Sad end to a bumble?

[Terry G]

Yesterday there was a fine large bumble bee hanging around the hive most of the day, snuffling around the omf and peering in the entrance.
This morning there is a ball of bees on the front of the hive with something shiny in their midst and no sign of the bumble. Jolly unsporting behaviour by my team I think. I shall have to give them a talking to.

 

[victor meldrew]

Happens all the time
VM


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[Cellectronic]

Now I am wondering if thats what happened to my little visitor, He/She was Bumbling around the hives last week , But they have now disappeared !

 

[Terry G]

Happens all the time
VM
[/quote]

They do polish up nicely though.

 

[Cellectronic]

I am well impressed with the polishing up, Wonder what their hoovering is like ?

 

[itma]

Had a couple of Queen Bumbles stuck in mouseguards earlier this month.



One must remember that Bumble Bees farmed on honeybee-gathered pollen are routinely imported for agricultural pollination and not subject to any health checks whatsoever.
This is officially excused because "any diseases they might be carrying are here already" and "they cannot possibly spread diseases to honeybee colonies".
Really?

 

[gregior]

I think the bee in the photo with the 'polished' look is actually a cucoo bee,which invade bumble nests,kill the queen and rear their own young,this one was probably attracted to the smell of the hive thinking it was a bumble nest.

 

[masterBK]

Cuckoo bumble queens don't have pollen baskets on the rear legs but the one in the photo seems to have them. Queens of Bombus terrestris, B. lucorum are often found in beehives. They tend to enter in autumn but also in spring too. If killed the bees usually chew their hairs off them making them look shiny black and sometimes bite off their feet and occasionally parts of their antennae.

 

[susbees]

They tend to enter in autumn but also in spring too. If killed the bees usually chew their hairs off them making them look shiny black and sometimes bite off their feet and occasionally parts of their antennae.

Yep, I have a polished all over unrecognisable one in my bits-for-talks box. Looks like a large black beetle.

Have seen queen bumbles arounds hives both last autumn and this Spring - risky pursuit...but obviously less so with mouse guards in place (which they now are not). I too worry about farmed B.terrestris and the possble consequences.

 

[victor meldrew]

Cuckoo bumble queens don't have pollen baskets on the rear legs but the one in the photo seems to have them. Queens of Bombus terrestris, B. lucorum are often found in beehives. They tend to enter in autumn but also in spring too. If killed the bees usually chew their hairs off them making them look shiny black and sometimes bite off their feet and occasionally parts of their antennae.

I ,whilst inspecting a colony ,had a bumblebee land on top of the frames, the bees already in the alert mode , grabbed it in a breath, dragged it down between the frames and in no time at all chucked it out of the entrance in several pieces!
VM

 

[weebee]

The Hive Barbers

I love the idea of the Honeybee barbers.

 

[Ely]

I'm due a hair cut. Honey scented shampoo too?

 

[YorkshireBees]

I witnessed a queen bumble land and sneak into one of my polyhives the other day. She did at least choose the side of the entrance that the bees weren't using!

Didn't witness what happen after!

 

[jd101k2000]

Had something similar. Repeatedly tried to get into one hive, but the entrance was just too small. She got into the other hive. It was on a cool day with no flying bees,.. There were still three that escorted her out at high speed