For the last several mornings, the calamintha and agastache have been festooned with bee bodies, barely moving.
Are they cold?
These had their faces glued in nectar position. But they were frozen solid in place.
The weather is cool overnight, now.Are they just tired?
Funny, I just came across a bee today napping on a stone in the middle of the afternoon and wondered the same thing...
ReplyDeleteI think they are tired from their getting drunk on nectar the last few weeks. Every year I watch them stagger (in flight) as they fly from one flower to the next coated in so much pollen(?) they can barely fly.
ReplyDeleteI imagine they are now recuperating from all the debauchery. I could be wrong, I don't really know anything about bees, what they eat or do. This is just what I've noticed and what seems like they are up too.
I've found bees seemingly stuck like that overnight, on the echinops, but they eventually fly off. Bumble bees seem to run out of steam sometimes too, and just land on the ground; people have been putting out a little sugary water for them, which they suck up, recovering quickly. But I have to admit I know very little about bees, just that we need to care more about what we're doing to their environment....
ReplyDeleteSame thing for me on a CPW terrace: bees immobile on the Eupatorium. I'm grateful because it lets me get in there and deadhead, but as for the cause...I vote temperature.
ReplyDeleteHoney bees I know...bumbles, not so much.
ReplyDeleteBut my guess is a sudden drop in temperature.A drop of around 10deg+ C in a couple of hours is pretty severe for some creatures.
Ahh, the bees. The cooler air slows them down, their wings don't work below a certain temp. Better hole up for the evening!
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago, when I just began:
http//www.nycgarden.blogspot.com/2007/10/where-bees-sleep.html
And check this out:
http//www.bumblebee.org/bodyTempReg.htm
Yes, I vote for the cold, too. Some species will also cluster together to sleep through the night.
ReplyDeleteglad other people have noticed it, thought it was just the bumblebees on my autumn joy
ReplyDelete