![]() If you find a queen bumblebee whilst repotting plants, just put everything back the way it was, so she can continue her winter sleep.Ī hibernating bumblebee queen in a plant pot. There have also been reports of hibernation sites in soft potting compost in plant pots, wood piles and even in compost heaps. ![]() Hibernation sites vary, they include soil banks and slopes and prefer shaded north-west facing sites. The rest of the nest – including the old queen, the male bees and female workers, die out throughout the autumn. Eventually the new queens hibernate alone underground, with their critical fat stores helping them survive through the winter. The new queen and males leave the nest and try to find mates, with the new queens then gorging on nectar and pollen to build up fat in their bodies. As summer progresses, the queen lays eggs which produce a new generation of queen bees and male bees. In early summer they live in a nest made up of a queen bee and female worker bees. ![]() Wild bees hibernate and overwinter as they haven’t evolved to store food (like the Honey bee) and there aren’t enough flowers across the winter.īumblebees are social bees and have nests and winter habits that revolve around their nest and queen. On the island of Ireland, we have over 100 wild bee species, 20% of which are bumblebees. Pollinators have evolved various strategies to overcome this problem. It is cold and often rainy and the first frosts will wipe out most of the flowers, and this will drastically reduce the availability of food. Winter is quite a difficult time for pollinators.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |