DoomsdaysCWHey @thebeeguy -- haven't heard from you in a few days. Just checking in! You are missed!
So, I can say that given the observations made by myself, my hubby and my neighbors, the bumblebees have made a HUGE comeback in #SouthernMaine this year (despite the drought)! There were very low #Bumblebee populations last year (more #CarpenterBees and #honeybees and a few smaller #NativeBees). A lot of us are #GardeningForPollnators and #GardeningWithoutChemicals , so I think that's helping!
@thebeeguy In other news, my bumblebee friends are doing really well. I was a #BeeHugger before I began reading your posts, and even more of one now! Thank you for all you do!
The bees learning to fight off invasive #hornets
9 February 2024
Katherine Latham
"The buff-tailed #bumblebee, one of Europe's most common bumblebee species, is adapting to fight back – thanks to a remarkably successful defence strategy it already has in their evolutionary arsenal.
"The tactic is simple: when attacked, the bumblebees drop to the ground, taking the hornets down with them. This either causes the hornet to lose its grip, or the bee raises its sting and tussles until the hornet gives up.
"The buff-tailed bumblebee did not evolve alongside Asian hornets – their native predators include badgers, birds, wasps and spiders – so O'Shea-Wheller describes this as 'an evolutionary coincidence'.
" 'This defence that already works against their natural predators also works against the hornets,' he says. European honeybees, on the other hand, have no such 'co-evolved system' to protect themselves from these new predators."
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240206-the-bees-learning-to-fight-off-invasive-hornets
Um, yeah. #MurderHornets are a big deal. And we need #Bees to be able to heat up their nests and destroy them!
#GardeningForPollinators #GardeningWithoutPesticides #WeNeedBees #BeeHugger
Alas, the frost / freeze is diminishing the flowers. But I caught this beauty last week in #PortlandMaine.
I saw this and thought of you, @RadicalGraffiti (and @RadicalAnthro as well). Bee the Revolution!
Is the hive at work? These bees keep popping up around #PortlandMaine
It's not clear who is painting the bees, if it's one person or many, or what their motivations are. Some Portlanders are delighted by the latest trend in #StreetArt, others are worried about the cost of cleanup.
by Daniel Kool
August 31, 2024
Article [may be behind a paywall]:
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/08/31/is-the-hive-at-work-these-bees-keep-popping-up-around-portland/?uuid=5dfbe8e0-8088-496d-a86f-52a7d2833c53&lid=17792&fbclid=IwY2xjawFADXBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHbpMwMBVXhdEk0xgqGm1MM6WtdCXaTAkbkwBsCWM-KiLCzYlvIktSFofvw_aem_d9anbHt4bwRmcgwom0iXNw
Archive of article:
https://archive.md/ym8Dp
#Graffitti #BeTheRevolution #HiveMind #BeeTheRevolution #DandelionRebellion #ExtinctionRebellion #PrivateRevolution #XR #Beehugger
Leanne J@RolloTreadway @TheBreadmonkey We don’t deserve bees, they are too pure for this world ☺️ #BeeHugger