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Heavy load! (46)
uleko
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2543 W: 170 N: 7734]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (24475) | White-tailed Bumble Bee - Bombus lucorum
We have some beautiful Peonys in the garden that are very popular with these Bumble Bees. They whizz around inside the flowers whereby they collect pollen dust that is held together by nectar to form small pellets on their legs. In the WORKSHOP you can see this worker from another angle carrying two pollen pellets.
Bombus lucorum is one of the first species of Bumble Bee to emerge in spring. The first out are the Queens who seek nectar on early spring flowers. They are easily recognised by the two lemon yellow stripes, one in front of the wings and another below the waist and the white tail.
The workers appear later and are smaller with a duller colour on the yellow bands than the queen and an off-white tail. They visit a variety of our garden plants. This species build their nests underground in old vole nests. A large colony can support several hundred of Bumble Bees. The young fertilised queen hibernates in a protected place before she emerges in spring to start up her own colony.
This was captured from a distance of 1 metre with the camera handheld. It has been cropped and sharpened. NeatImage on background. |
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