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We have a bumble bee in our garden. It can’t fly and it doesn’t have a stinger. It’s very large but very lovely. And has come to us the last few days. We don’t know what to do to help it.
Apologies for my late reply, I had some medical work yesterday. If your bee is still with you in your garden, is it not flying because there is some visible damage to its wings (or are the wings missing)? Or is it 'bumbling about' on the ground, walking here and there, and just not using its wings to fly? If you can send me a close-up photo of your bee in focus, that may help me to help you!
I rescued a bee from my pool yesterday and gave her some sugar water and let her dry off in a box overnight with some leaves and lavender. I’ve come down this morning and she seems a lot worse. She’s struggling to move and seems very weak, I’m not too sure how to help her. I’m also worried that I accidentally got sugar water on her yesterday and now she is sticky from it, I’m unsure if I am able to help her.
Owing to the time difference, I fear my reply may be too late, but I would definitely move her out into the sun (or if there's no sun, then somewhere warm) to see if she perks up. Often in bees, their weak and struggling behavior stems from being too cold. A bee that's not completely dry will also take longer to recover even in the direct warmth of the sun (remaining sluggish for some hours). If she did get any sugar-water on herself, her instinct will be to clean herself off (although if the sugar water dried on her wings, sticking them together, then a little drop of cooler-than-lukewarm water can help loosen the hold of the sugar-water on her wings so that she can finish cleaning them). Depending on how long she was in your pool, she may also sadly have taken on too much water during that time too (bees breathe through little openings along their sides, and so being immersed in water is very dangerous for them). I wish you and your bee well, I hope you had some sun and she was able to recover.
Hi. Found a bee on a wall. Thought it was resting. Still there next morning. Gave it sugar water. It was drinking it, crawling around. Today proboscus is out constantly. Bee is on back, appears to be dying. Anything I can do?
I'm sorry to hear that, and you're right that being on his or her back with their proboscis sticking out is typically one of the last things bees do before dying. Other than keeping your bee from being torn apart alive by ants in their last moments, I don't think sadly that there's anything to be done. Has it been cold there lately, and was there any sunlight or warmth to be had on the wall? If it was warm on the wall, then there must have been something else wrong with the bee already, such as being near the end of their life, or perhaps internal parasites or even some kind of exposure to pesticides. One way to guess at the approximate age of a bee is to look at their wing edges; if these are tattered and uneven, then it's an older bee more likely nearing the end of their lives.
Hey Elise, I often save bees that are drowning in the river where I go to have lunch during work every day. I normally get the bee out and leave them on a bit of wood in the sunlight to warm up. The sunlight will bring back bees that even look dead, but I notice sometimes they develop weird behaviours, like twitching or walking in a circle. I then feel bad and wonder if I'm torturing them instead of helping them! It's also difficult to have glucose or sugar on hand for them so generally I have no food for them. I try to give a source of shade if they start wondering around weirdly, but have I actually made their lives worse or better? Can they still recover if I give them shade soon enough?
Warmth and sunlight definitely revives bees well, and it's kind of you to be saving bees often from drowning in the nearby river! If there are bee-friendly flowers nearby (especially ones in the sunlight), you could try moving them gently onto the flowers too, in case they need nectar. Shade isn't typically helpful for bees, especially for bees that have recently been in water (it takes awhile for bees to dry out fully, and that's best done in direct sunlight). In terms of the weird behaviors such as twitching or walking in a circle, that's not a likely result of being immersed in water, but instead most often a sign of acute pesticide poisoning. Not that I'm trying to jump to that conclusion (I'd rather not!), but those behaviors are indicative of it (I've seen them myself, sadly, as well as read of them documented). There's unfortunately nothing one can do to help bees in such a case, much as I wish there were! A bee behaving in this fashion has more wrong with it than simply having fallen in the water, though they may have fallen in the water owing to being disoriented from whatever is also causing their behavioral symptoms.
