-----Original Message-----
From: pbs [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Garak
Sent: Sunday, August 02, 2015 4:30 PM
To: pbs@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [pbs] Floral Visitors, bumble bee problem

Hi Åke ,

I'm not sure if it's one or more species - I'm not good at telling

apart, basically anything winged that looks slightly overweight is a

to me. A quick Wikipedia check makes Bombus Hortorum a likely candidate.
Definitely some sort with a white tip of the lower body. As I said: this
Summer was extraordinary dry and hot in southern germany - July saw +4K
on average Temperature and about 40% of average rain after a series of

dry months. I think it had a disastrous effect on meadows, so that even
clover and dandelion ceased flowering.
Mirabilis Jalapa will see another month or two of flowering (one for
hibernated tubers, two for seedlings), so I hope you're right and the

won't learn that trick. In worst case scenario I'll have to pause a year

hope no on else has them - Mirabilis isn't that popular around here

most people have no taste in flowers ;) ).

Greetings,
Martin

Am 02.08.2015 um 20:13 schrieb Åke Nordström:

end of the season when the last bumble bee larvae are produced - the ones
that are going to be new queens and produce the new colonies next season,
I would guess the flowering is over. If so, the new queens will stick to

food sources and will not be able to learn this habit and they can't pass

to next season and bumble bee generation. Of course, if it happened once

can happen again, but I guess something must have happened to their main
food plants this year so this was just a coincidence. Do you know what
species of bumble bee it was? Or was it more than one species?

(12-15 C) and wet.

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