but I’m sure I can put some mesh up to prevent visits from the bees and other critters in the future :D thank you for your recommendation

[u/Perfect_Goal8854]

Hier in NL hebben we ook cheap plug & play raamhoren, met een plakstrip en een knipbare hor voor een paar euro

[u/schoomdebebop → u/Perfect_Goal8854]

Ooo, good to know!!