Stumbles Across A Big Ole Bumble Bee Today

[riverbee]

well, i am going to eat some humble pie and apologize!  i took a look again at the photos, at first glance, sure looked like a carpenter, did not see the small yellow stripe on the butt (carpenters do not have stripes)...........

it is a bumble!........... "Bombus vosnesenskii" (female) or Yellow Faced Bumble Bee........see info/photos here:

Yellow Faced Bumble Bee

[Jen]

That's It! Thanks River    She's so beautiful! And when I bend down to take a much closer look, she lifts up her front leg and waves at me 

[kebee]

 Things are happen a little to fast around here with all the warm temp. my tuplit trees are in full bloom, saw some carpenter bees out on the wild weed flowers, my locust tree blooming and even see some blackberry trying to bloom and having trees putting out leaves, I guess spring is here without the steady warm temperature that comes with it. The winds have been bad around here also.

Ken

[Jen]

Kebee, I know what you mean. My maple tree is buzzing with bees just today. But, guess what? We are predicted S__W on Sunday! Geez...

[riverbee]

"That's It! Thanks River    She's so beautiful! And when I bend down to take a much closer look, she lifts up her front leg and waves at me  "


you are welcome, sorry for being quick to say it was a carpenter, cuz she's not, these bumbles are prevalent from british columbia down to baja, ca. is what i read i think? so i have never seen one.
lifts up the front leg and waves at you ? ? ?  okay, hmmmm, WHATEVER!!!!............

[Chip Euliss]

My bet is still on that she's a queen.

[Jen]

Chip, I have a vid of her, but had to leave town for a couple days. So, while I was gone guess who showed up? Ha! we think it might have been her boyfriend, or one of them? Hubby didn't get a pic but said it landed and kept circling her. He (we think) was about half her size, and had two thin bands around his abdomen instead of the one band around her lower abdomen. So sorry I missed that

[apisbees]

Worker, Daughter, The boyfriends arnt needed at this time of year.

new clutch of queens will be born. Upon maturation, they will leave the nest to mate, and then will hibernate for the winter until it is their turn in the spring to begin a colony.

[Chip Euliss]

Worker, Daughter, The boyfriends arnt needed at this time of year.

new clutch of queens will be born. Upon maturation, they will leave the nest to mate, and then will hibernate for the winter until it is their turn in the spring to begin a colony.

Yep.  We're still cold (21 F now; -6 C) so it will be another month or two before we see overwintered queens getting new nests established.  The one here that I really enjoy is the orange belted and they are a smaller bumble bee.  Still not sure where Jen is (in relative terms of spring) but the second one could also be a queen of a different species.  The student I finished this past December found 13 species of bumble bees here in North Dakota during his study.

[Jen]

Thanks Chip and Apis 

Chip, we are a burgeoning spring here now, buds and bees everywhere, getting close to 60 most days now.

[riverbee]

jealous jen, we are still in 20's F - 30's f, with plenty of snow still on the ground........this wkend forecast for 40's......

[Chip Euliss]

It is possible that some of the overwintered queens in Jen's location have established nests already but she's not long into spring.  My wife and I drove to Red Bluff the 3rd (I think) week in January to pick up some deep hive bodies and it was pretty early then, phenologically.  I'd still guess queen but I've been wrong many times.

My bees went into almonds heavy and I'm guessing I'll have some wooly hives to deal with when they get home!!  I'd still rather work bees, even those that won't fit in the box, than remodel!

[Bakersdozen]

I saw my first bumble bee, species unknown, on 3/31.  It was working my Oregon Grape.  We just had snow on Easter. (Or as Jack likes to call it s__w.)  Last night was supposed to dip down to freezing again.  Hardy little things!

[Jen]

Hi Baker, I saw my bumble about a month ago. Then, just a few days ago I found one dead on my deck :( I can't help but think it might have been the one on the pic. We had a cold snap and she might not have made it thru. I sure enjoy watching those big furry bees working my lilac bush. And, funny, I never see a honeybee on my lilac... very curious indeed

[Bakersdozen]

Honey bees don't work lilacs, but I love my lilac bush anyway.  I never see anything working the lilac.  The bumbles really like the purple coneflowers.