Bombus terrestris – Big Earth Bumble bees

Anorak, windcheater, parka, duffle, – we have seen every sort of jacket to keep out the wind on Dodd this last week, and have found ourselves having sad anorak conversations on which brands are most effective. However, as is usual with man made inventions, nature has already done it better. Bumble bees have their own unique brand of covering, in their thick furry coats, which enable them to be one of the first insects to come out of hibernation in Spring and survive the vagaries of changeable weather.

Queen bees that have overwintered underground, are out foraging for pollen and nectar in the early flowers. The biggest are the Buff- tailed bumblebees, Bombus Terrestris. They rumble past, like Hercules planes of the insect world transporting food for their hungry brood of bee larvae. Soon these will pupate and hatch out as worker bees, ready to continue their life cycles, vital in symbiotic relationship with the flowers they will pollinate. There are 26 species of bumble bee in the British Isles – follow the link to find out more   https://friendsoftheearth.uk/bee-count/how-identify-bumblebees

The bee above was making its way back to a cosy mouse-hole in the bank late last Monday evening.

Since then the weather has warmed up and so intermittently, has our ospreys’ love life – when a female bird appears there is a lot of mating but it’s all  still very unsettled as far as commitment and choice of nest site goes