elmiller.bsky.social
XR Glasgow member and vegan.
Climate justice is social justice. #ActNow
@Loll1pops on the other place
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…find.
And the final kicker - they never produce sons and never get to meet the daughters they do help produce!
So there you have it…Male Bumblebees 101.
Thanks for reading!
Please #share to spread the knowledge.
#repost.
Happy #FathersDay
14/14
#worldbeesanctuary
#nature
#bees
#science
🌍🐝
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…you to back off it’s just a bluff with no sting to back it up.
So when it comes to #bumblebees the males …(although fed better as larvae and then not tasked with contributing to the nest as adults) live a lonely homeless life constantly seeking a mate which most never…
13/14
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…to inclement weather conditions and predation…and males have no stinger to defend themselves. They can’t sting!
All females develop a stinger but the equivalent part of the body in males develops into the genital capsule.
When males raise that middle leg to warn…
12/14
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…months - especially on #thistle flowers as males have a sweet tooth and thistle nectar is a favourite as they try to build up energy to fuel their long patrolling flights for mates - are likely males.
Sleeping on flowers can however leave them vulnerable…
11/14
#bees
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When it comes to mating, for male bumblebees, size does matter - of the tibia that is. (Stop it!).
Males with longer fore and hind legs are more successful at mating.
So those lethargic #bumblebees that you find early in the morning on flowers during the summer…
10/14
#bees
#nature
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…that very few males (estimates put it at less than 10%) actually get to mate. The good news is that unlike male honey bee drones which only mate once, male bumblebees can and do mate more than once and don’t die in or because of the act!
9/14
#bees
#nature
#FathersDay
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Depending on the species male #bumblebees have specific height preferences at which they patrol spreading their queen attracting scent.
Some work their magic in the tree tops while others are more down to earth!
Despite mating being their raison d’être the sad fact is…
8/14
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They then spend their lonely nights sleeping in or on flowers. The temperature in some flowers at the base near the nectar source can be up to 10°C above outside temperatures - bet you didn’t know that! (Yes - I’m that good!😊).
7/14
#FathersDay
#bees
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…inbreeding (take note some humans 😂).
Having no homes these males will now spend their days actively seeking a new queen to mate with and food to sustain themselves. They will travel up to 17 kilometres in a single day patrolling for prospective mates and foraging.
6/14
#bees
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Once mature, males leave the nest. Unlike workers and queens, on leaving the nest they don’t perform learning flights to memorise its location but fly directly away never looking back and never to return.
They will disperse far from the nest - up to 6 miles - to avoid…
5/14
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When developing as larvae males require more food and for a longer time period than female worker larvae. Ironically later in their short lives male #bees will never forage for pollen and nectar to contribute to the nest but concentrate on foraging for nectar for themselves.
4/14
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Male #bumblebees are produced by the queen fairly late in the nest cycle - mid to late summer usually. Males develop from unfertilised eggs - they have no father - and 100% of their genes will be in common with their mother - the queen!
3/14
#bees
#nature
#FathersDay2025
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Spoiler Alert:
Male #bumblebees don’t have a dad.
Once mature, males leave the nest never to return.
Males spend most of their short lives seeking sugar and a mate.
Most don’t get to mate.
Those that do never get to meet their offspring.
No male has a son.
They can’t sting!
2/14