How long can a bumble bee last without food or water?

Question

About 20 bumble bees are trapped in my garage after I sealed up the holes in my wall they were using as an entrance. That was 4 days ago, and they're still buzzing around. I was thinking that maybe I could just let them die inside the garage, but it's taking way longer than I imagined. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

The bees are probably surviving off the honey in their hive. That is, assuming they're honeybees, and the hive is in your garage. Bees use honey as a backup food source, so it's not surprising that these could still be surviving if that's what they're taking in. Honey is mostly sugar, but there's a good bit of water in there, too, so that shouldn't be a problem either. Perhaps try to find the nest they're using, and get rid of that before sealing up anymore holes.

Other than that, I can't say how long a bee can last without food. It's not a question that comes up much.