Free Transport. Bombus terrestris, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, carrying Mites, Parasitellus fucorum, on Salix caprea, Goat Willow, Paterswoldsemeer, Groningen-Drenthe, The Netherlands
Some nice Sunny Early-Springtime days brought Bumblebees out of their hibernation. Of course they were avid for the rich pollen of Goat Willow! Docile and gentle as Bombus terrestris is, she even examined Yours Truly's finger... (see inset).
Those deutonymphs of Parasitellus fucorum, a Bumblebee Mite, are not dangerous to the health of Bumblebee. Unless, of course, there are so many of them that she can't fly. The mite nymphs stay with young Queen Bumblebees during the Winter as they hibernate in burrows in the soil. The Mites live on what they can find in the Bumblebee nest, and they are particularly fond of grains of pollen, which they suck empty of their protein content. There's not a great deal known about the exact relationship of Mite and Bumblebee... Fascinating subject, I would think!
Incidentally: these are two different Bumblebees, one photographed in the Hortus Haren, the other along the Hoornsedijk.
Free Transport. Bombus terrestris, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, carrying Mites, Parasitellus fucorum, on Salix caprea, Goat Willow, Paterswoldsemeer, Groningen-Drenthe, The Netherlands
Some nice Sunny Early-Springtime days brought Bumblebees out of their hibernation. Of course they were avid for the rich pollen of Goat Willow! Docile and gentle as Bombus terrestris is, she even examined Yours Truly's finger... (see inset).
Those deutonymphs of Parasitellus fucorum, a Bumblebee Mite, are not dangerous to the health of Bumblebee. Unless, of course, there are so many of them that she can't fly. The mite nymphs stay with young Queen Bumblebees during the Winter as they hibernate in burrows in the soil. The Mites live on what they can find in the Bumblebee nest, and they are particularly fond of grains of pollen, which they suck empty of their protein content. There's not a great deal known about the exact relationship of Mite and Bumblebee... Fascinating subject, I would think!
Incidentally: these are two different Bumblebees, one photographed in the Hortus Haren, the other along the Hoornsedijk.