The Bee Guy

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #health #june #peace #love

Good evening good people… #theBeeAt3 bee facts will return tomorrow folks. In the meantime here’s a stunning wee Small Copper butterfly hanging out with me earlier. #butterflies #nature #smallcopper #worldbeesanctuary #saturday

Bee Everybody quiet down now and get some sleep. Dream it all would be as it could be… #bee #goodnight #dream

Common Carder… Clover… The Cure… My work here is done… #bees #redclover #nature #clover #friday #summer

Hey, hey, hey, hey-hey, hey, Hey, hey, hey, hey-hey, heeyyy… Good Afternoon, Good Morning, Good Day, and Good Night…depending on your current whereabouts… I’m back! You were gone? Yep…thanks for noticing… ‘And now I’m back To let you know I can really Shake them down… Oh do you love me…’ #friday

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #meadow #bluesky #health #moments

Bee Everybody quiet down now and get some sleep. Dream dreams that exclude, preclude and denude billionaires… #bee #goodnight #dream

What a wonderful planet to call home… Sunset, World Bee Sanctuary today. #bees #sunset #chill #sunday #earth

Red Campion. Front Meadow. World Bee Sanctuary. #wildflowerhour (ish). #wildflowers #nature #sunday #worldbeesanctuary

…are the #bees are too. So as you reach for some liquid refreshment remember to top up our #wild friends too. And be considerate and vigilant around the sources of #water you provide and keep in your #garden/yard. Please pass this on. Thank you. #Repost and #share for the bees! Go easy folks! 11/11

…amazing how often a seemingly ‘lost’ bee will quickly recover when given the chance to dry out and access to nectar or a 50/50 white sugar and water mix. To recap: the #wildlife in your garden needs water too. Especially during the summer. If you are hot & thirsty chances 10/11 #nature #bees #help

…places where #bees get in to trouble and die. So empty or cover these wherever possible and check periodically for ‘floating bees’. If you do see a floating bee don’t immediately presume she is dead! Fish her out as soon as possible and get her to a flower. It is… 9/11

Please also ensure to keep the water topped up daily and don’t be afraid if the water is ‘nature’ dirty. Also please be vigilant about other water sources in your patch which may be dangerous for #bees. Buckets of water, watering cans and paddling pools/swimming pools are… 8/11 #bees #water #summer

…with a gradual slope. They need to be able to access the water you supply in a safe manner. So please ensure that water left out is in a shallow container and has pebbles/small stones or similar in it to allow safe access & an exit if the bee happens to land in the water. 7/11 #water #insects

…you provide #water for the #wildlife and bees in your garden/yard. It is important though that this water is supplied in a manner that is safe for #bees. #bees can’t lift off when they land in water and their wings get wet. They need to be able to climb onto something… 6/11

#bees also source #water on #plants. Plants expel excess water and/or nutrients through small openings on leaves and stems through a process known as guttation. So where do you come in I hear you ask? Well during warm weather especially it is vital to ensure that… 5/11 #pollinators #solitarybees

…compensate for nutrient deficiencies in their diet at various times of the year. #honeybees prefer sodium-rich water for most of the year but in autumn as pollen supplies lessen they prefer water which contains magnesium, calcium & potassium - micronutrients found in… 4/11 #summer #biodiversity

#water is a source of essential #nutrients for #bees and this explains their preference for ‘dirty’ water sources containing organic matter, algae etc. Indeed #honeybees have the ability to and will change their preferred source of #water to an alternative in order to… 3/11 #education #science

…large amounts of water metabolically during flight #bumblebees are less prone to dehydration/desiccation than most terrestrial insects. However they still need safe access to water. Research suggests that #bees locate sources of #water by smell rather than sight. 2/11 #nature #bumblebees

Okay folks it’s hot out there so we need to talk about #bees and #water. Please #repost / #share. Thank you for caring. BEES NEED WATER! BEES GET STUCK IN AND DIE IN WATER! Here’s what you need to know! Given that they can collect water, their nectar based diet and their ability to generate… 1/11

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 323 # 322 contd So bumblebee queens are bigger than workers and tend to have longer tongues. But the research found that these longer tongues have relatively less hairs meaning less efficiency at capturing the liquid nectar! #bees #nature #science

