[Pollinator] Value of bumble bees and how to deal with nests

[Stephen Pryor]

Hello members,
I am a researcher in the San Luis Obispo area of California and I've been called out to a school lawn that has three veryhealthy bumblebee (B. vosnesenskii) colonies nesting in gopher borrows in the lawn where kids play.
The lead teacher does not want to have the colonies sprayed, but is caught between her concern for the bees and the parents concern for the their kids being stung.
I have roped off the most active colonies and told the teachers to have the kids stay a distance away. I've also been relocating the queens currently emerging to a rural site nearby that also has many bumblebees colonies and wild flowers, hopefully they will still mate and start their own colonies.
Does anyone have any sage advice to best avoid stings. Also could you forward me papers in laypersons terms that explain the value and importance of bumblebees as well as the peril that bumblebees are in nationwide and worldwide.  Links would also be helpful.  We want to avoid the exterminator.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Stephen Pryor 		 	   		  
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