Sluggin' Along: Struggling Bees: Part 1

As the weather grows cooler, and the temperature often doesn't rise to a warm level until late morning or early afternoon, you will see more and more bees either struggling to become active, or dying altogether. Honeybees (Apis) can combat the cold by huddling together in their hives, but for other genera, such as bumblebees (Bombus), only the young, new queens will survive the winter by hibernating; the workers will die. That being said, even honeybees, if they stray too far from the hive, can succumb to the cold.

This is the first installment in a brief series chronicling the difficulties that bees face when cold weather approaches. The following photos show a bumblebee (probably Bombus impatiens, the Common Eastern Bumblebee) that has evidently been gathering quite a lot of pollen and nectar, resting on a brick in the sun. Now, the bee's inactivity may not be entirely due to the chillier weather, but more to its vigorous work in the flowers. However, I would surmise that staying active at a lower temperature may tax the bee's energy, requiring it to rest when ordinarily it wouldn't have to.

Interestingly, when I would prod the bee gently with a twig, it would raise up on its legs, leaning to the side, before settling back again. Also, if I touched its abdomen, it would raise the abdomen and flex it several times. I don't know why. At times the bee seemed to be shivering or breathing rapidly.