You knew #bumblebees were friendly but…is that bumblebee actually waving at you?

Please #retweet/#share for the #bees.

When talking to people about bumblebees (which we do a lot!😊) they tend to mistakenly associate them with two things; honey and stings.

Here’s a thread on #stings to set the record straight.
We’ll get to honey another day.

Thanks, as always, good people. 🙏🏼🐝

1/12 Spoiler alert!
Quick version.
It’s not a wave it’s a warning.
One leg up - back off.
2 legs up - seriously back off!
Belly up - wtf dude get the message!
#Bumblebees only sting as a last resort.
Can sting more than once.
Don’t die when they sting.
Males can’t sting!
2/12

Sunday Morning with the Queen.

So you’re a queen.
Bee that is.
Bumblebee if you don’t mind.
And you’ve had your furry buff little arse buffeted and soaked by wind and rain since you emerged from hibernation.
Spring they say?
Not around these parts.
Not this year.
You need…
1/4 …a moment.
Somewhere dry and wind free.
To get your shit together.
Yes #bumblebees need those moments too!
And just inside the open door of a polytunnel is the ideal place.
To get off those wings and stretch those legs.
To pause from the constant, relentless search for…
2/4

Queen #BUMBLEBEES - HELP THEM OUT!
Another Spring Saturday morning with @the_beeguy (follow him - he’s good, possibly even the best! 😊) means another vital 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
#bees #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

As always, many people asking us about #bumblebees at the moment - WHY THEY’RE SEEING THEM ON THE GROUND - so here’s a thread to explain what they’re up to.
Please #retweet.
Every #queen that survives means a new colony that gets to exist & produce new queen #bees for next year!
1/9 Spoiler Alert!
Quick version:
Queens just out of hibernation.
Hungry and house-hunting.
Rest often between flights.
Don’t move or help for an hour unless in immediate danger!
Flowers best option.
50/50 white sugar/water next best option - NOT HONEY!
Don’t bring her inside.
2/9

It’s winter. The buzzing has stopped - mostly.
So what’s happened to all the #bees?
You’ve been asking…so a quick thread to broadly account for our little friends at this time of year.
Please #retweet and #share.
You know the drill.
The more informed the better for bees. 1/12 And they do need better from us!

Spoiler alert!
Bumbles - new queens in hibernation.
Solitaries - kids in cocoons.
Honeys - small ball of hot hive-bound bees.

So let’s start with honey #bees and get them out of the way as you know they’re not really our thing here.
2/12

People asking us about big #bumblebees they’re noticing on the wing at this time of year.
Here’s a quick 🙄 thread explaining.
Please #retweet as the more people who know that these are queens the more likely that someone will help some out meaning more colonies next year.
1/15 And every colony counts!
Spoiler alert:
The big #bumblebees around now 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

Another weekend
Another thread bee people.

This time taking a quick look at the horticultural industry’s real dirty little secret.

Peat was only the starter.
Get ready for the main course.

Please #retweet/share.
For #bees.
For #change.
For #better.

1/18 Spoiler alert:
Bees need more flowers.
Buying flowers at your local garden centre, DIY store or supermarket?
You might be inadvertently harming bees.
Plants likely pre treated with chemicals with the potential to harm bees.
The horticultural industry knows this.

2/18

Mornin’ folks.

We’ve had a lot of people enquiring about and commenting on #bumblebees asleep on #flowers, especially at this time of year, so here’s a quick (long)🙄 thread explaining what’s going on.

Please retweet so more are more informed.
Thanks good people.
#bees
1/16 Spoiler alert:
To sleep on a flower may appear romantic and magical but the reality can seem more tragic than magic for the bumblebees involved.

Flower sleeping #bumblebees are primarily males.
They don’t have a dad.
Once mature, males leave the nest and never return.
2/16

Forget the elephant in the room. Let’s talk about the #bumblebees in the box. A thread on the commodification of bumblebees to produce your #food. The numbers, why it’s bad for wild #bees and how they kill them when they’re no longer of use.
Please share.
Retweet.
For bees.
1/14 Spoiler alert:
#Bumblebees artificially produced to pollinate food crops.
Industry worth 100’s of millions of euros.
Poorly regulated.
Traded across continents.
Bees escape into the wild - surprise. Not!
Spread disease.
Breed with native #bees.
Killed when no longer of use.
2/14

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#Bee Twitter - I put up a thread last Sunday about queen #bumblebees this time of year and how to help - thanks to you it got 800k+ impressions meaning tens of thousands of people are better ‘bee informed’.
Can we do it again?
PLEASE RETWEET this new thread to help save more 1/9 …#queens. Bumblebees don’t understand glass - they get confused and trapped and exhausted. Likewise with polytunnel plastic. So if you see or hear a #bumblebee buzzing & banging against your window she’s not trying to get into your house to hang with you - she’s confused. 2/9

Lots of 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 share as every #queen that survives means a new colony that gets to exist & produce new queen #bees for next year! 1/7 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 2/7

2/6..office number - leave a message. Did.
Received call this morning from this office.
Explained situation - illegal hedge cutting, video footage and fact that roads engineer from council had taken a look and confirmed to me that it wasn’t for road safety and was illegal. His.. 3/6..immediate response was to start telling me that the council have to ensure that roads are safe. Again I pointed out to him that engineer had confirmed it wasn’t a road safety issue - as he obviously wasn’t listening when I had told him this 10 seconds earlier. He then..

I can post pretty pictures of nature and supply facts about bees and leave it at that and we can all feel cosy and fine and good.
Except I can't. The truth as we see it on the ground needs to be told. It's easy to fall into the trap of presuming because you encounter it on..1/13 ..a daily basis that everyone realises what is going on in our countryside. But we don't think that most people do.
The following account might help.

Tuesday before last we hear two chainsaws in action - nearer than usual.
We go to investigate and observe a local thug who..2/13