Thread by @the_beeguy

Many people asking us about #bumblebees at the moment - why they’re seeing them on the ground - so here’s a quick thread to explain what they’re up to. Please #retweet as every #queen that survives means a new colony that gets to exist & produce new queen #bees for next year! 1/8

#Bumblebee queens emerge in early spring from #hibernation and immediately need to feed - that’s why early flowering plants are so important. Apart from feeding their mission at this time is to find a suitable site to establish a nest. Hence you will observe queens flying low 2/8

…to the ground zig-zagging across the landscape - they’re house-hunting. Stopping to explore in long grass and vegetation, hollows in trees, stone walls, under sheds and even compost heaps. During this time #bumblebee queens spend a lot of their time resting between flights. 3/8

These between flight stopovers can last for up to an hour and #bees are not always careful about where they take them - sometimes the middle of a footpath can be the ‘ideal’ spot! So if you see a big #bumblebee chilling on the ground don’t always presume she needs rescuing! 4/8

As with sleeping dogs leave resting #bees lie - for up to an hour before intervening. (Unless of course she is in imminent danger whereby she should be carefully moved to a safe place). If after about an hour she is still present then she may need assistance. 5/8

In this case preference is to move her to a nearby source of #nectar - a #flower! If no flowers are nearby she can be offered a 50/50 mix of white sugar and water. NEVER offer her honey as although it would seem to be the obvious action honey can contain pathogens that may 6/8

..be harmful to #bumblebees. Usually once she takes on some sugars & heats up she’ll happily fly off. Don’t bring her indoors for long periods! If she has already established a nest and laid eggs she needs to get back to sit on them before they cool down. 7/8

Thanks for reading/caring.
PLEASE #retweet this forward.
The more informed, the more queens survive and the more #bumblebees we have.
Simple.
Our native wild #bees are in trouble and we need to be there for them every way we can.
Thanks again for helping!
Have a great one. 8/8

Sitting in the company of #birds by the big #pond here on the sanctuary between showers looking at your response to this thread.
I’m not one who does hope, preferring action, but your response has me close.
Thank you.
We go again tomorrow!
Have a great evening.
🙏🏼 people.
🐝