by Leslie Cox; March 26, 2017

The first bees we see in our garden are always bumble bees. Their appearance coincides with the slow rise in temperature towards the end of winter. This year they are late…but then it has been a nasty, colder than normal winter for us.

Bumble bee queens…who are the only ones to hibernate through the winter here…will usually start to appear as soon as the temperature reaches upwards of 5 °C (40 °F). One of the earliest bumble bee species to appear in our area is the yellow-faced bumble bee, Bombus vosnesenskii.

Their appearance coincides with the flowering of early spring plant species such as crocuses, winter heathers, pussy willow, and others.

For more information about this very important pollinator species, click here.