Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #Bumblebees
Most recents (12)
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Indeed #honeybees have the ability to and will change their preferred source of #water to an alternative in order to…
3/11
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Why?
#Bumblebees, even with a full stomach, have about 40 minutes of ‘energy’ in them before…
3/11
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
…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
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
#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
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
#bees
#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
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
If she’s already inside your house and is buzzing at the window she’s trapped. So you need to get her out &
as quickly as you can - don’t leave her suffer while you do something else. Why?
#Bumblebees with a full stomach have about 40 minutes of ‘energy’ in them before they 3/9
as quickly as you can - don’t leave her suffer while you do something else. Why?
#Bumblebees with a full stomach have about 40 minutes of ‘energy’ in them before they 3/9
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
…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. 3/7
Daily Bookmarks to GAVNet 04/11/2021 greeneracresvaluenetwork.wordpress.com/2021/04/11/dai…
Device sketches objects 200 kilometres away, one photon at a time
nature.com/articles/d4158…
#RemoteSensingDevices #HighFidelityImagery #lidar
nature.com/articles/d4158…
#RemoteSensingDevices #HighFidelityImagery #lidar
An open-access database of infectious disease transmission trees to explore superspreader epidemiology
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
#database #infectiousDisease #TransmissionTrees #superspreader #epidemiology
medrxiv.org/content/10.110…
#database #infectiousDisease #TransmissionTrees #superspreader #epidemiology
I found a #bumblebee nest last week @parcplaisance ! Can you see it here? I spotted a common Eastern bumble bee worker from about 50' away flying down towards some non-flowering vegetation so I took a look, and voila, a nest! (1/n) 
@parcplaisance (2/n) Here's a closer view of the bumble bee nest entrance. Can you spot it now? It was actually under vegetation that has been mowed, but adjacent to an unmowed 'island' with a shrub, stump, other vegetation.
@parcplaisance (3/n) Despite the cool temps (ranged from say 8-16C in the times I looked at it), I saw workers, males, and at least one gyne (new virgin queen) leaving or entering this common Eastern bumble bee (Bombus impatiens) nest, sometimes with bright pollen loads!
Thrilled to have my first paper published in @ScienceMagazine today. Thanks to my amazing co-author @foteini_pas!
We show how #Bumblebees make plants flower earlier - bumblebees are gardening!
A thread 1/17 👇
Paper: science.sciencemag.org/content/368/64…
@ETH_en & @usys_ethzh
We show how #Bumblebees make plants flower earlier - bumblebees are gardening!
A thread 1/17 👇
Paper: science.sciencemag.org/content/368/64…
@ETH_en & @usys_ethzh
2/17 #Bumblebees are excellent pollinators for many fruits and vegetables.
Unlike honey bees, bumblebees do not have a permanent colony. In autumn, each colony dies and only the young, mated queens hibernate, ready for spring when they start a new nest.
Unlike honey bees, bumblebees do not have a permanent colony. In autumn, each colony dies and only the young, mated queens hibernate, ready for spring when they start a new nest.
3/17 When the young queen emerges, she must rapidly establish a new nest. The failure rate of colonies is very high during early development, so having a succession of suitable flowers available is CRUCIAL.
See Bumblebees: their behaviour and ecology by @DaveGoulson
See Bumblebees: their behaviour and ecology by @DaveGoulson