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #cowparsley #monday #peace #love

Ribwort Plantain. Front Meadow. World Bee Sanctuary. #wildflowerhour #wildflowers #nature #sunday

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 322 # 321 contd The hairs on bumblebee tongues are merely hundreds of micrometers long. Many closely spaced hairs create a myriad of tiny gaps that hold nectar by surface tension - a microscopic sponge trapping nectar on the tongue. #bees #nature

So big up to these pint-sized #bumblebees. Short-lived and small but mighty! And oh so vital. Please pass this on. #repost / #share for #bees! Knowledge is power. But true power is caring. Or should be. Thank you. Together we impact for good. 🙏🏼🐝 #education #knowledge #science #democracy 9/9

…the nest and nurse the subsequent broods. These subsequent broods tend to produce larger #bees as the queen now has this support network of daughters helping her. So to recap: Small #bumblebees out foraging recently are likely the first batch of female workers. 7/9 #worldbeesanctuary #repost

…only one bee - the queen - seeking and returning food to them. Once on the wing these small female worker #bumblebees will spend their entire adult lives - around 4 weeks or thereabouts - helping the queen to produce further broods. They will forage, maintain and protect.. 6/9 #bees #pollinators

…herself and then the developing larvae. And therein lies the reason for the small size of this first batch of workers - adult body size of #bumblebees is primarily determined by the amount of food provisioned during the development of the larvae and these larvae have… 5/9 #nature #bees #wildlife

…it takes roughly four weeks for this first batch of eggs to develop into adult worker #bees. During this period the queen bee is effectively operating as a solitary bee - she must keep the eggs at the right temperature whilst at the same time forage for food to nourish… 4/9 #bumblebees #dandelion

…of the larger queens that you may have seen out foraging/house hunting in early spring. Shortly after establishing their nest these queens will have laid their first batch of eggs which they then sit on to incubate, and when hatched provide food for. Depending on species… 3/9 #biodiversity #bees

Spoiler Alert: They’re the first brood of worker #bumblebees and they’re all female! These small bumblebees that you may have seen fitting snuggly into a buttercup as they forage over the past while, very often - depending on species - are in appearance mini versions… 2/9 #nature #bees #education

Good morning! You ask: ‘Are these very small #bumblebees we’re seeing out foraging around now a specific species?’ A good question. Thanks for asking us. Here’s a brief thread to explain these diminutive beauties. Please #repost/#share. A small ask for the small bumblers. 🐝 #bees #nature 1/9

It’s #Friday folks! Have the best #weekend you can. You know the drill: Be #kind Be #gentle Be #true Be like #bees And remember if someone insults and belittles you for any reason they’re not really insulting and belittling you they’re insulting and belittling Joe Biden! No they are…really😂🙄🦧

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 321 Bumblebees have long tongues covered in hairs which they use to extract nectar from flowers. But not all tongues are equal! Bumblebee queen tongues are not as efficient at collecting nectar as female worker bee tongues. #bees #nature #wildlife

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 320 # 319 contd The ability to recognize the same rhythms at different tempos (flexible rhythm perception) had been assumed to be a complex mental task requiring a large brain. But no one told #bumblebees with their sesame seed sized brains! 😂 #bees

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 326 Bumblebees got rhythm! Or more to the point - bumblebees get rhythm! Recent research found that not only can bumblebees recognise a rhythm but they can identify the same pattern even when the tempo is adjusted. 🐝🤯 #bees #nature #science

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 318 Bumblebee grooming in response to noxious stimulation of the antennae seems to be brain-powered rather than merely reflexive behaviour and is one of a number of likely indicators of the ability of insects to feel pain. #bees #bumblebees #nature

If someone touched me with a 65°C probe I’d be rubbing that area too within 2 minutes - after spending the first 30 seconds turning said probe on the prober that is! Pick on someone your own size people. Here’s your landscape bumbler…unprobed but probing (the flower for nectar). #bees

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 317 # 316 contd Research showed that in the first 2 minutes after noxious stimulation (touching one antenna with a heated (65°C) probe) #bumblebees groomed the touched antenna more than their untouched antenna. TBC #bees #nature #science #education