I found a big bee fallen over on the sidewalk who seemed to be struggling so I moved her over and gave her some sugar water. She’s definitely perked up but she still hasn’t flown away and she’s seemed uninterested in the flowers I’ve placed her on so far. It looks like one of her wings is damaged but I might just be anxious. Could I send you a picture of her and you could tell me if I need to take her inside?
We had lots of bees out pollinating and then the weather went cold, that is when i cared for a few bees recently first a bumble bee that I did not think would come back, but it did, then shortly after another bumble. I see them hanging out together now! But I have seen no others. I brought back a honey be that i did not think would come back, but it did! Have not seet it around. Here is the thing, I have lots of flowers to pollinate, but there are no bees. I am very, very concerned with their absence! Is there hope? It is warmer now but still no bees. Well there is one other single bee that is making a little mud nest in a stone wall. (Working very hard) but very much alone. So dar anyway. Any thing positive that you could share? Thanks
That's very kind of you to rescue the bees you've been finding! Hopefully continued warmer weather will bring back more bees. It's concerning for sure, and there are a number of reasons for fewer bees, but it really depends on the location what those reasons may be. Weather extremes aren't helping for sure! I'm actually in the same position as you, but here on the other side of the U.S. I saw a good number of bees earlier this spring when we had unusually hot weather, followed by a steep drop-off after a cold snap, to the point now where there's plenty blooming and it's warming up, but I'm just seeing very few bees still. There are few people in my rural area, and no pesticide use that I know of, so it feels kind of surreal. I do think some bees are waiting for a longer burst of warm weather though, or at least I do hope so! I'd be interested to know if you see more bees after a brief period without them, do let me know. Is your location more rural or urban?
I noticed a bee hanging by a window and not moving much earlier but I had to leave however when I came back a few hours later, it was still there. I ended up bringing it inside and giving it some sugar water and greenery and put it in some sort of bug catcher thing. About 20 minutes later, it started moving and flying around again. I found your page and realized it was a honey bee and I should let it out so it can go back to its hive but when I tried to, it wasn't going. Should I just keep it inside overnight or somewhere else? Btw I'm guessing it wasn't moving because it was a bit cold and rainy all day.
You can keep her overnight, I've done that with honey bees before when it's clear they're just not going to fly off. It's safer to shelter her (in some kind of ventilated container in a cool sheltered location like a garage, shed, or similar). If she were outdoors on her own, ideally she'd shelter somewhere out of the rain, though sometimes bees don't have the energy to get somewhere safe before they're too cold or wet. Hopefully tomorrow will be warmer! Once she warms up in the sun, I bet she'll be on her way again quickly.
I found a bee thats missing a couple legs and very sluggish. I've given her flowers, a bit of honey water and set her on a plate outside but I'm not sure if theres anything else I can do. She doesn't seem to be improving. Is she just reaching the end of her lifespan? Or is her leg situation the issue? Should I just let her be or is there something else I can do?
The bee flew off! I guess she just needed the flowers and a little time to herself. I also read what you said about using sugar water instead of honey water, I'll make sure to remember that for future reference. Thanks!
Good to hear she flew off! She sounded as though she was just cold and out of energy (as for her legs, bees can lose a couple and still be able to forage and live their life relatively normally).
Following your advice, I've just rescued a starving bee who had flown into our house and was hardly moving. Fed her sugar solution until she said "Thanks, but that'll do" and then watched as she walked around with increasing confidence. Seeing her take of in the sunshine moved me to tears.
The Jura bees produce much of the honey sold in the area, so I like to think that one day I'll put a minute quantity of her honey on my Breakfast toast!
What’s my best course of action for a cold beer that will not drink the sugar water (it keeps turning away from the solution) and just standing still for what’s now been 30 minutes
My reply is going to be too late I think (owing to the time difference), but one trick is to touch a tiny drop of sugar-water to one of their antennae. Another trick is instead to put one or two drops of sugar-water into the center of a bee-friendly cut flower near the bee (dandelions work easily for this). There is always the possibility that the bee doesn't feel hungry either, and is instead simply cold (in which case, moving them somewhere warmer, ideally into bright sunlight, can help to get them buzzing again).
