The Queen Bumblebee - Guest Post by Charlotte Rankin

Here in Cornwall, the milder weather has encouraged some brave bumblebee queens to emerge from hibernation and take advantage of the early-flowering plants here. While we do have some winter-active Buff-tail colonies here, most bumblebee queens have been tucked up underground in a long winter’s sleep awaiting Springtime. While in Summer a queen bumblebee proudly secures a nest of up to several hundred individuals, her first few weeks after hibernation are in fact spent solitarily. During this time she ensures a suitable nest site, sets out on foraging expeditions and begins her role as a mother. All whilst battling with Spring’s uncertainties, of course!

A queen Early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum) on Lesser

Celandine, one of the first bumblebee species to emerge

from hibernation. 

As the Spring sun warms the soil, bumblebee queens in their underground burrows start to stir. Here, a queen bumblebee has spent around seven months tucked up in the earth awaiting the Spring alarm. After warming up and with a morning stretch of all six legs, this determined queen eagerly digs her way out of her little burrow, dusts the soil off her coat and sets off into the fresh Spring air to begin the first of her very busy days.

After this long sleep, she is feeling hungry rather than refreshed. She has spent the last several months relying on her energy reserves and her first thought is to find nectar-rich flowers. At this time of year, flowers may be few and far between, but dandelions or a lucky garden find of Mahonia or heather should do the trick. Once revived, a clean of her proboscis and pollen-dusted eyes, she can now begin her next search for a suitable nest site.

Left to right: Red-tailed (Bombus lapidarius), Tree (Bombus hypnorum), Early (Bombus pratorum) and Buff-tailed (Bombus terrestris) queens. Queens here have been found foraging on crocuses, dandelions and lesser celandines. 

She spends considerable time zig-zaging around, searching diligently for a promising site. Depending on her species, she may take a fancy to an old rodent burrow, tussocky grass if she is a Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum), or even an empty bird box if she is a Tree Bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum)!

Following a queen Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), we see her finally decide on an old rodent burrow. While it’s a ramshackle affair of cobwebs and darkness, it provides just what she needs with nesting material conveniently left behind by the previous occupants. She rearranges the material with her little jaws and legs to form a very snug hollow ball, with a single entrance just large enough for her to pass through. In this cavity, she will create a mass of ‘pollen-paste’, made up of pollen and nectar that she has collected on her foraging trips.

Having decided on her home she will set off to explore her new neighbourhood, excitedly flying to and fro and exploring every nook and cranny. She is in fact familiarising herself to its location to ensure that she can return swiftly after her foraging trips. After a few practice flights, she now knows the way to her new home.

During these foraging trips, she battles with the uncertainties of Spring. While the air may be clear and sunny when she leaves, she often returns to her nest with a very soggy, matted coat. Nevertheless, her hind legs are stuffed with pollen and she quickly resumes to the task of constructing her nest. Having mated the previous Autumn, she lays her first batch of eggs upon this ‘pollen-paste’ mass and seals off the structure with wax, which is in fact only around the size of a pea!

Just like birds, she too incubates her brood day and night. This energetically-demanding task requires a lot of nectar. To prevent her from leaving her brood for too long, she cleverly crafts a small wax pot in front of her and fills this with regurgitated nectar. She sips from this while she incubates her brood, replenishing her little pot when necessary.

After a few days, these eggs will hatch into very hungry larvae. As the larvae greedily eat, the queen replenishes this pollen and distributes a mixture of nectar and pollen amongst them. Once fully grown, the larvae will then each tuck themselves up into a cocoon. The cocoons are arranged such that there is a groove that fits perfectly with the queen’s underside. By stretching out her abdomen and hugging all six legs around her cocoons, she ensures their continual warmth for the next few weeks before her brood are ready to bite through their cocoons as adults.

Their movements hesitant and much like a baby’s first steps, the first of her workers are out. Once they have found their feet (all six of them!), they will fulfil their role as baby bee guardians and take over the collection of nectar and pollen to bring back to the nest. However, the queen’s work isn’t over yet – she has a colony of workers to build!

Charlotte Rankin is an ecologist with a passion for bumblebees that embraces both research and conservation. She is a volunteer for the Cornish branch of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and last year she created two booklets for the conservation group, Penryn Buzz to promote their Bee Ranger project. She has also helped the charity Buglife in establishing their Urban Buzz project in Falmouth. You can follow Charlotte on Twitter at, @bumble_being

Urban Buzz - New Wildflower Areas in Falmouth

Sowing seeds to create wildflower meadows marked a wonderful start to this year. Under a clear blue sky the day began in Boscawen Road next to the tennis courts. Arriving I was immediately impressed by the maze cut out in the grass. A brilliant design by Howard from Cormac and Jacqui from Falmouth Town Council and Cormac.

