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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.
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#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…
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…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.