…new batch of queens out and about - the big #bumblebees you’ll have noticed lately.
These big girls will have been fed differently to female workers as they developed in the nest - queens, as with males, need more food and for longer periods when developing as larvae.
5/15
#science #education

….female workers out foraging with packed pollen baskets and each subsequent brood likely getting bigger in size.
Then the males appeared - the flower sleepers - often with slightly different colouration and yellow hairs on their faces.

Now in late summer/autumn we have a…
4/15
#autumn #bumblebees

…a potential colony that gets to exist.
So back in early spring queen #bumblebees emerged from hibernation and you would have noticed these big girls flying around looking for food and a suitable nest site.
These large bumblebees were followed a few weeks later by smaller…
3/15
#bees #biodiversity

And every colony counts!

Spoiler alert:
The big #bumblebees around in Autumn are new queens.
They’re feeding up before hibernating.
It’s vital they have access to forage.
If you find one trapped in a poly tunnel/in your house let her out quickly - every queen that survives is…
2/15
#bees #nature

You’ve been seeing very large #bumblebees on the wing for the past while.

Why?

Okay I’ll tell you why in this quick thread if you promise to #repost as the more people who know that these are queens the more likely that someone will help some out meaning more colonies next year.
Deal?
1/15
#bees

#theBeeAt3

Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

51.

Bumblebee queens sit on their eggs to keep them warm.

To generate the body heat needed for this they will make up to 6000 flower visits per day to collect nectar.

#bees
#bumblebees
#nature #science
#worldbeesanctuary
#insects #dandelions

Saltmarsh #Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) shot today off Moore St., west of I76.
#Bloomscrolling #Wildflowers #Bumblebees

Saltmarsh #Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) shot today on the sidewalk of Vare, west of I76.
#Bloomscrolling #Wildflowers #Bumblebees

Saltmarsh #Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) shot today on the sidewalk of Vare, west of I76.
#Bloomscrolling #Wildflowers #Bumblebees

Saltmarsh #Goldenrod (Solidago sempervirens) shot today on the sidewalk of Vare, west of I76.
#Bloomscrolling #Wildflowers #Bumblebees

#theBeeAt3

Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

49.

One of the ways in which bumblebee queens maintain their dominance in the nest is by periodically head-butting the more dominant female workers.

We’re not so different!

#bees
#bumblebees #nature
#worldbeesanctuary
#insects #education

1/3 into Autumn and still plenty to see

creamcrackerednature.blogspot.com/2026/09/comi...

#writing #nature #photography #bees #bumblebees #insects #wildflowers

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

48.

Development from egg to adult bumblebee can take anywhere from 20 to 35 days depending on species and conditions.
Half this time is spent as a larva feeding and half as a pupa in a cocoon.

#bees
#bumblebees
#nature
#science
#education
#wildlife

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) shot today in the Fitler Square neighborhood of Center City.
#Bloomscrolling #ButterflyBush #Bumblebees

Dum de dum de dum…
Hum buzz hum buzz hum buzz hum…
Arrgh…
Ahhhhhhh…
Hum buzz hum…
Och i the noo, och i the noo…

Or so it would seem…

#nature
#thistle
#butterflies
#bumblebees
#september
#worldbeesanctuary