![]() It’s important to avoid brown sugar (which contains extra solids from molasses) and avoid maple syrup (which contains extra minerals), both of which are difficult for bees to digest. Safely tucked inside a crocus flower, she enjoyed a delicious energy bar, whose enclosing petals would open to the sky only once the sun hit! Read more Types of sugar to avoid This is my own story of a bumble bee queen who found the perfect spot to spend a series of nights in early spring. Remember that a tired, sluggish bee is not likely to sting! You may do this by placing her in direct sunlight, by letting her sit on your warm skin (a hand or arm), or by bringing her indoors briefly (in a ventilated box) to warm up and drink some sugar-water.ĭefinitely stay within your comfort zone if you offer up your skin, but if you move slowly and unthreateningly, your bee may crawl right onto your hand or arm (she'll warm up through fabric too, so a dark-colored shirt is good if there's sun). Note that if it’s cold out (particularly if it's near or below 55☏ / 13☌), you’ll speed your bee’s recovery by warming her up. ![]() Don’t be surprised to find your bee gone if you’re not keeping a constant eye on her! Try warming up your bee too Offering sugar-water often works even if it appears to you as though your bee is dead! A quick sugar-water boost should help your bee on its way to living another day □ It may take a few minutes or a few hours for her to recover, depending on how weak she was to begin with. In most cases, your bee will recover quickly after drinking some sugar-water. One trick is to add a drop of sugar water to a bee-friendly flower (this is an eastern carpenter bee with a damaged wing) It often works within minutes assets/shares/carpenter-bee-dandelion.mp4 If your bee doesn't improve, keep reading. Take care to move them gently (using a leaf works well), and observe them to see if they seem to recover. This works well for bees that are not too badly off, but it does require that they feel up to clinging onto a flower. My next advice is to consider simply moving the bee onto a sunny bee-friendly flower (one close by, ideally where you see other similar bees foraging). In most situations, you can help your bee (and you've almost certainly nothing to fear from an exhausted, cold, struggling bee)! A foraging bumble bee is only ever about 40 minutes from starvation. Unseasonable weather and a lack of flowers may trip them up, especially at these times of year. Spring and fall are often unpredictable weather and flower-wise, and sometimes you’ll find a bee who’s simply run out of steam and needs a helping hand. The good news is that in many cases, you can help! And depending on the kind of bee, you may be helping many future bees, particularly if your bee is a queen bumble bee. I’m often asked by folks what to do when one finds a cold, wet, or sluggish bee.
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