When you think of hibernators, you may think of the typical examples: bears, groundhogs, and bats. It’s not as well-known that queen bumble bees exert a process similar to these hibernators as well! These queens are absolutely essential for the continuation of the colony. Each winter, the new queen will find a spot for shelter to escape the harsh, cold, and nutrient-deficient environment. These spots could be piles of leaf litter, under bushes, or in old burrows.
After finding a good spot for the winter, they enter a hibernation-like state called ‘diapause’. In this state, the queens experience a reduced metabolic state of 5% their active rate. The bumble bee utilizes her fat stores from previously foraged pollen and nectar to survive until spring.
Once the temperatures begin to warm, the queen emerges from her burrow to begin looking for floral resources. This is why movements like “No Mow May” and “Leave the Leaves” are so important. The queens (and other pollinators) need to find a proper spot to diapause, and will need all the resources they can get when they awake. The very first bumble bees between April-May will primarily be queens! They will be huge, fuzzy, and speedy.
The queen begins to search for a nest to lay her eggs that she’s been holding onto throughout winter. The queen forages by herself while the eggs hatch into larvae, turn into pupae, and then become worker-bees. All worker bees are females and smaller than the queen. These worker bees will go out and take over foraging for the colony, while the queen lays and incubates eggs.
After a very busy summer, the queen will focus solely on producing new queens, and male “drone” bumble bees begin to appear. The males serve as a means of reproduction. A fun fact about the male bees– they do not have stingers and therefore cannot sting you! But still err on the side of caution when coming into close contact with bumble bees– the queens and females can and will sting if threatened.
Only the new, fall queens that have mated with males from other colonies will survive the winter. The lone queen must overwinter without her colony. This is where the cycle repeats. It is incredibly important for these queen bees to find somewhere to spend winter, and floral resources to be available once winter is over.