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The Bee Guy

@the_beeguy

Jun 17 • 11 tweets • 8 min read Twitter logo

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When talking to people about #bumblebees (which we do a lot!😊) they tend to mistakenly associate them with two things; honey and stings. We’ve covered the honey fallacy before so here’s a thread on stings to set the record straight Please #retweet for the bumbles.
Thanks.
1/11

#Bumblebees have the capability to sting for sure but being the docile gentle creatures they are they don’t like to use this capability - it’s their nuclear option! The ability to sting is a defence mechanism to defend their nest and themselves if they are being…
2/11
#bees

…persistently aggravated.
In fact #bumblebees have an early warning system which they deploy to try to avoid stinging you if at at all possible. We call this ‘the back off buddy’ system.
If you encounter/approach a bumblebee on a flower or perhaps on the ground or on your…
3/11

…window cill her first and preferred reaction is to fly away. To escape. To put some distance between you. Sometimes however if the #bumblebee is tired, low on energy or injured she may not be able to fly away immediately so you may have noticed in this scenario she will…
4/11

…raise her middle leg. This is her warning to you to keep out of her space. You’re too close, she feels threatened - back off buddy! If you move away she’ll lower her middle leg. All good.
If however you persist in aggravating her (which begs the question why would you?)
5/11

…she will often raise her other middle leg as well. So both middle legs raised is sending you a stronger message - seriously dude back off! Again if you move away the situation is resolved. At all times she will fly away if this is an option for her.
If you continue still…
6/11

to aggravate her - you’re not looking too good in this scenario - she will often flip over onto her back, belly up. This is not a display of submission but rather she is showing you her stinger in a final attempt to get you to back off - this is what I’ve got and if you…
7/11

…don’t back off I’m going to have to use it! And it will hurt!
And possibly more than once as bumblebees unlike honeybees have smooth stingers which they can use again and again - they don’t die when they sting!
Male #bumblebees will display the exact same behaviour.
8/11

However they are the ultimate bluffers. Only female bumblebees - queens and workers - can sting. Males cannot sting and do not have a stinger!
So you see #bumblebees are genuinely docile creatures. They only sting in self defence and even at that it is a last resort.
9/11

So don’t associate #bumblebees with stinging. Rather associate them with #flowers, #wildflowers and the wealth of #food they provide to us through pollination. Associate them with a healthy vital #planet.
And when you see that leg raise - #backoffbuddy!
10/11

Terms and Conditions:
Please Note -
Bumblebee stings can cause anaphylactic shock if you are allergic to them. Always seek medical advise immediately if you notice symptoms.

Please share for the #bees.
Thank you.
Go #gentle out there!
#retweet
#bumblebees
#knowledge
11/11

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More from @the_beeguy

The Bee Guy

@the_beeguy

Jun 10

People asking us about the very small #bumblebees they’ve encountered (if they’re lucky this year!😔) over the past few weeks.
Wanting to know if they are a specific species.
So here’s a brief thread to explain what they are.
Please #retweet if you find it interesting.
🙏🏼🐝
1/9

Spoiler Alert: They’re the first brood of worker #bumblebees and they’re all female!

These small bumblebees that you may have seen fitting snuggly into a buttercup as they forage over the past while, very often - depending on species - are in appearance mini versions…
2/9

…of the larger queens that you may have seen out foraging and house hunting in early spring.
Shortly after establishing their nest these queens will have laid their first batch of eggs which they then incubate and when hatched provide food for. Depending on species..
3/9

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The Bee Guy

@the_beeguy

May 27

Okay folks as we seem to be heading in to some warm dry weather we need to talk about #bees and #water.

Please #retweet this to provide bees a helping hand. Thanks

BEES NEED WATER!

Given that they can collect water, their nectar based diet and their ability to generate…
1/11

…large amounts of water metabolically during flight #bumblebees are less prone to dehydration/desiccation than most terrestrial insects.

However they still need safe access to water.

Research suggests that #bees locate sources of #water by smell rather than sight.
2/11

#water is a source of essential #nutrients for #bees and this explains their preference for ‘dirty’ water sources containing organic matter, algae etc.

Indeed #honeybees have the ability to and will change their preferred source of #water to an alternative in order to…
3/11

Read 11 tweets

The Bee Guy

@the_beeguy

May 6

So let’s talk about #honeybees in the context of ‘Saving the Bees’.
Let’s cut the bull & cut to the chase as there’s way too much confusion/misinformation out there which is a hinderance to & detrimental to genuine bee saving.
Please #retweet to help the bees that need it!
1/17

Context:
There are 3 basic types of bee on the planet.
#Solitarybees.
#Bumblebees.
#Honeybees.
Of the 20,000+ species of bee only 8 are honey #bees.
Around 40% of bee species are under pressure worldwide.
Honey bees are not in trouble.
Repeat.
Honey bees are not in trouble.
2/17

Honey bees are primarily a ‘kept species’. There have never before been so many #honeybees on the planet.
It is estimated that there are 100 million + hives on the planet. It’s a multi billion euro/dollar industry. It is not #nature or natural. These are farmed creatures.
3/17

Read 17 tweets

The Bee Guy

@the_beeguy

Apr 8

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

Read 11 tweets

The Bee Guy

@the_beeguy

Apr 1

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

Read 9 tweets

The Bee Guy

@the_beeguy

Sep 4, 2022

A quick thread on why helping #bumblebee queens who might get trapped in your house, conservatory, greenhouse or polytunnel to escape quickly is so important at this time of year. Please pass it on/#retweet. Thanks.🙏🏼 1/10
#bees #bumblebees

First: the #bumblebee lifecycle in brief.
Queens emerge from hibernation in early spring. They’re hungry obviously and need food. They feed up and immediately set about searching for a suitable site to establish a nest. 2/10
#bees #bumblebees

Once they identify a suitable site they store a small amount of food and lay their first batch of eggs. They sit on these eggs to keep them warm making necessarily efficient foraging trips in between to maintain the energy required to produce the heat for the eggs. 3/10
#bees