The brilliantly designed wildflower maze by Boscawen Road

Once volunteers had gathered we were introduced to the Urban Buzz project by Laura from the charity Buglife. She went through the methods to be used to sow the seed as well as explaining how the plants chosen would help the meadow develop as the perennials established themselves. Once Laura had added sand to the mix of seeds the sowing began. The sand helps achieve an even distribution as well as being a good indicator of the area sown to help prevent bare patches.

The maze design will allow people to walk among the flowers

Walking round the maze it was easy to imagine how wonderful it will look in the summer. It really is a wonderful design that will enable people to walk among the wildflowers. I expect to be spending quite a bit of time there recording and photographing the insects visiting the flowers. Especially as it is so close to the beach, toilets and ice-cream, field work is rarely this good.

Laura Larkin from the charity Buglife giving volunteers a talk
before sowing began on the Gyllyng street terraces

The afternoon sowing took place on the terraces above Gyllyng Street in the centre of Falmouth.  This time as well as sowing seeds, plant plugs were also planted in the selected area. Again Howard, Jacqui and the Cormac team had done extensive preparation work on the chosen areas. They had also planted trees and shrubs beneficial to pollinating insects in the terraces.

The sites had been prepared by Howard, Jacquii and the
team from Cormac

The planting attracted volunteers from both locals and students from the nearby campuses of Falmouth and Exeter universities.  With such a good level of support both areas were sown and planted with plenty of time to spare. It was a very enjoyable and successful day and I am looking forward to seeing these areas come into flower this summer.

The level of support and enthusiasm of the volunteers
ensured the planting was accomplished early

The Urban Buzz project was created by Buglife, the charity that works to safeguard and promote knowledge of invertebrates. Initially it ran in selected cities in England and Wales and in four of these it created or enhanced 138 hectares of land, that’s the equivalent of 220 football pitches.

Last year four towns in Cornwall, Falmouth, Truro, St Austell and Wadebridge joined the project. In Falmouth the areas selected for creating wildflower meadows are, parts of the fields alongside Boscawen Road, the terraces above Gyllyng Street and part of the playing fields adjacent to Dracaena Avenue.

Falmouth is one of four towns in Cornwall participating in
the charity Buglife's Urban Buzz project

You could be wondering why this is happening in urbans areas rather than in the countryside? There are a number of reasons why, the first being is that farming practices have changed dramatically over the last few decades. These changes in our countryside are reflected in declines of certain species, for example farmland birds have declined by 56% in the UK since 1970. Looking at solitary bee species a survey in 2015 found more species in Northampton than in the surrounding countryside that included three nature reserves. Mounting evidence suggests that urban areas are now an important refuge for a variety of wildlife.

Nature can flourish in towns and cities - a leaf cutter bee in
Kimberley Park

Another important consideration is that having a connection with Nature can offer both physical and mental health benefits to the local community. The science behind this is a growing area of research covering such areas as the ways our brains responds positively to engaging with nature to how chemicals released by plants can improve our immune system.

While these wildflower meadows will provide the opportunity to connect with Nature to everyone whatever their age they are especially important for children growing up in an urban environment. Hopefully these areas will stimulate their natural curiosity and help them develop an interest in wildlife and the natural world.

Access to the natural world to stimulate a child's natural
curiosity is an essential part of their childhood.
Photo: Bug Hunt held in Falmouth Cemetery 2018

I am certainly curious to see what insects will be attracted to these areas and will not be surprised to discover species so far unrecorded in the town. I am also hopeful that over time, species that are rarely seen will become more common. One species I will be looking forward is the four banded flower bee. A related species, the hairy footed flower bee is a common sight in Kimberley Park during the spring. The four banded bee flies between June and mid-August and is a rarer sight. With their flight period corresponding to the peak flowering time for the new wildflower meadows I am hoping to see an increase in their abundance over time. They are quite fast moving bees so not the easiest to film. Hats off to Charlotte Rankin who filmed this one on Cliff Road last summer.

With the seeds sown and the plants planted the clocking is ticking down towards enjoying a wonderful summer watching these areas blossom.