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Bumblebee in Spring
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Bombus lucorum / Veldhommel
The queens Bombus terrestris (left) and B. lucorum (right) are usually the first to emerge in the spring. B. terrestris queens are the largest bumblebees we have in Europe. It is fairly easy to differentiate between B. terrestris and B. lucorum queens as the yellow thorax hairs of terrestris are more dull orangey while those of lucorum are more lemony, and B. terrestris has a brownish orange tip to her abdomen while B. lucorum's is white.
The workers and males of these two species are impossible to tell apart unless they are dissected.The workers look like smaller versions of the lucorum queen. See the worker on the left. The size range can vary quite a lot, but usually the smaller workers are from the earliest laid eggs. The males have a many more yellow hairs, and a distinctive yellow nose. Of course they do not usually emerge until about August. Both of these species make their nests in the ground, usually in old mouse nests, and preferably facing south to keep the nest warm, though B. terrestris tends to prefer shadier sites. Generally the nests of B. terrestris have a deeper and longer tunnel that those of B. lucorum. Both species have comparatively short tongues for bumblebees, so they tend to forage on flowers with short corollas and daisy-type flowers.
However they are accomplished nectar robbers. When they find a flower where the nectar is too deep down the corolla for them to reach they bite a hole near the base of the corolla and push their tongue through and drink the nectar. This can often be seen on vetches. Other bumblebees will use the hole, and late in the year even honey bees and wasps use holes made by bumblebees.
Source:http://www.bumblebee.org/terr.htm
Harm |
mikou, Shoot_Score has marked this note useful
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- mikou
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 840 W: 67 N: 1311]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(5269) - [2007-01-23 13:55]
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Hi Harm.
Very nice shot.I like beautiful light.Nice POV and good sharpness.Fine details on flowers and on this insect.Nicely composed and very good exposure.Good managed white colours.Beautiful sky on background.
Nice done,TFS.
Greetings Milos
Excellent compo with a beautiful natural setting! This cropping shows us a photo with great detail!!!
I also wish to add an alarming bit of news about bees! Recent reports on unusually high beekills suggest that perhaps cell phones are to blame.
Are we ignorantly committing Apidae-cide?
Like you I like these humblebees which have tricks regular honeybees do not have. { ... bite a hole near the base of the corolla and push their tongue through and drink the nectar... }
Excellent PoV here of the bee approaching these blossoms. It shows us so much more than just another photo of another insect... bee, b'fly, bug, what have you... Am I right that these are apple blossoms? < I am going by the leaves > Tfs, Jay
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 108 W: 7 N: 1846]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif){kind=small}