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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
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#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!
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#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!

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#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
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#wildlife #science #education
#biodiversity #environment

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 290

In late summer new #bumblebee queens mate before hibernating.
The queen stores the sperm collected in her body until she chooses how to use it the following year.
This choice determines the sex of her offspring.
#bees

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#environment #pollinators

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 289

Bumblebee queens prefer to hibernate in north facing slopes sheltered from the sun as these areas are later to heat up in the springtime and so help prevent the queens from emerging too early.
#bees

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#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 288

On average spring bumblebee queens tend to be larger yet lighter than autumn queens.
Why?
Queens lose 80% of body fat over winter.
Big #bumblebees more likely to survive hibernation.
So larger yet lighter #bees more likely to emerge.

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#theBeeAt3

Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 287

Research suggests that around one in five #bumblebee queens perish during winter #hibernation.
Heavier queens, having greater reserves of fat and glycogen, are more likely to survive than their lighter counterparts.
#bees

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#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 286

Before entering hibernation in the autumn #bumblebee queens build up reserves of fat and glycogen in their bodies.
These queens will lose up to 80% of their fat reserves during #hibernation over the winter period.
#bees

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

#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.

# 285

Bees don’t have ears.

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#biodiversity
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