Where Do Bumblebees Nest? Ground, Grass and Abandoned Dens

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Why do bumblebees nest in the ground? Mostly because they do not build their own nests from scratch. Most bumblebee nests are started in an existing cavity at or near the soil surface, often an abandoned burrow of a small mammal, or a clump of grass that rodents have already woven together. The University of Minnesota and Mississippi State University Extension both describe this pattern. The sources explain where bumblebees nest and how they start a colony. They do not give a full count of nest sites or a method for removing a nest, and this post does not offer one.

Quick answer

• Bumblebees usually move into pre-existing cavities. The Mississippi State Extension newsletter says these are “usually in some pre-existing cavity in or near the soil, often in the abandoned nest or burrow of some small mammal or bird.”
• The University of Minnesota says bumblebees “often nest in abandoned rodent dens underground or under tufts of grass.”
• A nest can also be in a bird box, a wall void or under a patio cushion. The sources list these as unexpected spots, not the usual ones.
• Nests that sit in the wrong place can cause stings. The sources say so and do not give removal steps.

What the question is really asking

People who ask why bumblebees nest in the ground usually want one of three things: to understand the insect, to find a nest in their yard, or to know whether a nest near a seating area is a problem. The sources answer the first question well. They answer the second only in general terms. They say little about the third beyond a warning about sting risk. Each section below separates what the sources state from what they leave open.

Why the ground works for a bumblebee nest

Bumblebees are not hive builders like honey bees. The University of Minnesota page compares them directly: “While paper wasps and honey bees make these types of nests, bumble bees nests are either on the surface or below the ground, and only rarely in trees.” The page describes the typical entrance as “a small hole in the ground, or a clump of grass with bees going in and out in succession.”

The reason ground spaces suit them is insulation and shelter. The Minnesota page explains that rodents “create spacious shelters and fill them with insulating materials, like grass, plant stems and fur, creating a protected place to live.” A bumblebee colony that moves into one of these dens gets a ready-made chamber with padding already in place. The page says that insulation “helps regulate the temperature of the nest.” The source does not measure how much temperature varies inside a den, so this post does not give a number.

The Minnesota page also describes what happens after the rodent leaves. “Once the rodent moves out, bumble bees find these dens and set up their homes for the growing season.” The page uses a simple comparison: it is like “a bumble bee moving into a vacant apartment.”

Abandoned dens are the main pattern, not the only one

The Mississippi State newsletter describes nests that are “in or very near the soil, such as under a stump, rock, debris pile or fallen log.” The same newsletter says that “occasionally bumble bees will nest above the ground.” It lists places where nests have been found: “between stacked bales of hay, in wall voids, empty bird houses, and similar sites.”

The Minnesota page adds that bumblebees choose places they consider safe. It says bumblebees “nest in areas they deem to be safe and cozy homes, often which are dens created by rodents.” It also says that “it isn’t unusual for bumble bees to nest opportunistically in other covered and warm areas.” That is why the page lists nests found “under the foundation of a building, in a bird house, or even the cushions of your patio furniture.”

For a backyard, the patio cushion example matters most. The sources do not give a rule for how often this happens, and they do not say whether a nest in a cushion will stay there for the season. What they do show is that a bumblebee nest is not always a hole in a lawn. A pile of cushions, a stacked wood pile or a birdhouse can be a site as well.

How a nest starts in spring

A nest starts with one bee. The Minnesota page says these nests “are founded by a single queen early in the season.” The Mississippi State newsletter describes the same stage: “Nests start out small in the spring, just the queen and a few workers.” The queen gathers pollen and nectar, lays eggs and raises the first workers. The Minnesota page describes the wax cells inside the nest, which hold “brood as well as pollen and nectar to feed the young larva.”

The same newsletter states that bumblebee nests “do not survive through the winter.” This is different from honey bee colonies, which store food for the cold months. The newsletter says bumblebee nests “do not need long-term food storage like honeybee colonies.” So a bumblebee nest is a summer structure. A nest you find in August will not be occupied the following spring, though the sources do not say whether a new queen will reuse the same site.

When a nest is easiest to notice

Most people notice a nest because of traffic at the entrance, not because they see the nest itself. The Minnesota page says: “Because the nest has more workers, there is more traffic at the nest entrance, which increases the chance of us discovering the nest.” Its guidance for spotting one is to watch bees come and go. The page describes a behavior to look for: bees “take large circles” as they descend into the nest. The page calls these “orientation flights,” and says the bees use them to get their bearings before they enter.

The timing also matters. The Minnesota page says that “generally, the best time to find a bumble bee nest is during a colony’s peak population.” For Minnesota it puts that window at “roughly mid-July to August, but varies for different species of bumble bees.” The page does not give the window for other states. Readers in other regions should not assume the same dates.

The size of the entrance also varies. The page says: “Many times, the entrance to a bumble bee nest is small, and may be no bigger than a penny. Other times it can be a large entrance the size of a cantaloupe.” A small hole in a lawn can be easy to miss, and so can an entrance under a stack of pots.

Why bumblebees are not usually a problem in the ground

The sources describe bumblebees as strong foragers. The Minnesota page says they “have the ability to fly over half a mile away to forage.” That means a nest does not need to sit next to a flower bed. The page says nest location is “a very different aspect of their life” from where they feed.

A nest close to people is a different matter. The Mississippi State newsletter says: “Nests that are in the wrong place can pose serious sting risks.” It also says that by late summer “a large nest can contain hundreds of workers, all of which will aggressively defend the nest if it is disturbed.” This is the most important point for a homeowner. A nest that is quiet in June can be active and defended by August.

