Bombus vestalis cuckoo bee visits active B. hypnorum nest. Why?

Bombus vestalis cuckoo bee visits active B. hypnorum nest. Why?

Bombus vestalis the lodging cuckoo bee  Initially, the Nurturing Nature nest box was first occupied by a queen Bombus hortorum, in my garden. Little did I know that it was going to be the scene of several crimes, including theft, burglary, deception and possibly...

Solitary wasps using the Nurturing Nature Observation Nest box

Solitary bees and solitary wasps in the same nest box? Yes! In the same nest box! Besides being pollinators solitary wasps are fascinating to watch as they store the cavities with paralysed prey items, many of which may be garden pests. The prey items are used by the...
What birds killed 29 Bombus terrestris queens?

What birds killed 29 Bombus terrestris queens?

Was it a Great tit that killed 29 Bombus terrestris queens? Recently, while walking along a footpath through a small birch woodland, I saw and filmed a B. terrestris queen digging a hole into the peaty earth, something I have seen several times now and indicative of...