Thread by @the_beeguy

Queen #Bees - HELP THEM OUT!
Another important thread concerning #bumblebee queens at this time of year!
Please #retweet/#share as every queen bee that survives gets to establish a nest that otherwise would not happen. This has knock on effects going forward. Let me explain.
1/11

#Bumblebees don’t understand glass - they get confused and trapped and exhausted. And they die. Likewise with polytunnel plastic. So if you see or hear a bumblebee buzzing and banging against a window in your house she needs your help - and quickly!
She’s in trouble.
2/11

So you need to act fast - don’t leave her suffer while you do something else (with good intentions to get to her at some stage - which you might forget).
Why?
#Bumblebees, even with a full stomach, have about 40 minutes of ‘energy’ in them before…
3/11

…they need to refuel with nectar. So if she spends 30 minutes frantically flying against your window that doesn’t leave much in the tank! So that small kind act of simply walking over and helping her out makes a huge difference. Likewise in your polytunnel or glasshouse…
4/11

…bees pollinate much of your food/flowers so the least you can do is to spend a few minutes at the end of the day making sure any trapped #bees are helped out. This is even more important at this time of year as it is predominantly #bumblebee queens who are on the wing.
5/11

EVERY QUEEN THAT SURVIVES IS A COLONY THAT GETS TO EXIST.
A bumblebee queen sits on her first batch of eggs to keep them warm but she also has to forage whilst doing this to maintain the energy to survive and to create the heat. If she gets trapped and so delayed on these…
6/11

..foraging trips then this first brood of eggs may perish and the colony fail. If she dies the colony fails. So just a small bit of awareness, vigilance and timely effort by you could save a queen bee. Save a colony.
Think about this:
If the queen you save founds and…
7/11

…maintains a successful colony which produces even 10 new queen #bees which subsequently go on to establish 10 new colonies the following year then your kind act within 5 years theoretically could be responsible for 10,000 bumblebee colonies!
We call it #beetothepowerof10.
8/11

When helping her out always be careful and patient. If the window doesn’t open you can use a glass/piece of card to gently catch her. In polytunnels a kid’s fishing net is great or grow flowers she likes just outside the doors to attract her back outside.
9/11

Please #retweet this to literally help bees out. I’m not on here for likes but for impact.
So I’ll only ask for retweets to help spread vital information to help people help #bees.
Deal?
Thanks for your help.
Have a great one!
#beetothepowerof10
Small acts big impact!
10/11

Please note:
All #bees in these clips were immediately rescued and survived. Rescue was delayed for less than a minute to record their plight to make more people aware of this issue.
Whilst we concentrate on bees here all #insects should be shown the same consideration.
11/11
🙏🏼