Hollowed out bumble bees?

[troedyrhiw]

By the coal shed today I noticed half a dozen dead bumble bees on the floor which were hollowed out. I'm assuming smaller insects feast on them "after" they died and it's nothing to worry about?

Just behind the shed is a massive Buddleia which has normally around 40+ bumble bees feeding off it. The tin roof slopes toward the path so the bees must have died whilst feeding then slowly slid down the roof after being eaten. There's no killer parasite that causes this is there, that could infect my hives?

Thanks

 

[Mr greenwood]

Not sure about your problem but you are currently in first place in the most intriguing title competition! Thought it was some sort of Eco friendly , low cost housing initiative.

 

[troedyrhiw]

A hollowed out bumble bee is quite large, maybe a baby slug can wear it as a shell and pretent to be a gangster snail

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Troedyrhiw - foot of the hill. But be very careful - change one letter it becomes foot sex

 

[garlicpickle]

There could be a crab spider lurking somewhere on your buddleia, adults will take butterflies and bees as they land on the flowers to feed.

 

[troedyrhiw]

Just had a closer look at some of the hollowed out bees. One has an insect crawling all over it, but I don't know what it is.

Any ideas, could this be the thing killing them or just having a free meal?

Thanks

 

[BeeJayBee]

Troedyrhiw - foot of the hill. But be very careful - change one letter it becomes foot sex

*snigger ... when I was learning Welsh I recall being advised to be very careful with pronunciation when asking for ice with a drink!

 

[troedyrhiw]

*snigger ... when I was learning Welsh I recall being advised to be very careful with pronunciation when asking for ice with a drink!

The best Welsh word has to be poptyping (pop-tee-ping) for microwave oven.

Just read on the web that great tits (no sniggering ) snip off the stings then hollow out bumble bees - this could be it as we have a load of them.

 

[Luminos]

Troedyrhiw - foot of the hill. But be very careful - change one letter it becomes foot sex

What have I learned today?
That Welsh hills have feet

 

[Putnamsmif]

Just curious on the subject of bumblebees, but can they survive out of the nest overnight? Outside where I work are several large beds of lavender which the bumbles have been covering over the last few days. This morning when I got to work, before the sun was on the lavender, there were loads of them clinging on to the bottom half of the flower bud length completely still and seeming to be waiting for the sun to wake them up.

 

[Luminos]

Think you've answered your own question there, Putnamsmif

 

[Putnamsmif]

Think you've answered your own question there, Putnamsmif

Ha ha, yes I suppose I have!

 

[Russel]

Just curious on the subject of bumblebees, but can they survive out of the nest overnight? Outside where I work are several large beds of lavender which the bumbles have been covering over the last few days. This morning when I got to work, before the sun was on the lavender, there were loads of them clinging on to the bottom half of the flower bud length completely still and seeming to be waiting for the sun to wake them up.

Yep, they take a wooly jumper whenever they go out.
Bumbles ( and some HB's) are quite hardy, summer nights are nothing to them when you consider some are out foraging in January when several mm's of ice. See pics.