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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 237
The combined effects of milder winters, longer growing season, more available winter forage and ‘spring advancement’ now allow active overwintering rather than hibernation as an option for buff-tailed #bumblebee queens.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 236
In recent years ‘winter active’ #bumblebees have been recorded in parts of Ireland and the UK with buff-tailed queens skipping the norm of hibernation over winter and instead opting to establish active winter colonies.
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# 235
Most #bumblebee species native to cooler/temperate regions historically tended to be univoltine - they produced only one colony/generation per year. However human caused #climate heating is now impacting upon this norm.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 234
It appears that all 7 species of #bumblebee present in Iceland were introduced by humans. Generally accidentally.
Only the latest arrival, the buff-tailed bumblebee, was purposely introduced - to pollinate indoor crops.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 233
Another Icelandic bumblebee fact today.
The number of bumblebee species found in #Iceland doubled from three to six in the 35 years from 1981 to 2016.
There are now seven species of #bumblebee resident on the island.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 232
Research suggests that the small (relatively) but mighty Heath Bumblebee colonised Iceland not once but twice!
Likely hitched a boat ride with either Vikings or Irish monks on at least one occasion.
Respect!
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 231
Research suggests that #bumblebees can improve their foraging efficiency by learning how many nectaries are in a specific flower type regularly visited and moving on when they have foraged that number of nectaries.🤯🤔
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 230
# 229 contd.
A difference in behaviour noted in previously isolated #bumblebees: touching their antennae to the BODY of other #bees more often rather than to their antennae - like attempting a handshake but shaking the other person’s knee not their hand!😳
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 229
# 228 cont’d.
Research indicates that although friendlier there is a ‘social awkwardness’ in previously isolated #bumblebees when they are introduced to other #bees. Their antennating behaviour (handshakes) is/are different…
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 228
Research which socially isolated #bumblebees during a key developmental phase found that when reintroduced to the ‘crowd’ the isolated #bees showed an increase in friendly behaviour.
The opposite of what researchers predicted!
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 227
# 226 cont’d.
The use of antennae by #bumblebees to ‘communicate’ with other #bees in the colony, by touching their antennae to the antennae of another bee, is referred to as ANTENNATION.
It’s basically a bee handshake.🐝🤝🐝
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 226
#Bumblebees use their antennae for social interaction within the colony.
Touching antennae with other bees transfers chemical information which allows them to familiarise themselves with the other #bees in the colony.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 225
Inside the narrow waist (petiole) of #bumblebees cooler blood pumped from the abdomen is heated up as it passes warm blood returning from the head and thorax.
This process is known as ‘Counter Current Heat Exchange’.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 224
Inside #bumblebees their straw shaped heart passes through their narrow bee waist (petiole) and what happens to the bee blood (hemolymph) as it passes through this narrow passage is vital to how #bees regulate body temperature!
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 223
Bee Circulatory System - quick version!
Tubular heart pulses and waves of contractions push the blood inside the tube towards the head end. Blood at the head slowly forced back to the abdomen to be pushed forward again.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 222
Whereas we have a ‘closed’ circulatory system (blood is transported within arteries and veins) bees have an ‘open’ circulatory system where their tissues are simply bathed in hemolymph (blood). No arteries or veins required!
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 221
Bumblebee ‘blood’ is called hemolymph and the main component of this circulatory fluid is water.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 220
#bumblebees are actually warm-blooded creatures.
They have the ability to generate heat internally.
This generation of heat is not constant as with mammals but allows them to thrive in colder regions such as Alaska.
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 219
The bee heart is not ‘heart’ ❤️ shaped but straw shaped.
It is a simple muscular tube that runs the length of the bee body from the abdomen through the thorax to the head circulating the bee blood (hemolymph).
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Basic bee facts every day at 3pm.
# 218
Although not always immediately obvious due to their hairy coats the bumblebee abdomen is actually joined to the thorax by a narrow little tube-like waist.
This waist is called the petiole.
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