The last icy cold night of the winter had been past a few
weeks and the sun was rising higher and higher in the sky with each passing
day. There was a warm earthy smell in the air and the stillness that had
settled over winter was gone, as all around life began.
In a tunnel just below the earth there was a
stirring....then, from where she had been hibernating over the winter months, a
queen bumblebee emerged. She gave herself a little shake then set off to find
some flowers rich in sweet nectar to provide her with much needed energy.
The previous spring the garden the queen bee had hibernated
in had been like a sweetie shop to a bumblebee. There had been lilac lavenders
scenting the air, pink foxgloves growing in the borders and places where the
grass had been allowed to grow which hoisted all manner of bumblebee friendly
plants. Now the queen, weak after her long sleep, flew around searching in vain
for a suitable flower. The borders of the garden were bright with blues,
purples and pinks but the pansies that displayed these colours were no use for
the queen as the nectar and pollen contained within them was minimal. There
were no foxgloves to be seen and the grass had been cut short and stumpy. The
queen bumblebee searched and searched for a flower that contained sweet nectar
but after a while she became too weak to fly and landed on a grey concrete
slab, unable to get up again.
A short while later a loud yell filled the air and a young
boy called to his sister to watch where she was putting her foot as she was
about to stand on a bee. The girl just missed the queen bee and both of them knelt
down to have a look. “ Poor thing” said the girl “ I think she needs some
energy. Quick go and ask Mum for a small container with a few drops of water
and some sugar in it. Oh and a jar” The boy followed the instructions his
sister gave and was soon back with the sugary solution. They placed it down by
the queen bee and she lapped it up. Before she had time to fly off the girl
carefully caught her in the jar her brother had also brought along. “I think
she will happier in our wildlife garden” said the girl. “Our new one that dad
helped us create after he tidied up here
is much better than this patch ever was.” So together they carefully took the
queen bumblebee to a grassy patch full of insects, birds and (best of all for
the queen) lots of wildflowers! They opened the jar and, full of energy from
the sugar liquid, the queen flew up and out while the children watched in
delight.
That would be a happy ending but it isn’t where the story
ends. ..................
The queen bumblebee buzzed her way around lots of different
flowers, releasing the protein rich pollen from the flower using her high
pitched buzz. When she was full she searched around for somewhere she could
build her nest. She didn’t have to search far before she came across an old
tree trunk lying on the ground. She
examined it and decided it was a suitable place to lay her eggs. For the next
two weeks she sat on her eggs until they hatched into female worker bees. The
queen then laid more eggs and the worker bees ensured no predators attacked the
nest, they kept the nest clean and they collected pollen and nectar for
themselves, the queen and the new bees that emerged. The queen now had no
reason to leave the nest and her sole job was to lay eggs. In the late summer
male bees hatched as well as new queen bees. The males grew and left the nest
to find a mate, never to return. The
queens left to mate but continued to return to the nest at night.
As summer neared an end the male bees and the female worker
bees died, such is the short life of a bee. The old queen also passed away but
she left behind many new queen bees. These queen bees made themselves a warm
hole in the soil and settled down to sleep until the warmth of the spring
coaxed them out to begin the cycle again. She also left behind many plants that
she and her offspring had pollinated. Plants that would not be around if it
wasn’t for the busy bumblebee.
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