In the time it takes to blink your eye democracy and decency will die…so don’t blink.
Don’t blink.
Don’t.
Blink.
#resist
#donotlookaway
#donotblink
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 86
In the time it takes to blink your eyes flying #bees will beat their wings approximately 65 times.
‘Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings…’
- John Gillespie Magee Jr
Howdy folks!
I’m in an early kinda humour.
If you’re enjoying the good weather in your garden/yard/patch keep an eye out for bumblebee queens out and about presently and resist the urge to tidy up. #Nature thrives in messy wild.
#gardens
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 85
Forage Basics 101:
Nectar = Carbohydrates = Sugar = Energy.
Pollen = Protein + Nutrients + Fats.
‘Bees need flowers need bees need flowers need…’
- The Bee Guy
…and you can quote me on that!
#bees
Late.
But I bring you not just another great fact. Not just another bumblebee.
But a big ass dollop of the brightest yellow goodness to light up your evening after a day of resistance.
Tell me you were resisting.
You oughta!
#resist
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 84
#bees consume large amounts of oxygen but don’t breathe through noses or mouths.
Instead they draw oxygen in through holes along their bodies called #spiracles and deliver it directly to tissue and muscles.
Early!
It’s #Friday folks!
Have the best #weekend you can.
You know the drill:
Be #kind
Be #gentle
Be #true
Be like #bees
Oh…and don’t be a little rich stand for nothing bitch that starts a global trade war for attention.
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 83
#Bumblebees made history when over 130 years ago they were brought from England to New Zealand to pollinate red #clover for farmers - the first #insect to be introduced to a country to #pollinate a specific plant.
Late?
Yep!
Working in one of the meadows all day. Forgot to bring food. Chilly enough so I had to crawl home to take advantage of the small difference in altitudinal air temperature.
Hey if it’s good enough for #bees
What?
What?
#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 82
If food is scarce bumblebees will forage in temperatures as low as 40°F.
They will vary the height at which they fly to and from the nest to take advantage of any small differences in altitudinal air temperature.
Maybe I should ask a bumblebee to chew on a bee fact…then it might arrive early!
What?
What?
I do this for free!
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 81
Research found that tomato plants flowered up to 30 days earlier in response to their leaves being chewed by hungry #bumblebees.
When this behaviour is mimicked by cutting the leaves they only flower 5 days earlier!
#bees
Okay, okay…here’s the genuine bee fact for today.
No Taylor Swift.
No Marvin Gaye.
No trickery.
No fools.
Just a lovely Common Carder #bumblebee on a vital #dandelion flower.
Go easy folks.
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 80
# 79 contd.
This plant stressing bee behaviour may be a ‘tough love’ adaptation as #climate breakdown brings bees out of hibernation earlier.
If no food is available #bees die, pollination suffers and plants disappear too.
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 80
A recent study in Sweden has found that music can affect bumblebee mating - specifically the length of mating events.
In a laboratory environment broadcasting soul songs such as Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ resulted in longer and more frequent mating events.
Songs by #TaylorSwift were found to decrease mating event duration and often inhibit entirely mating between #bumblebees.
#bees
#nature
#April
Told you I’d be back!
With today’s fact.
Still not sure if it’s late or not but it’s definitely a goodie regardless of the time.
And I am…
Regardless of the time!
Go easy folks.
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 79
Recent research suggests that if food is scarce hungry #bumblebees will chew on plant leaves - not to eat them - but to stress the plant causing it to #flower thus providing earlier #pollen for the #bees.
Chew on that! 
Late?
Not sure. They’ve been messing with the clocks again…and given my already tumultuous relationship with time…well…it wouldn’t surprise me if this wasn’t even today’s fact!
It’s not?
Ok
I need another fact.
I’ll be back!
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 78
Unlike females, male #bumblebees don’t perform learning flights on leaving the nest. They fly directly away never looking back. 
They do however perform learning flights on leaving #flowers to memorise location.
#bees
It’s been a few days.
What’s been happening?
Any tariffs on speaking the truth yet?
#tariffwanker
Anyhow…
It’s #Friday folks.
Have the best #weekend you can.
You know the drill:
Be #kind
Be #gentle
Be #true
Be like #bees
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 76
Bees are able to navigate using the polarised light patterns in the sky by virtue of their 3 ‘simple eyes’ or #ocelli which are positioned on top of the head between their 2 larger compound eyes.
So 5 eyes in all!
And I get lost in a drop down menu.
Go easy folks.
Stop and listen to the hum of a passing bumble if you’re lucky enough to still have them in your vicinity.
#nature
#planet
#pollinators
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 75
#Bumblebees are able to start foraging earlier in the morning and continue until later in the evening when landmarks aren’t visible as they can use the polarised light of the sky as a GPS for guidance to their nest!
#bees
Late?
Yep!
9 days late.
Try that on for size!
Been very busy cooking something up.
But the facts are back from today so all is good with the world again…isn’t it?
Isn’t it?
Thanks for your patience folks.
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 74
A bee’s colour vision is the fastest in the animal world.
Bees see colour 5 times faster than humans.
Whereas people have trouble distinguishing one flower from another in a group of flowers #bees see every single #flower
Late?
Not in Vegas baby.
Not in Vegas.
#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 71
# 70 contd.
Carrying heavy pollen loads on the legs makes #bumblebee flight more stable in windy conditions; but in calm weather bees with nectar-full honey stomachs are more nimble than those carrying pollen loads.
#bees
#nature
#pollinators
#sanctuary
#wildflowers
Late?
Have you seen the pollen baskets on this hard working bumble?
Who cares about late when I bring you such wonders. On a regular basis. A very regular basis. All the time. Every day. For free…for free?…wait a second…
#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 70
Bumblebees transport pollen in ‘baskets’ on their hind legs and nectar in their honeystomach. They can carry their body weight in nectar and up to 90% of their body weight in pollen. What they carry affects how they fly.
#bees
Early!
It’s the sunshine.
Has me in a positive demeanour.
Things starting to move about the place.
Colours returning.
Birds singing.
The odd hum of wings on the breeze.
It’s life Jim, but not as we know it…much anymore.
#theBeeAt3
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 69
If you are lucky enough to have #solitarybees in your garden - LOOK AFTER THEM!
They build small solitary nests in cavities in the ground/timber/walls, fly for only a few weeks, don’t swarm and are superb #pollinators.
#bees
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 68
With #bumblebees the size of the colony is in part determined by the length of the growing season in the region they inhabit.
In regions with shorter forage growing seasons smaller colonies tend to be maintained.
#bees
#nature
#pollinators
#wildflowers
#naturephotography
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 67
Depending on species and global location, worker #bumblebees - who are all female - only live for between 2 and 6 weeks.
Those workers who perform in-nest duties tend to live longer than their foraging counterparts.
#bees
#nature
#wildlife
#naturephotography
#climate #sanctuary
It’s #Friday folks!
Yay…you made it through another week without a failed billionaire’s ego rocket crashing on your head!
Have the best #weekend you can.
You know the drill:
Be #kind
Be #gentle
Be #true
Be like #bees
Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 66
Pollen ‘safe sites’ exist on bee bodies which bees can’t reach when grooming (waist & dorsal area of thorax/abdomen).
The anthers/stigmas of #flowers regularly come into contact with these parts ensuring #pollination.
