Bummble Bees robbing honey...

[jezd]

Just thought ppl maybe intested in seeing bummble bees robbing capped honey as I moved frames around - at one point I had 4-5 of them in the hive!!

Is it me or are there loads of bummbles around in the UK this year??

Jez

 

[gavin]

Yes, it seems like a good year for bumbles here too, and I've regularly had them trying to sneak into hives. They usually get pounced on by a gang of guards but I've never seen a dead one around the hives.

all the best

G.

 

[FenBee]

Good photos, looks like a White-tailed bumble bee (Bombus lucorum).

We have a nest of bumbles bees in a mulch box not far from the apiary and generally it does seem to be a good year for Bumble bees, which can only be good

 

[Nellie]

Loads around here this year too which is great to see.

 

[Finman]

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Do I see right, there are plenty of crystallized honey in the comb? Old honey or winter food?

 

[jezd]

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Do I see right, there are plenty of crystallized honey in the comb? Old honey or winter food?

old comb, old honey.

Jez

 

[MrTrueman]

Yep there are loads around here also. I am on a swarm collection list and have had around 20 bumble bee calls so far and no honey bees

Also have had about four bumbles constantly been trying to get into my hives for around aweek.

I found two dead out front the other day, so not as lucky as some others at geting in!.

 

[Finman]

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In Finland we have bumbble bees too a lot. They are now queens. Workers have not emerged.

I have on my cottage yard Caragana arborescens busches and I estimated that I had on my yard about 200 bumbble bee queens one evenning. (50x50 meter area)

2 years ago we have a lot too in spring but then during rainy summer they vanished almost totally. I suspect that they migrate long distances, and same is with wasps. Hot weather wave brought wasps one week ago.