Bumbles

[bontbee]

...I felt a mild ache in my thumb and realised I had been stung! I had to chuckle as the intensity was so mild it was hardly worth the bees effort...
PH

In contrast, I had a tiny sting from a queen bumble and my arm swelled from finger tip to elbow.

Having said that, I also got stung on the nose by a buff-tail ( I think), worker and thought I would end up with both eyes closed. I was surprised and relieved to end up only with a rather runny, "peppery" nose.

 

[Goran]

Today I saw bumbles ( Bombus terestris) on the meadow spring flowers.. Not tuned flight yet, like been drinking..

 

[mintmoth]

I resuscitated a buff-tail queen at the beginning of February, she was too chilled even to raise a leg at me, but after a warm-up indoors and some sugar water she perked up and I put her on the sunny side of the house on the winter honeysuckle.

Saw a red-tail queen (B. lapidarius) yesterday, which I thought was quite early, don't usually see them till mid April time.

 

[kazmcc]

The advice is not to give honey. If you must then give them sugar water. The advice being given on the BWARS page is to pop them somewhere in the sun, on a flower and leave them be, but I always put a blob of cotton wool soaked in sugar water next to them.

As already stated, the mites are harmless, and are just hitching a ride, but if a bee is carrying too many, it may weight her down. The advice given by the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust is that if you see one with too many mites, then you may brush some away with a soft paint brush.

The feeling I am getting though by the people who work with bumbles is that by interfering, we are doing more harm than good, even if it is well intentioned.

EDIT - It is early for B lapidarius! I found a chilled Tree Bumble, but she didn't make it.

 

[44Whitehall]

I read Dave Goulson's excellent Sting in the Tale during the winter. What cool little fur-balls they are!

And coolness came to the garden today - a big fluffy queen. A lovely spring day; perfect, indeed.