What do bumble bees do

See our video showing easy ways to attract bees to the garden for more flowers and food! Im in central Massachusetts, and its mid October. Today I found a queen bumble clinging onto a cosmos flower in my garden. She seemed dead. Is this alarming? I thought they hibernate.

I picked the flower and brought her and it inside, in case it was the chill that was gibing her trouble. The neighbors just had someone here spraying for mosquitoes, so I was concerned she might be affected by whatever they were spraying. Now she is miving a little. Ill keep her safely inside tonight no heat ison yet and take her back to the garden tomorrow garden if she seems fine.

What do you think is likely her problem? I found a worker bumble in similar state a few weeks ago, brought him in and he never revived. That fits with your article. Bumbles will sleep out at night, are less bothered by cool temps. However, if the weather drops a lot in the nighttime, any bee that ventures out could die during the night.

Way back in the past bumble bees used to be called humble bees. There are 2 schools of thought suggesting that it was from the noise they made and the other that, because they nest in mouse holes etc. Years ago I had a rabbitry. What I didn't know that inbetween the wall and the insulation was a bumblebee next. I think the weight of the nest pulled the insulation loose. I had gone out to feed the rabbits and I noticed they were all very quiet and tucked into the corners of their cages.

I walked to the end of the rabbitry and noticed the dropped insulation and then I heard the buzz. The bees were upset. The queen, it had to be the queen considering the size of the bee actually chased me as I ran out of the rabbitry, out and around to the front of the house. It caught up with me and stung me 5 times on the arms. That was one upset bee. I hated to do it, but I had to spray the area to destroy the nest to protect myself and the rabbits.

Note - I had not disturbed the nest when I first saw it, but apparently my movement and size alerted the bees and caused the attack. This incident happened many years ago. I was working in a field when I happened upon a large, oval rock about two feet in diameter. Perched on top of the rock was a bumblebee.

I leaned over and just looked at it. The bumblebee's head turned and it looked up at me. We watched each other for several long moments. Then the bumblebee raised one of its front legs and 'WHAM', another bumblebee, that must have been hovering in the area which I didn't see, came down and stung me in the neck.

Instant headache! There might have been a nest under the rock and the one bumblebee thought I was a danger and signaled to the other. I still love bumblebees and won't intentionally hurt them.

But beware! If you see a bumblebee on a rock, retreat - quickly. In another incident when I was on the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania, I stopped at a patch of blackberries on an open part of the field to have a feast. The bumblebee was merely giving me a warming to stay away. I heeded the warning, backed away and left. Over the last week we have had three Whitetail bumblebees die on our patio.

What could be causing this sudden death? While strolling around my backyard, I like to stop and see how all of the plants are coming along.. We plant lots of NJ native plants in our NJ yard. I was just observing a bumblebee attached to a slightly smaller one. At first I thought they were mating. The smaller one is clearly not alive, and the other appears to be holding onto it, like we would with a loved one, who has just passed away.

I am trying not to put human behavior onto this beautiful creature. I was looking up info about bumblebee behavior, but have yet to find any info that tells me anything about this. Arne Heathland home to more than species. Get out, get busy and get wild! Fun factoids for all the family Find out more about the nature and wildlife outside your window. Scientific name: Bombus spp Type: Insects. Key information These large, hairy bees are generally black with varying degrees of yellow banding.

What they eat: Nectar and pollen. Measurements: Length: Up to 22mm long, depending on the species and whether it's a queen, male or worker. Where and when to see them. Some species emerge as early as February. Can be seen from spring until late autumn.

Share this page Facebook Facebook Created with Sketch. Bumble bees are found throughout the Northern Hemisphere from the Arctic tundra to deserts and forests. Bumble bee colonies die at the end of each growing season, only the queen survives to start a new colony in the spring. This is unlike honey bee colonies, where the queen and some members of the colony survive throughout the winter. Bumble bees go in search of food in temperatures as low as 0 C.

They stay warm by vibrating their flight muscles to generate heat. Bumble bee diversity tends to be the highest around mountain ranges. Bumble bee species have different lengths of tongues that match the flowers they feed on.

Bumble bees with long tongues can reach the nectar in long tubular flowers, while medium and shorter-tongued species collect nectar from smaller flowers. Of the two groups, bumblebees are the better pollinators. They are fast workers and, because of their larger bodies, can carry larger loads. Moreover, bumblebees are more resistant to weather conditions such as cold, rain, and limited light. The one advantage honeybees have is communication: they actually perform a dance to let their fellow workers know where good supplies of pollen can be found!

Although this is good for their colony and honey production, it can actually be a disadvantage in terms of pollination. Whereas honeybees will rush off to mine a certain pollen source, bumblebees will stay around, patiently working an extended area until it is fully pollinated. One final difference: honeybees can only sting once before dying.