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #birdsong #cowparsley #monday

Cuckoo flower. Top meadow World Bee Sanctuary today. #wildflowerhour #wildflowers #birdsong #nature #spring #sunday

‘Good Morning! ..oh and in case I don’t see ya.. Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night…’ Gotta run… Just like this magnificent Common Carder bumblebee! Busy busy. *Chives by the way. #sunday #nature #bees #goodmorning

It’s #Friday folks! Have the best #weekend you can. You know the drill: Be #kind Be #gentle Be #true Be like #bees Speaking of noxious stimulation… Turn off 24hr News?? Stop shite-scrolling. Mute presidential pronouncements. Practice some self-protection. Have a beer/chat with your neighbour!

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 316 Recent research involving Buff-tailed #bumblebees appears to provide the first quantitative evidence of self-protective behavior in insects (in response to noxious stimulation)! TBC #bees #nature #worldbeesanctuary #science #education

Mornin’ It’s been a while. In a bit of a rush. So I’ll just leave this here with you to mind. And remind…. All’s not wrong in the world. There are places… #nature #worldbeesanctuary #dandelions #birdsong **Top Meadow, World Bee Sanctuary

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #primrose #health #monday #birds

Enjoy them. Celebrate them. (They’ll be gone by winter and you’ll miss them!) If you like eating #apples you need bees! Please #repost/#share for the bees. It takes a second and the more people learn about #bees the better chance they have of thriving. Thanks folks. Go easy in your gardens. 14/14

You’re lucky if you have a #bumblebee nest in your garden/yard. It is a privilege to be able to provide a space for these wonderful, vital and often #endangered creatures. If they choose your patch it’s your responsibility to choose to #protect, watch out for and share space with these #bees. 13/14

…to return. And your flowers and garden are of course now chemical free because you love these #bees and understand that chemicals in your garden mess them up big time! The nest (not a hive!) does not need to be moved and shouldn’t be. It should never NEVER ever be destroyed! 12/14 #chemicalfree

…going from the nest entrance as the female worker #bees busily and relentlessly leave and return from foraging trips (something that is a joy to observe). You will also notice males sleeping on your (chemical free) #flowers as once they are mature they leave the nest never… 11/14 #education #nature

…when it comes to nesting. They are not aggressive and not interested in you. They will not sting (preferring flight over fight) unless you persistently threaten them or accidentally stand on one or squash one. #Bumblebees do not swarm - you will notice much coming and… 10/14 #worldbeesanctuary

…couple of hundred #bees at it’s peak - and as few as fifty. Likely nesting sites: in long grass, under or in your shed/porch, in your compost heap, in old rodent holes, in bird boxes, hollows in trees and dry stone walls to name but a few - #bumblebees are opportunistic… 9/14 #biodiversity #nature

…when they’ll emerge (remember earlier - that’s where these emerging queens come from) and start the whole beautiful process all over again. So a couple of take aways for you in your garden: The nest will be gone by late Autumn. The nest will be home to at most a… 8/14 #bees #nature #foxglove

…workers live for only a matter of weeks. The new queens are the only #bumblebees to live through the winter (queens live for about a year) and will feed up, disperse to ensure genetic diversity, and seek a suitable north-facing location to hibernate in until springtime… 7/14

…mate. Most will be unsuccessful in the mating game. The queen will also produce the next generation of queens late in the summer. Shortly after this the nest will come to a natural end. The queen dies. The male #bees die as indeed do the female workers. (Males and female… 6/14

…workers. These workers will then help the queen (now nest bound) to raise subsequent broods. They’ll forage, nurse and perform other nest duties. Later in the summer the queen will produce male offspring from unfertilised eggs. These males will disperse in search of a… 5/14

…workers. These workers will then help the queen (now nest bound) to raise subsequent broods. They’ll forage, nurse and perform other nest duties. Later in the summer the queen will produce male offspring from unfertilised eggs. These males will disperse in search of a… 5/14

These queens feed up (they’re famished) search for a suitable nest location - dry and cosy (but not too cosy) - and established their nest. They lay a few eggs and sit on them to keep them at the ideal temperature until they hatch. This first batch of eggs will be female… 4/14

