Predatory bird kills bumblebee queen
After months of hibernating the bumblebee queen eagerly sets out to feed up and start her colony. It’s her life’s quest. Likewise, a predatory bird, probably a Great tit or even a robin, itself getting into breeding condition, sees her as an opportunistic meal. That’s nature!
No bumblebee colony from this unfortunate queen
Her sting and whole insides of her abdomen have been completely removed. The weather today, 26/3/16, was rather cool and dull. I suspect the queen was on the ground resting when the bird caught her, held her with its claw and pecked at her abdomen to get at the nutritious juicy bits along with any nectar inside her ‘honey stomach. Click on the photo for a clearer view.
From her markings, she looked like a Bombus lucorum. Now deceased.
I have watched both Great tits and robins perch on a bird box containing tree bumblebees and try to catch them as they entered. They would follow the bees’ movements as they approached the entrance and try to snap at them, from their perch, though unsuccessfully.
See BBC film of Great tit catching a bumblebee outside its nest
For more information, photos, films, etc., of bumblebee pests and predators
For more information about Bumblebees: Bumblebee Conservation Trust
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