Bombus Hypnorum

[bredman]

No great images as such but a wee little story. For a little while i knew we had a bumble bee nest beneath some tiles on a disused outhouse down the bottom of the garden. Yesterday i was right beside it checking out the fact i didn't recognise them, and i know fairly well all the UK species. The penny dropped on what they may be so i fetched by bumble bee guide and confirmed bombus hypnorum. By this time the nest was becoming quite active, males and queens were doing what they do and there were about 18 of them aggressively defending their air-space, i assumed against me, so i made a retreat and fetched the camera.

This species were discovered in Wiltshire back in 2001 and their spread is being monitored. Nests can be large for bumbles, some say up to 400 individuals. And they can get quite aggressive, they swarm around the nest site flying in circles at great speed before eventually attacking. As they prefer to nest beside humans there will be conflict.

They are very distinctive in appearance as you can see from the images with the ginger jacket and the white tails. They are a good size equalling the largest we have here, and they fly with purpose. We have a garden full of feeding bumbles but these aren't feeding in our garden hence the late discovery of who/what they are.

All shot from a distance of about 3-4 yds with the 75-300mm II.



I assume this is a drone (left) approaching a stationary queen.


A moment later.

[gregles]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

These are great shots and a really interesting find

Greg

[bredman]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Hi Greg. Yes an exciting find.

For anyone wondering these aren't killer bumblebees but a Eurasian species spreading naturally (although i'm certain they bag the occasional lift -- in 2008 they arrived in Iceland).


[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombus_hypnorum"]Bombus hypnorum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

[Zuiko]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

I beg to differ about these pictures not being great - they perfectly show the animal in its environment and enhance your really interesting narrative. Do you know if there is evidence of this species driving out our native bees, or do they happily co-exist?

[Graptolite]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

I agree with John - they are good pictures, especially the head-on shot in the second last one.
Leaving aside their propensity for stinging humans, is the spread of this species good or bad news, (ecologically speaking)? Or are they perhaps just filling a niche left by our declining native bumblebees?

[bredman]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Thanks gents. I was harsh about the images as i'd filtered out a couple thousand that didn't make the cut .

It seems there is conflicting info on the web. Some sources cite Southampton and not Wiltshire for the first UK sightings. One site described it as a small bumblebee. Not sure i'd agree as there are several huge members of this nest. Not sure what to make of it as the nest has two entrances -- surely not two nests. Yesterday i saw several large individuals leave the nest to be accosted by another bee and they would fall to the ground apparently in congress. After a while the larger (queen?) would shake off the smaller (drone?) and literally buzz off. No idea if these queens returned. I assume not, i read this species have two broods a year so maybe i witnessed the dispersal of queens from the first. One thing is for certain there are huge members and they are readily visible for long periods and are active.

I read that already they are among the commonest bees in some southern localities.

[bredman]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Leaving aside their propensity for stinging humans, is the spread of this species good or bad news, (ecologically speaking)? Or are they perhaps just filling a niche left by our declining native bumblebees?

Good question. From this info sheet it seems they are good for the UK with our declining bee numbers. They pollinate crops and fruit trees etc. and don't impact negatively with our local species. Interestingly the cuckoo bee species that parasitises their nest b norvegicus are absent from the UK.

http://hymettus.org.uk/downloads/Info_sheets_2010/Bombus_hypnorum_infosheet.pdf

Oh the English name is the Tree Bumblebee.

[bredman]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Just an update. Many sources mention this link.

The behaviour i've been witnessing are drones. Uniquely to this species are the swarms of drones that "dance" around the nest. This aerial dance is called 'nest surveillance flight'. What a fascinating creature.

http://bumblebeeconservation.org/images/uploads/Bee_Craft_May_2013,_Bombus_hypnorum.pdf

[Falk]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Interesting observation and narrative/research.
I tend to ignor bumble bees, I mean, I don't take much notice of them, nor do I take (lots of) photos. I guess it has to do with commonality. As I have snapped away on pretty much everything else by now, these might get on my to-do-list for a change. So, posts like this can have a big effect


Falk

[PeterBirder]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Excellent images and a very interesting and informative narative.

Many thanks for sharing.

[Imageryone]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Thanks for the input. We must have a nest near, as I have seen a few of these in the garden. Didn't know what they were though.

[OM USer]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

A nice set of photos. The inclusion of the habitat makes it a lot more interesting than a standard macro shot, assuming that you could have got that close. So #1 and #2 for me although #3 has a better more intense colour to it.

[bredman]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum

Thanks for looking in everyone, i'm glad some found it interesting .

Looks like they have discovered the flowers that lie just yards from the nest so i grabbed a couple of closeups. I note that some of those now feeding in the garden fly off in the other direction, also i saw one about 4 miles away yesterday, looks like they're all over. Anyway, a couple of closeups.





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[bredman]

Re: Bombus Hypnorum





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