Of the twenty-three bumblebee species found in Britain, most are in decline or ‘at risk’ yet they are the epitome of the British spring and summer with their hairy gold and black striped bodies bumbling noisily from flower to flower.

To me the life-cycle of these magnificent creatures is little short of a Greek tragedy. New queen bees leave their nest in the autumn and quickly mate. The mated queens feed heavily before hibernating over winter anywhere they can find shelter.

In the spring the new queen bumblebee emerges and feeds to build up her energy before finding a nesting location. She will often choose an old mouse or bird’s nest where she will lay eggs into a mound of pollen she has collected. The queen has to incubate the eggs until they hatch, often ‘shivering’ her body to generate heat whilst keeping her strength up by drinking from a store of nectar she will have also collected and stored.

Once the first generation of eggs hatch the queen forages on nearby flowers collecting pollen and nectar to feed the grubs for about two weeks until they pupate and hatch into female worker bees. These worker bees assume nest duties such as cleaning and guarding, whilst others forage for pollen and nectar to feed the next generation of grubs which turn into yet more female worker bumblebees. From this point on the original queen will not leave her nest again.

The average lifespan varies from fourteen to forty days
Later in the season the queen lays different eggs, some of which hatch into the next generation of queen bees and others into male bees. The male bumblebees leave the nest first but do not collect pollen – they simply feed on nectar whilst hoping to mate. Most never mate and all males die within a few weeks.

Meantime the newly mated queen bumblebee begins the cycle again, feeding before hibernating over winter. The original queen and any remaining worker bees will not survive the winter.

The average lifespan of a worker bumblebee varies from fourteen to forty days depending on the species. With a full stomach of nectar, a worker bee can fly for about forty minutes, but they become so preoccupied with supplying the nest they sometimes forget to feed themselves. Therefore, if you find a grounded bumblebee in your garden looking a bit dazed and confused it has probably run out of energy or got cold following a sudden change in weather

You can sometimes revive these bees by popping a few drops of sugar or honey dissolved in water onto a piece of card within close range of the bee, but be careful not to get any liquid onto the bee. If the bee feeds, then after about five minutes it will recover and be on its way again. If the bee has ragged looking wings it is probably beyond help due to ‘old age’. If the bee raises its middle legs and turns it ‘bum’ toward you it is agitated and should be left alone. Bumblebees very rarely sting but better safe than sorry!