I saw a bumblebee at work but didn’t get a close enough look
at her before she zoomed off in the direction of a patch of crocus. A couple of
days later I saw two more bumblebees at one of my work sites, but again didn’t
get close enough to get a photo. I then went to my allotment to get some bits
and pieces, and found a wee bumble on the edge of a raised bed, not moving. I
scooped her up onto my fingers to get her warmed up:
We then went for a walk around the allotment and she started
walking around my hand a bit. I tried her on some flowers but no, she wanted to
stay on the warm big thing. I then decided to go to my mommas plot where the
daffs are in full show, but before that I put Ms Bumble on a flower on my almond
tree – yes, my almond tree/stick is starting to flower!:
She quite enjoyed being on the almond but then stopped
feeding and had a wash, and then just sat there. So I popped her back on my
hand and took her to mommas plot. I managed to decant her into a daffodil where
I left her, hopefully she is ok and had a good lunch.
Bumblebees need to be around 30° on the inside for their
flight muscles to work, so sharing body heat is a good and gentle way to warm
them up. They won’t sting – they rarely/never sting – but their feet do tickle.
If you find a bee on the floor that you suspect is cold, just put your fingers
in front of her (gently!) and she should climb aboard.
