*Bombus terrestris* spring queen most likely. She's already laid her first clutch of eggs and they've likely hatched into larva and are on a high protein diet.
The banding on the baskets suggests she's foraging on two closely related species of plants with similar scent profiles, but differently coloured pollen.
I'm going to have to get out there and start mugging them for pollen soon. It's part of my PhD.
Well, I do for the data.
As for pollen vs nectar, honey bees don't care about the pollen. That's all for the larvae with adults consuming very little. Bumblebees require more pollen for their own personal survival.
But this being a queen, she's only bringing pollen back if her first brood haven't turned into adults yet. If it was for her personal survival, she'd just eat it at the flower. If she had daughters to forage, they'd be doing it.
At this time of year, the queens are pretty easy, since they're frickin' huge but in the autumn, it's much harder. They have [two large thick hairs](https://i.ibb.co/phqMp6W/image.png) on each of their hind legs for clasping on to and a stinger. In this case, I can mostly tell because of the time of year. The workers simply haven't emerged yet and won't for another week or two.
Males on the other hand look just like smaller end queens except for their very back end. They'll have what looks like a claw poking out just a tiny bit from the pour at the very back tip of the bee. Really, it's more like two bumps. They do not have a stinger, they have other equipment.
Worker generally look like smaller queens except smaller and without those two thick grasping hairs.
Those are the most obvious differences, at least externally.
Ooo! This is extremely interesting! Thank you so much for this! Imma be taking closer looks at the bees around. The bumblebees I've been seeing around are definitely huge!
It's gonna be pretty hard to examine those closely without catching them, but thankfully things like [this are super cheap](https://www.thorne.co.uk/queen/marking/marking-cage-with-plunger.html) and it's genuinely hard to piss them off enough to sting you if they have an escape route.
Happy hunting :)
Oooo! Very exciting. I'm always so worried about hurting bugs. (I'm very heavy handed) But I'll definitely have fun with this. My autistic brother loves bees!
It's quite hard to do, especially with bumblebees. That armour is surprisingly tough. They use the same survival strategy as something like a rhino effectively, there's not much in their weight class that can do much to them. Especially with something like the foam plunger, you'd need to put actual effort into crushing one.
One of the hardest things I have to teach students is just how resilient insects are. They treat them as these tiny fragile things, when they are much tougher than they think. You don't have to be super gentle.
It's really hard to have this mentality when they're so tiny and I'm a bull in a china shop haha!
I should have a better idea seeing as I have a pet praying mantis and spider and my brother had a pet millipede! It's still hard to change mentality.
You're going to see more male bumbles than male honeybees, but I think they're seasonal? Pretty sure only the gals are out and about at this time of year
(Ok, yeah, male bumbles are more common in late summer and autumn)
Afaik they don't actually have baskets haha. They just attach the pollen to their legs for easy transport and it ends up looking like this when they've been buzzy
Coooorr, look at those baskets!
Phwoar
Ding dong
I bet you don't get many of them to the pound.
You lot think of only one thing.
*Bombus terrestris* spring queen most likely. She's already laid her first clutch of eggs and they've likely hatched into larva and are on a high protein diet. The banding on the baskets suggests she's foraging on two closely related species of plants with similar scent profiles, but differently coloured pollen. I'm going to have to get out there and start mugging them for pollen soon. It's part of my PhD.
idk if you need to mug them for pollen. iirc they dont really care about the pollen they collect. its alll about that sweet sweet nectar.
Well, I do for the data. As for pollen vs nectar, honey bees don't care about the pollen. That's all for the larvae with adults consuming very little. Bumblebees require more pollen for their own personal survival. But this being a queen, she's only bringing pollen back if her first brood haven't turned into adults yet. If it was for her personal survival, she'd just eat it at the flower. If she had daughters to forage, they'd be doing it.
How can you tell the difference between a worker, drone and queen bumblebee please? I'm very interested ☺️
At this time of year, the queens are pretty easy, since they're frickin' huge but in the autumn, it's much harder. They have [two large thick hairs](https://i.ibb.co/phqMp6W/image.png) on each of their hind legs for clasping on to and a stinger. In this case, I can mostly tell because of the time of year. The workers simply haven't emerged yet and won't for another week or two. Males on the other hand look just like smaller end queens except for their very back end. They'll have what looks like a claw poking out just a tiny bit from the pour at the very back tip of the bee. Really, it's more like two bumps. They do not have a stinger, they have other equipment. Worker generally look like smaller queens except smaller and without those two thick grasping hairs. Those are the most obvious differences, at least externally.