The sources do not state how far away a person must stay from a nest, or how to tell a bumblebee nest from a wasp nest by sight alone. The Minnesota page does say that nests are recognized by bees “entering or exiting the nest entrance,” which is a behavior to watch rather than a rule to follow.

How to tell a bumblebee nest from other nests

The Minnesota page sets bumblebee nests apart from honey bee and wasp nests. A bumblebee nest is not a hanging comb. The page says the bumblebee comb “looks much more like a clump of pots or bowls” and that it lacks “the classic angled shapes.” The clearest sign is the bee traffic. A nest in a den or a patch of grass will not look like a paper nest hanging under an eave.

If you are unsure what you are seeing, the sources point to community science. The Minnesota page says that Bumble Bee Watch and iNaturalist “are both sites that have been helpful in contributing to bumble bee nest data, allowing people to easily upload photos and report their sightings to a public database.” Uploading a photo is a way to record a sighting. It is not a way to identify a nest from a distance, and the page does not say that the sites can confirm a nest from one picture.

What we could not verify

• How many bumblebee nests a typical yard holds. The Minnesota page says that “there are still many questions regarding their habitat.”
• Whether a nest in a patio cushion, bird box or wall void behaves the same way as one in a rodent den. The sources list these sites but do not compare how long or how well nests survive in each.
• Whether a nest will be reused the next year. The sources say nests do not survive winter. They do not say whether a queen returns to the same site.
• How to remove a nest or move one safely. The Mississippi State newsletter refers readers to a separate extension publication for nests in the wrong place. We did not open that publication, so this post gives no removal steps.
• Differences between species. The Minnesota page says the peak window “varies for different species of bumble bees,” but it does not give a table of species and nest sites.

How we chose these sources

We looked for pages from university extension programs that describe bumblebee nests directly. We opened the University of Minnesota Nest Quest page “Bumble bee nesting 101” and the Mississippi State University Extension newsletter “Bugs’ Eye View” (2023, volume 9, number 7). We read the text of both pages on 2026-10-30 and checked each claim against the page text. We did not use blog posts, forum threads or retailer pages. Two readable sources are the minimum for this post, and both are extension pages. The sources differ in region: one is Minnesota research and the other is Mississippi extension. Where they describe different things, this post says so.

Practical checklist for a bumblebee-friendly yard

The sources do not recommend products for bumblebees, and this post does not either. If you are planning a yard that bumblebees can use, the sources support a few steps:

• Leave some undisturbed ground, grass tufts and debris piles, since the sources list these as nest sites.
• Check patio cushions, stacked firewood and birdhouses before you sit or move them, because the Minnesota page lists these as places where nests have been found.
• Keep a clear distance from any nest you find, because the Mississippi State newsletter warns that defended nests can sting.
• Record sightings through a community science site if you want to add to the data, as the Minnesota page describes.

For other backyard wildlife guides on this site, see our guide to a DIY bird feeder from a plastic bottle for backyard birds, and our guide to hanging a hummingbird feeder for garden visitors.

Mistakes to avoid

• Assuming a nest is only in the lawn. The sources list bird boxes, wall voids and patio cushions as nest sites.
• Looking for nests in early spring. The Minnesota page says the best time is the colony’s peak, roughly mid-July to August in Minnesota. A spring search finds only a queen and a few workers.
• Disturbing an active nest. The Mississippi State newsletter says large nests will “aggressively defend the nest if it is disturbed.”
• Expecting the same nest next year. The sources say bumblebee nests “do not survive through the winter.”

FAQ

Do bumblebees dig their own nests in the ground?

The sources describe bumblebees moving into existing spaces rather than digging. The Minnesota page says they “often nest in abandoned rodent dens underground or under tufts of grass.” The sources do not describe a nest being dug from scratch by a bumblebee, so this post does not claim they never do.

Is a bumblebee nest in the ground dangerous?

The Mississippi State newsletter says “nests that are in the wrong place can pose serious sting risks,” and that large nests defend themselves when disturbed. The safest approach described in the sources is to avoid disturbing the nest. The sources do not give removal steps, so this post does not give any.

When are bumblebee nests easiest to find?

The Minnesota page says the best time is the colony’s peak population, which it places at roughly mid-July to August in Minnesota. Nests are easiest to find when bees are coming and going from the entrance.

Do bumblebee nests come back the next year?

The sources say bumblebee nests do not survive the winter. They do not say whether a new queen will return to the same spot, so that question is listed under what we could not verify.

Can a bumblebee nest be in a bird box?

Yes, according to both sources. The Minnesota page describes a black-and-gold bumblebee nesting in an abandoned bird box, and the Mississippi State newsletter lists empty bird houses among nest sites.

Bottom line

Bumblebees nest in the ground because they move into shelters that already exist, such as abandoned rodent dens and grass tufts, and sometimes into bird boxes or other covered spaces. Look for bees entering and leaving an entrance in mid-summer, and treat any nest in a high-traffic spot as one to leave alone.

Sources

• University of Minnesota, Bumble Bee Nest Quest, “Bumble bee nesting 101,” https://nestquest.umn.edu/about/bumble-bee-nesting-101 (opened 2026-10-30)
• Mississippi State University Extension, “Bugs’ Eye View,” 2023, volume 9, number 7, https://extension.msstate.edu/newsletters/bugs-eye-view/2023/bumble-bee-nest-vol-9-no-07 (opened 2026-10-30)