03-05-2013: Bumblebee nest in bird box (1)

Small bumble bees with white on their abdomens are nesting in this woodcrete birdbox in North Yorkshire, 3 June 2013. The bird box is hung on a wall facing south and sheltered from wind by an earth bank opposite. Trees shelter the box from the sun for half the day. On this day the box hummed as there were bees in the entrance fanning the hive with their wings. The species is possibly bombus hypnorum.
The monotone background hum, which could be mistaken for a fault in the recording, is actually the sound of several bees fanning the hive with their wings. After the recording was made, the sun moved round, putting the birdbox in shade, and the humming stopped.