Do bumbles die this time of year?

Found this guy, not the best images only had my phone, he was lapping up the sugar water, but Idk if he'll just die anyway? I left him in the pret pot with the sugar water somewhere shady and protected.





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Yes, unfortunately they do tend to die off over winter, from about now on. I think it gets too cold for them.

I heard there's only capacity for about half the bees to stay in the hive at any one time, and they'll tend to huddle up tight together to keep warm. I guess if you're not one of the ones that fits inside, then that's you. It's a shame

MiniC said:

Yes, unfortunately they do tend to die off over winter, from about now on. I think it gets too cold for them.

I heard there's only capacity for about half the bees to stay in the hive at any one time, and they'll tend to huddle up tight together to keep warm. I guess if you're not one of the ones that fits inside, then that's you. It's a shame

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Poor thing hope he'll pass peacefully then

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MiniC said:

Yes, unfortunately they do tend to die off over winter, from about now on. I think it gets too cold for them.

I heard there's only capacity for about half the bees to stay in the hive at any one time, and they'll tend to huddle up tight together to keep warm. I guess if you're not one of the ones that fits inside, then that's you. It's a shame

Click to expand...

Gracie's little fella is a bumble bee, not a honey bee.

Bumble bee new queens, after being mated, will hibernate during the winter and then emerge in the spring to each set up a new colony. The workers, males and old queens from this year's colony will die

If it's a massive bee it might be a mated queen, but they're unlikely to be in such exhausted condition this time of year. Sometimes they overwinter in our airing cupboard and come a warm February day there'll be a horrendously loud buzzing in the back bedroom and I'll need to let one out! Same with queen wasps, which I don't mind either because they're smart enough to find the draft when I've opened the window

I'm still seeing butterflies flitting about,I presume they too will mostly die unless some can hibernate away.I had a load of cabbage white caterpillars around my front door last year,they pupated and hibernated over winter,they went into the the corners of the lintel etc.They were feeding on the Tom thumb leaves,I don't mind as The plants die anyway once they are hit with a heavy frost.Most of them emerged in the spring this year.