#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 299

Heat-stress research indicated not only that female worker #bees struggle more than males in adapting to unusually high temperatures but also wild #bumblebees seem more affected than ‘commercially manufactured’ bumblebees.

#nature #wildlife
#worldbeesanctuary
#insects #pollinators
#science #education
#vegan #climate #environment

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 298

Bumblebee antennae (which the #bees use to ‘smell’) that had been exposed to 40°C heat events continued to have greatly impaired scent responses 24 hours later (in cooler ‘normal’ temps) & no consistent pattern of recovery.

#bumblebees
#climate
#nature #biodiversity
#science #education
#worldbeesanctuary

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 304

Researchers in France observed #bumblebees travelling over great distances by hitching lifts on passenger airlines.
Queens, males and worker females were all recorded engaging in this behaviour - one anomaly was the very few numbers of female workers with full pollen baskets observed in recent years.
Scientists surmise this was possibly due to limitations on carry-on baggage allowance and excess charges by airlines.
#bees
#nature
#April1

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 297

The effects on #bumblebees of exposure to a simulated extreme temperature event appeared more severe in female workers reducing ability to smell floral scents by up to 80%.
Male #bees were less affected with a 50% reduction.
#nature #science
#wildlife #education
#biodiversity #environment
#worldbeesanctuary

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 296

A recent study suggests that the ability of #bumblebees to detect floral scents may be severely impaired by heatwaves/high temperature events.
#bees

#nature #biodiversity
#worldbeesanctuary
#insects #science
#education #wildlife
#environment

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 295
# 294 contd.

At this late stage in the nest cycle bumblebee workers can sometimes try to eat eggs laid by the queen who may try to maintain dominance by eating worker laid eggs, head-butting workers and even biting them!
#bees

#bumblebees
#nature #insects
#wildlife #science
#biodiversity #pollinators
#education #worldbeesanctuary

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 294
# 293 contd.
The queen now loses some of her dominance over her workers. Some ‘go for it’ and lay eggs of their own. This causes strife between sister workers and between daughters and queen. Harmony breaks down in the nest.
#bees
#nature #wildlife
#biodiversity #environment
#insects #worldbeesanctuary
#science #education #bumblebees

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 293

As the #bumblebee queen starts laying ‘male’ eggs she stops emitting a pheromone telling workers to raise fertilised eggs as workers.
All further fertilised eggs laid are raised as queens.
But trouble is brewing!
#bees
#bumblebees #nature
#worldbeesanctuary #biodiversity
#education #science #vegan
#environment #insects

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 292
# 291 contd.

Option 2: Queens lay UNFERTILISED eggs late in the nest cycle which develop into MALE #bees with chromosomes from the queen only. Males have no father.
Laying male eggs signals the start of the end for the nest!

#nature #science
#bumblebees #education
#wildlife #biodiversity
#knapweed #environment
#worldbeesanctuary

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 291
# 290 contd

The queen has 2 options when laying eggs:
1) Use the stored sperm, lay FERTILISED EGGS (with chromosomes from both herself and a male she mated with last year) and these eggs PRODUCE FEMALE WORKERS and QUEENS.
#bees
#bumblebees #worldbeesanctuary
#nature #insects #spring
#wildlife #science #education
#biodiversity #environment