Bumblebees typically feed on autumn and winter-flowering plants such as Arbutus unedo, Clematis cirrhosa, Mahonia and winter heather; however, some wild British species (such as the Buff-tailed bumblebee) have been observed active throughout winter.
These impressively large queens feed themselves an abundance of nectar and pollen to build up reserves that will sustain them throughout winter.
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Nectar
As autumn progresses and flowers fade away, you might hear less buzzing in your garden from bumblebees as the summer blossoms start to wither away. They stop visiting plants that provided nectar during their visitation over summer to instead focus on finding places for overwintering.
Wildlife birds tend to nest in pre-existing cavities like old rodent burrows, hollow logs or bird houses made out of material like insulation or cotton batting from old furniture. But sometimes birds choose manmade structures for nesting purposes like bird houses or insulation from old furniture pieces as a home too.
Once the queen has identified an appropriate location for her colony, she will focus on feeding on protein from pollen to help ripen her eggs and provide nourishment to her young. Worker bees on the other hand have different requirements as nectar provides energy needed to fuel long foraging trips while simultaneously keeping them alive. Flowers produce nectar to attract pollinators that carry pollen back into them for reproduction purposes – it consists of water with various sugars like fructose and sucrose added.
Pollen
Bumble bees find it challenging to store enough honey over winter, so they must find sources of nectar and pollen throughout their journeys – fruit trees, pussy willows, and serviceberry are especially crucial sources of nourishment for them.
Bumblebees collect pollen to feed their young and use it to line the insides of their nest cells. Pollen grains not only make a stunning sight, but can take on all sorts of shapes ranging from conical, spherical or cylindrical forms to those with ridged surfaces like those found on seashells or succulents, ropey tangles, labyrinthine patterns or stripes – providing something beautiful for all kinds of eyes to admire!
Since 2010, bumblebees have become more often observed foraging on winter-flowering plants such as viburnum x bodnantense and Clematis cirrhosa in the wild, while garden settings often attract them with mahonia, Erica carnea or flowering shrubs bernardinum and cornus mas. Bumble bees may forage on these flowers as they fly back from hibernation spots or nests for food sources.
Mites
Parasitellus fucorum mites have been seen clinging to the thorax of bumblebees. These parasitic mites feed off queen bumblebees during hibernation and infect her during hibernation, leading her to lose weight and make it more difficult for her to lay eggs.
Mites spread between nests by hitching rides with foraging bees, particularly queens. Sometimes found in cuckoo and robber bee hives but do not survive there.
After hibernation, queen bumblebees build small nests or burrows and enter a state of torpor, using very little energy. Sometimes she may awaken too early before spring has truly begun; hungry and low on energy. If this occurs to you, they might climb onto your finger for some honey to give them energy to start prepping themselves to fly once more.
Water
After emerging from her winter nap, the first task for a queen bumblebee upon awakening is finding food – nectar to replenish energy stores and pollen rich with proteins needed for egg production are both top priorities.
Bumble bees use their corbicula pouch to transport small amounts of pollen to other plants for reproduction, making crops such as tomatoes, peppers and berries more successful when pollinated by buzz bees.
Plant flowers with long bloom times to provide enough food for bumblebees during the winter. Bumblebees frequently visit early spring and early summer flowers such as crocuses, Virginia bluebells, lungwort, heuchera and comfrey; as well as late summer/early fall ones like black-eyed susans, larkspur aquilegia or low growing phlox for nectaring and nectaring nectaring bees.
