#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 299

Heat-stress research indicated not only that female worker #bees struggle more than males in adapting to unusually high temperatures but also wild #bumblebees seem more affected than ‘commercially manufactured’ bumblebees.
#nature
#wildlife

Oh, little red tailed bumble queen, a thousand welcomes to you in your choice to nest in the compost heap - but did you have to choose the active side? I must now create some form of little partition for you to protect you from fresh deposits. #inverts #bumblebees

Despite Their Tiny Brains, Bumblebees Have a Surprising Sense of Rhythm, According to a New Study by Neuroscientists By speeding up the tempo of alternating flashing lights, the scientists were able to demonstrate yet another example of the small insect's remarkable mind

Despite Their Tiny Brains, Bumblebees Have a Surprising Sense of Rhythm, According to a New Study by Neuroscientists: By speeding up the tempo of alternating flashing lights, the scientists were able to… @SmithsonianMag #Bumblebees #Neuroscience #AnimalBehavior #InsectIntelligence #NatureStudy

3 Bumblebees.
#bumblebees

The back end of this bee looks like a Red-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus lapidarius, so I'd guess the rest of it is too.
Disappearing into a hole in the bank of The Ring (iron-age fort) at Wandlebury Wood #Cambridge yesterday. #Bumblebees
@bumblebeetrust.bsky.social

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 298

Bumblebee antennae (which the #bees use to ‘smell’) that had been exposed to 40°C heat events continued to have greatly impaired scent responses 24 hours later (in cooler ‘normal’ temps) & no consistent pattern of recovery.
#bumblebees
#climate

Flower color variation in Digitalis purpurea comprised violet, pink, and white morphs that were distinguishable in bee vision, whereas the inner nectar guides remained largely conserved across morphs, potentially limiting pollinator discrimination. Bumblebees were the main pollinators in all populations, but visitation patterns were population-specific, and morph frequencies were not associated with soil composition despite regional differences; only soil phosphorus was slightly lower beneath violet individuals. Reproductive fitness varied among populations but not consistently among color morphs, indicating that floral color variation is not driven by pollinators or soil conditions and is more likely maintained by local or neutral processes.

#Flower color variation in Digitalis purpurea: #Pollination & soil influences across native & introduced populations

New #AJB research by @slozadagobilard.bsky.social, Pamela Espinoza Peñaloza, Giovanni Pascucci, Zainab Aliwi et al.

doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience #bumblebees

What a day in a bumblebee lab actually looks like 🐝

#bumblebees #pollinators #bumblebeeresearch #beebehaviour #beeecology #beeconservation

Queen bumblebees can breathe underwater — for days. We discovered how The ability to of queen bumblebees to breathe and survive underwater could play an important — and previously overlooked — role in the resilience of threatened bee populations.

Queen #bumblebees can breathe underwater — for days. We discovered how

theconversation.com/queen-bumble...
#bees

Bumblebees surprise scientists by showing a sense of rhythm Recognising rhythmic patterns was thought to require a big brain, but a series of experiments has shown that buff-tailed bumblebees have this ability, too

Bumblebees surprise scientists by showing a sense of #rhythm

Recognising rhythmic patterns was thought to require a big brain, but a series of experiments has shown that buff-tailed #bumblebees have this ability, too

www.newscientist.com/article/2522...

#bees #science

Common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens) queen visiting a flower (photo Lucas Borg-Darveau).

Queen #bumblebees can survive & breathe underwater for days. Read about how Sabrina Rondeau happened upon this phenomenon & her recent findings (with Charles-Antoine Darveau) revealing the physiology explaining how queens are able to survive submerged in @theconversation.com: doi.org/10.64628/AAM...

…the very few numbers of female workers with full pollen baskets observed in recent years.
Scientists surmise that this was possibly due to limitations on carry-on baggage allowance and excess charges by airlines.
2/2
#bees
#bumblebees
#April1

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 298

Researchers in France observed bumblebees travelling over great distances by hitching lifts on passenger airlines. Queens, males and worker females were all recorded engaging in this behaviour although one anomaly was…
1/2
#bees
#bumblebees

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 297

The effects on #bumblebees of exposure to a simulated extreme temperature event appeared more severe in female workers reducing ability to smell floral scents by up to 80%.
Male #bees were less affected with a 50% reduction.
#nature
#wildlife

A queen Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, visiting Red Deadnettle flowers.

A queen Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, visiting Red Deadnettle flowers.

A queen Common Carder Bee, Bombus pascuorum, visiting Red Deadnettle flowers.

Wicklewood churchyard, Norfolk.

Seen on today's bike ride with @vannabartlett.bsky.social.

#Bumblebees #Bees #UKWildlife

#Bumblebees loving the flowering currants… they need it after quite a dreich weekend.
#bees #FlowerPower

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 296

A recent study suggests that the ability of #bumblebees to detect floral scents may be severely impaired by heatwaves/high temperature events.
#bees

#nature #biodiversity
#worldbeesanctuary
#insects #science
#education #wildlife
#environment

Great thread 👍
Well worth a read.

#Bumblebees

2 Bumblebees. 🐝🐝
#bumblebees

Informative, interesting and important 🧵👇🏼 #Bumblebees 🐝

Thank you for reading/caring.
PLEASE #repost
The more informed, the more queens survive and the more #bumblebees we have.
Simple.
Our native wild #bees are in serious trouble.
Thanks again for #helping!
For #caring.
For #sharing.
A little bit of good in a world that so needs it right now.
9/9

…be harmful to #bumblebees.
Usually once she takes on some sugars and 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 to keep them warm - yes just like a hen!
8/9
#bees #environment

As with sleeping dogs leave resting #bumblebees 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). However if after about an hour she is still present then she may need assistance.
6/9

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
#bees #bumblebees

It’s that time of year - folks asking us about #bumblebees - WHY THEY’RE SEEING THEM ON THE GROUND - so here’s a thread to explain.
Please #repost!
Every queen that survives means a new colony that gets to exist and produce new queen #bees for next year!
So important to #share!
1/9
#nature #caring

From the #garden - it's fun watching the #bumblebees. This summer I'll take some video as well 🙂

my trusty #Canon always close by

Oh yes… lots about when the sun decides to come out.
Though not today with Gale force winds and horizontal rain … beastly conditions for the #Bumblebees.

This one particularly likes the Piris. Flowering Ribes also very popular with them.

The Bee That Everyone Wants to Save My neighbour has 50 hives, the road has 30 more. That's 4 million honeybees, and not one of them is the bee that actually needs saving.

Fascinating – and alarming 🐝:

“The Bee That Everyone Wants To Save”, ‘The Naturalist’ (naturalist.bearblog.dev/the-bee-that...).

Via HN: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4752...

#Bees #HoneyBees #BumbleBees #Insects #Environment #Pollination #BeeKeeping #BeeHives #BeesColonies #Flora

#bumblebees #willow

Mornin’.

Willow Trees.

Queen Bumblebees.

Spring.

One of the most vital plants for #bumblebees (and a host of other #insects).

Provide a desperately needed early #food source.

Now you know.

Respect, protect and plant Willow trees.

#bees #nature #willow #trees #spring #worldbeesanctuary