Friday Night Soother
by digby
If you find me looking tired & stranded, the best thing to do is pop me onto a flower. If there aren’t any flowers around, a few drops of sugar water (made from equal parts water & white sugar) can really help. Remember to leave me outside, so I can 'bee' on my way asap! #bee pic.twitter.com/7hbuTvNunB— BBCT (@BumblebeeTrust) March 7, 2019
Some people have got in touch with us to tell us that they have found bumblebees lying on the ground, appearing tired and unwell. These are most likely to be new bumblebee queens that have recently left the nest to either set up their own nests, or go into hibernation. Because of the scarcity of flowers in winter, these bumblebees sometimes use a lot of energy in flying, but don’t have any food to replace that lost energy. If there are flowering plants available nearby, the best thing to do is to place the bumblebee on or near them. If you can’t find any flowers, you can still help, though! You can mix together a sugar solution of half white refined sugar and half warm water (brown sugar and honey are bad for bumblebees). Put this in a small saucer or plastic drinks lid, and place it near the bee’s head (see the photo below). It should then lap this up, and will use the energy to heat its body up and fly off.