The Bumblebee Lifecyle. This is the quick version and a generalisation - obviously there may be variance depending on species and geographic location. #Bumblebee queens emerge from hibernation in early spring - how they got there we’ll get to later just go with it for now! 3/14 #bees #nature

Spoiler alert: Bumblebee nests generally exist for a matter of months. Maximum number of #bees run to hundreds not thousands. They don’t swarm. They are not aggressive. They don’t need to be - and shouldn’t be - moved. You’re lucky to have them - enjoy and celebrate them! 2/14

As usual at this time of year we have people on to us worried about having a bumblebee ‘hive’ in their #garden. ‘Are they dangerous?’ ‘Should I have them removed?’ ‘Will they be there forever?’ Here’s a quick #bumblebee #lifecycle thread to explain. Please #repost/#share for the #bees. Thanks! 1/14

It’s #Friday folks! Have the best #weekend you can. You know the drill: Be #kind Be #gentle Be #true Be like #bees And to my American friends on this date: May the First be with you! Amendment that is. Protecting your freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. #May #rights

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 315 Bumblebee priority when foraging is the rate of energy return NOT energy efficiency, choosing flowers that maximize immediate return of sugar to the colony over those that require less effort and provide greater energy efficiency. #bees #nature

Starting out… Oh to be young again…when summers seemed endless…all boards no phones… Coolafancy Skateboard Club: One member. But she doin’ just fine… #summer #boards #priorities

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 314 What strategy do foraging #bumblebees use to decide which flower to choose & how long to work it? Why the maximum rate of energy return strategy of course,😂 which prioritises the amount of nectar/sugar collected per minute. #bees #nature

…#insects as a corridor of life. A little bit of knowledge. A little bit of thoughtfulness. A little bit of realisation. A little bit of effort. That’s all. Yes that’s all. That shouldn’t be too much. Should it? 5/5 #bees #nature #food #truth

…forage and #wildflowers. Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides harm and kill . It’s what they are designed to do. I get why they are used. I disagree but I get it. My point here is…the ‘unproductive’ pathway didn’t deserve it. It could have been left for the #bees and… 4/5

…resting on the path or seeking forage and I thought how sad. And how indicative of the plight of #bees and #nature. The contrast between where the sprayed-off vegetation stops and our organic land starts is stark. Immediately deadness, starvation and poison turns to life… 3/5

Along with the ‘productive land’ the pathway was sprayed also. No need. Now this isn’t a rant about farming practice. Our neighbour is a gentleman. It is rather to highlight the impact. As I walked along the path one day last week I encountered nine #bumblebee queens either… 2/5

At the top end of the #sanctuary we have a right of way along a neighbouring field to the road that runs through the local village. We walk our youngest to school this way. The field was sprayed a number of weeks back to ‘prepare’ the ground for ploughing, harrowing etc. 1/5

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #primrose #spring #love #peace

Greater Stitchwort… Top meadow World Bee Sanctuary this morning. #wildflowerhour #wildflowers #nature #spring #sunday

…with severe consequences for #bees and #ecosystems. 2/2 #nature #insects #food #biodiversity #education #science

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 313 Glyphosate Based Herbicides (GBH) are the most widely used #pesticides globally. Increased use of genetically engineered glyphosate-tolerant crops which allow GBH application throughout the growing season hugely increases GBH exposure… 1/2 #bees

Good morning from World Bee Sanctuary. Cuckoo flower beside Big Pond. Keeping it real folks. Keeping it real. #worldbeesanctuary #nature #honest #real #pond #cuckooflower

Bee ‘Closing time, you don't have to go home But you can't stay here…’ Goodnight folks. Dreams diminish regimes So dream brave dreams #bee #goodnight #dream

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 312 # 311 contd Exposure to #glyphosate damages #bumblebees' fine-color discrimination. Small disturbances in color vision can be disastrous for foraging success as #bees try to distinguish between visually similar flower types. #nature #science

It’s #Friday folks! Have the best #weekend you can. You know the drill: Be #kind Be #gentle Be #true Be like #bees Oh…and…don’t use A.I. Use your brain. Go easy folks.

