Insect and Spider Identification: CLOSED: I think this Bombus terrestris is infected with parasites.., 0 by wallaby1

wallaby1 wrote:
You're lucky not to have had frost, but where I am seems to always get about 4C lower than forecast for some reason. My Fatsia is semi-frozen, lol, some small lower sprays might be OK and are still not open, some are just pusing up their buds. If we don't get more frost for a few weeks they should flower, nights now are around 8C, today was 12C with sun! After getting 5-7C for several days with dark skies and drizzle, and some rain it feels like summer! Oh yes, we did have that temperature in July!

My thoughts of getting some sun were because when it is shining it will maybe help, as it would outside, to give the bee some sort of feeling it was in a natural surrounding. I also think if they don't go very far down in the ground, perhaps just under moss, it would warm them. When the time comes to re-awaken from it's hibernation it might be necessary to get sun and good light too.

It's a good job we have Hellebores and other early flowers for them! My early pic was when it landed on the window sill, and being black against white the camera doesn't respond well. I know it had an orange band near it's head but it doesn't show, this one has a very orange tail. The other has a nearly white tail, the continental version maybe which has been used in greenhouse pollination here but they escape, lol, I have many versions of this bee.