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It’s that time of year - people asking us about #bumblebees - WHY THEY’RE SEEING THEM ON THE GROUND - so here’s a thread to explain what they’re up to.
Please #repost.
Every #queen that survives means a new colony that gets to exist & produce new queen #bees for next year!
So this is important to share.
Thank you.
1/9
Spoiler Alert!
Quick version:
Queens just out of hibernation.
Hungry and house-hunting.
Rest often between flights.
Don’t move or help for an hour unless in immediate danger!
Flowers best option.
50/50 white sugar/water next best option - NOT HONEY!
Don’t bring her inside.
2/9
#Bumblebee queens emerge in early spring from #hibernation and immediately need to feed - that’s why early flowering plants are so important. Apart from feeding their mission at this time is to find a suitable site to establish a nest. Hence you will observe queens flying low…
3/9
…to the ground zig-zagging across the landscape - they’re house-hunting. Stopping to explore in long grass and vegetation, hollows in trees, stone walls, under sheds and even compost heaps. During this time #bumblebee queens spend a lot of their time resting between flights. 4/9
These ‘between flight stopovers’ can last for up to an hour and #bees are not always careful about where they take them - sometimes the middle of a footpath can be the ‘ideal’ spot! So if you see a big #bumblebee chilling on the ground don’t always presume she needs rescuing!
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As with sleeping dogs leave resting #bumblebees lie - for up to an hour before intervening. (Unless of course she is in imminent danger whereby she should be carefully moved to a safe place). However if after about an hour she is still present then she may need assistance.
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..be harmful to #bumblebees. Usually once she takes on some sugars & heats up she’ll happily fly off. Don’t bring her indoors for long periods! If she has already established a nest and laid eggs she needs to get back to sit on them to keep them warm - yes just like a hen!
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Thank you for reading and caring.
PLEASE #repost.
Don’t just like, #share.
The more informed, the more queens survive and the more #bumblebees we have.
Simple.
Our native wild #bees are in serious trouble and we need to be there for them every way we can.
Thanks again for helping!
For caring.
For sharing.
A little bit of good in a world that so needs it.
9/9
@thebeeguy very good thread. useful information for people who may be used to caring for dazed honey bees.
also, full of lovely bumblebee videos!
@thebeeguy is there anything I can do in the garden to provide a good place for a queen to make a nest?
I see bumblebees flying all year round in my garden (south of France), as soon as there's a ray of sunshine. I have flowers even in winter: violets, Daphne, Arbutus, Helebore, Lamium...
I also have old stumps for nests.
@cptcv @thebeeguy I live in apartment but also help my parents with their garden. This year I have very big planters outside my windows, I wonder if I could put something in my planters that bumblebees can use as a hive, or if that/s a bad idea. In any case, I will put a dish with water and rocks there, as summers tend to get hotter and dryer!
@thebeeguy You're doing a great job. Thanks for keeping us informed.
@thebeeguy I watched every video in this thread - fascinating to know what is happening with your commentary. I would have that this bee was an average bee, never a Queen! And I would have assumed it was lost and didn’t know where to return. Truly great you’ve shared this.
@thebeeguy Always! It's all about the #bees for me!
@thebeeguy love this thread. Encountered an xxl Bumblebee today. Going into the helleborus (and I still have flowering verbenum and some bulbs in the garden).
@thebeeguy if you feed bees simple syrup, use warm water to dissolve the sugar, not boiling. If the solution gets too hot it can create chemicals harmful to the bees.
Question: coming back from doing the groceries one day I found a bumblebee on the ground in a raised municipal plant area. It was being attacked by ants. I removed it from that area and placed it across the street, on a small grassy area with plants. I didn't have sugar and water on me (might be good to carry at least some sugarwater around), and I felt I wasn't doing enough. What would have been a better thing to do?