11/05/2026
May is here and so are the Big Eight 🎱🐝
Of the UK’s 24 bumblebee species, these eight are the most common. This month, some queens will produce their first daughters, the workers, while others will welcome new males 💼🚹
👑 Bumblebee queens begin to emerge from hibernation in spring, when rising temperatures and longer days awaken them from their winter snooze in the soil.
💤 When a queen emerges, she spends some time resting in order to wake up properly.
🌷 Once fully awake she feeds on flowers to gain energy.
🏠 Then begins the search for a suitable nest site: holes in the ground, long grass, bird boxes and beneath garden sheds.
🌼 Having chosen her nest site, the queen will feed on more flowers and lay her first batch of eggs.
🐛 Little white larvae hatch, feed on collected pollen, and then develop into adult workers.
💼 These smaller females carry out work inside and outside the nest.
👑 Queens remain inside the nest, laying more eggs for the next batch of workers.
🚹 Towards the end of a nest, males are produced and leave. They do not collect pollen. Instead, they spend their time feeding on nectar and trying to mate with queens from other nests.
Have you spotted any bumblebees this spring? How many species have you seen so far this year?
🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/77wB50YMpXP