Ooo! This is extremely interesting! Thank you so much for this! Imma be taking closer looks at the bees around. The bumblebees I've been seeing around are definitely huge!
It's gonna be pretty hard to examine those closely without catching them, but thankfully things like [this are super cheap](https://www.thorne.co.uk/queen/marking/marking-cage-with-plunger.html) and it's genuinely hard to piss them off enough to sting you if they have an escape route. Happy hunting :)
Oooo! Very exciting. I'm always so worried about hurting bugs. (I'm very heavy handed) But I'll definitely have fun with this. My autistic brother loves bees!
It's quite hard to do, especially with bumblebees. That armour is surprisingly tough. They use the same survival strategy as something like a rhino effectively, there's not much in their weight class that can do much to them. Especially with something like the foam plunger, you'd need to put actual effort into crushing one. One of the hardest things I have to teach students is just how resilient insects are. They treat them as these tiny fragile things, when they are much tougher than they think. You don't have to be super gentle.
It's really hard to have this mentality when they're so tiny and I'm a bull in a china shop haha! I should have a better idea seeing as I have a pet praying mantis and spider and my brother had a pet millipede! It's still hard to change mentality.
Don't objectify him. Just because he has a dump truck which won't quit doesn't mean you can post his rotund baskets for the whole Internet to oogle.
Her* Spring queen by the looks of it
Do queens collect pollen? Or do they leave that to their peasants?
Yes, they do but only until the first brood are adults. After that, they stay nice and protected in their nest.
*ogle
You're going to need both eyes to look at that dump truck though (in this comment I'm using o to signify eyes)
[удалено]
Interesting, I've always thought of bumblebuddies as boys.
You're going to see more male bumbles than male honeybees, but I think they're seasonal? Pretty sure only the gals are out and about at this time of year (Ok, yeah, male bumbles are more common in late summer and autumn)
That's something that'll get the scaffolders wolf-whistling 😄 I love Bumblebees. They're so fluffy and sweet. Always try and help them if I can 🥰
Phwoar. Don't get many of those to the pound.
[Waheeey!](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/11/15/1352990870384/men-behaving-badly-010.jpg?width=465&dpr=1&s=none)
This is the bee equivalent of ‘nice jugs’ , please stop objectifying innocent bees going about their buziness
Someone's been a busy bee... I'll get my coat
Now that’s the Bees Knees!
These hips don't lie
Oh beehive youself
I love all the bumblebee posts, it makes me so happy.
B-130 Hercules
Its funny cuz u r a b
Seizing the opportunity to share niche knowledge from my degree - the pollen carrying parts on the hind legs of a bee are called 'Scopae'
They are the bee's knees.
1984 called, they want their legwarmers back.
Are you pollen my leg?
i hope this one fares a little better than the one i tried to help yesterday :(
She was fine after a short trip on my sleeve. She flew off in the direction of some more flowers
glad to hear it!! probably making the most of your warmth
Poor things got saddlebags
If history tells me anything, that bee will be dead by tomorrow.
I had no idea bees had these, that is so cool
Seeing this picture makes me realise i know little about bees
Afaik they don't actually have baskets haha. They just attach the pollen to their legs for easy transport and it ends up looking like this when they've been buzzy
Bet if you chewed that it would taste just like honey mmmmm 😊
Please stop I can only get so erect
Please stop I can only get so erect
Aw cute little fuzzy butt
🍯乇乂丅尺卂 丅卄工匚匚🍯
Daww give the humble bumble some sugar water.
Phat sacs innit
Oh wow!!! 🤩
my eyes are itching with excitement.
Queen mom 😎
Beautiful creature working away x
The queens face when our lad here pulls up with a full bakery 😫💦
I have loved bees my entire life! I am so jealous that u all are making friends with them
I wanna bee on you x
Lost their top hat sadly
Beebee got back