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 311 A recent Finnish study which exposed #bumblebees to field realistic doses of the #glyphosate based #herbicide Roundup found that the bumblebees' fine-color discrimination & long-term memory were significantly impaired. #bees

Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about! Actually…I’m not talking about anything. I’m not uttering a word. Rather I’m sitting here in silent awe letting the beauty, the sounds, the movement, the sheer wondrous life of it all wash over me. So I guess it’s…now that’s what I’m not talkin’ about! #nature

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 310 Study: Train two #bumblebees to push a Lego block for a reward. Now allow access to the task earlier to Bee 1. She waits for Bee 2 to catch up to start pushing the Lego hinting at ‘actively coordinated collaboration’ in #bees. #science #nature

Shhhhh! For a moment. #nature #bluebells #worldbeesanctuary

Happy Earth Day!? It isn’t though is it? A Happy Earth. If we’re honest. It could be… It should be… Here’s a bumblebee… #EarthDay #bumblebee

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 309 #Insects tend to navigate by use of path integration and landmark guidance for homing. Bees being #bees however display more complex behaviors, including creating novel shortcuts and optimal routes between locations. #bumblebees #nature

‘Gooooood Mornin’ Vietnaaaammmm!!!! Hey this is not a test, this is rock ‘n’ roll…. Time to rock it from the Delta to the DMZ…is that me or does that sound like an Elvis Presley movie?….. Hey!…is it a little too early for being that loud? Hey!…too late!…’ And yet here we are…

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #daisies #dandelions #spring

Mornin’ There’s heat in that sun And she’s starting to hum… Sound up my darlings… **blackbird, blackcap, robin, wren, song thrush, siskin, blue tit, chaffinch… #birds #morning #spring #worldbeesanctuary #nature #birdsong

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 308 Despite the small size of their brains #bumblebees are really really good at navigation. They navigate on a par with vertebrates and in certain aspects their sense of direction is better than that of humans. #bees #nature #insects #saturday

It’s #Friday folks! Have the best #weekend you can…hang on a second…it’s Friday?…what in tarnation…where have I been all week? Oh bother! Anyhow… You know the drill: Be #kind Be #gentle Be #true Be like #bees And remember time spent on here is time lost forever out there… Go easy folks.

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 307 Research suggests that protecting/enhancing existing #hedgerows with early blooming species like #willow, hawthorn, ground ivy, red dead-nettle, maple & cherry could improve bumblebee colony success rate from 35-100%. #bees #nature #education

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 306 # 305 contd. The research indicated that a two week gap in the availability of forage to a bumblebee colony during March/April could result in up to a 90% reduction in numbers of daughter queens subsequently produced. #bees #nature #bumblebees

Here Blackcap, blackbird, Chiffchaff and wren, Wood-pigeon, robin and still more then No Genocide, ecocide, wars to hide Lies Crimes against humanity, innocents and child No AI, surveillance, disappearance, deception No hatred no vengeance No submission no insurrection No Jew no Muslim… 1/n

Here’s a #MondayMorningMinute with #nature here on #WorldBeeSanctuary. Take a moment. #pause Go do some #good. Have the best week you can. If you’re not having a good week - tell someone. And if someone tells you - Listen. Really #listen. #mentalhealth #wellbeing #birds #love #spring #health

Bee Goodnight folks. You stay classy, San Diego… ‘You gotta have a dream;
If you don’t have a dream,
How you gonna have a dream come true?’ #bee #goodnight #dream

Late? Of course. But you knew I would be. And you waited. Knowing I’d always show. You see…like it or not…we’re in this together. Bonded… In our love… For bees… You know it. I know it. Let’s not fight it any more… But rather embrace it and shout it from the rooftops… 😊❤️🐝 Here’s your landscape bee:

#theBeeAt3 Basic bee facts every day at 3pm. # 305 # 304 contd Larvae drive demand for food in #bumblebee colonies but where are these resources deployed? The larvae require POLLEN for GROWTH… and THERMAL regulation of the brood uses up most of the energy from NECTAR. #bees #nature #wildlife