Kim & Phillipa’s Blog

Very cool. And I have grown quite an obsession with the furry fuzzy little things. The are just so cute that you wish they’d grow a little more (like they’re not big enough already) just so you can cuddle them and pat them

Seriously though, I thought these things were just like regular bees - but they are WAY cooler! They are big… very big (I won’t insult them by calling them fat) and they have an awesome buzz when they whizz by you. I think I could name every single time I’ve encountered these little darlings, because I get so excited to see them! I love them to death and wish I could adopt one (or 20) as a pet Yes, it’s weird, but come on, they’re just soooooo cute! And even better, they don’t sting!

I got up close and personal with this little guy in Ireland at Tish & Christie’s house….

Then I found out there is a whole Conservation trust dedicated to the Bumbleebees and only then did I realise these poor things are threatened with extinction

Did you know….

• Britain and Ireland have 25 native species of bumblebee
• Raspberries (amoungst others) rely on bumblebees for pollination
• Bumblebees can regulate their body temperature, via solar radiation, internal mechanisms of “shivering” and radiative cooling from the abdomen
• Once a bumblebee has visited a flower, it leaves a scent mark on the flower which deters visitation of the flower by other bumblebees until the scent degrades
• The buzz sound they make is the result of the bee vibrating its flight muscles, not the wings flapping madly

Given they only venture 1-2km from their colonies, perhaps it is possible for me to have a few as pets….

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 15th, 2007 at 7:03 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.