It's better to use sugar-water, owing to the possibility of bee pathogens being transmitted (honey bees and bumble bees do have susceptibility to some shared pathogens), but it's not a certainty that the bumble bee will pick anything up from the honey, and in a pinch, it's definitely better than nothing. If there are bee-friendly flowers nearby, those would be even better than sugar-water (since they offer essential amino acids and other micronutrients that bees need).
I think I accidentally dislodged a queen bee from hibernation by pulling a few weeds in the garden. I found her on the ground, not moving, around 6:00 p.m. and brought her inside to warm her up and gave her some sugar water. Obviously, I did that before I found your article. It's midnight and she is still struggling. I just put her to bed for the night and will return her to an outside burrow tomorrow. Please advise in the meantime. Thank you!
I just read further and understand it's best to keep her in a similar temperature to the outdoors to keep her in torpor. There's frost tonight but I can put her in the garage. Is that the best action?
So sorry I missed your messages last night (I was asleep). I assume your bee spent the night in the garage? I'm not sure of the weather forecast for your particular locale within your state, but generally for your state the weather looks warm and spring-like, so if that's the case, there's no need to put her back in the ground. She may be groggy for a little while (all queen bumbles tend to be a little groggy for the first day or two after emerging from hibernation). But now that she's been warmed up and fed, and assuming your weather is heading into some kind of spring-like state, she should be just fine if placed outdoors in direct sunlight this morning. She should soak up the rays for a little while and then fly off. Another thought: possibly she may not have been in hibernation, it may be that you dislodged an already emerged bumble bee (since it's kind of late seasonally, bumble queens usually emerge in early spring). She may have been scouting for a nest site, or perhaps just out and about in cooler weather and ended up cold on the ground. Either way, she'll likely perk up with warm sunlight and bee on her way this morning!
We found a bumblebee on our porch that was not moving and so we moved it to a place where it wouldn’t get stepped on. It’s been a cold, windy day and about three hours later the bee was still in the same spot we left it. It does seem to be moving as it will cling to a stick and walks a little but will not fly. We also gave it some sugar water but it does not seem to want it. What is the best way to help it?
Your bee sounds too cold to fly (and she probably isn't hungry, owing to not using much energy while being too cold to fly or even move much at all). Tomorrow looks like a warmer day there with some sun, so if you move your bee into the sun tomorrow morning, I think that she should quickly recover. Tonight I would make sure your bee is in some safe and sheltered spot (thankfully it won't get as cold tonight, so you probably don't need to bring your bee in).
I found a honeybee worker on the concrete an hour or two ago. I picked her up and eventually got her to my room, and she’s rearing to go, but… there’s going to be a freeze watch tonight and temperatures are dropping, and it is windy. Should I keep her overnight? Or take my chances and let her go find her hive?
If she’s rearing to go (buzzing) and bring a honey bee, I’d let her take her chances as she’ll really want to get back! Just make sure to release her in the same spot, and watch to see that she does indeed have the energy to fly off. If she doesn’t fly off, I’d put her in an enclosure in a safe cool spot for the night, then release her once it’s warmer again. Your weather looks rough by honey bee standards, but so long as she’s warmed up enough to fly, she should make it back to her hive where she’ll be warm again.
What is the best way to save a bee from a pool? I’ve tried to gently with the edge of a pool net, but sometimes it makes them go under more and I’m trying to find the safest way to rescue them. Is there anything I can have floating in my pool they can get on?
Just to add, I've often used a leaf to rescue them too, as one can typically find a stiff leaf that works as a small scoop. But it's still difficult when they're flailing about, and so encouraging them to another (safer) water source has always been my goal!
I could see how the action of a pool net might pull a bee under, but maybe if it's slid in slowly and carefully not too close to them, and then moved under them and upwards it might work? In terms of floating things, there'd have to be kind of a number of floating things to help, because once they're stuck in the water, bees are fighting for their lives, and often can't propel themselves in a purposeful direction, even when safety is close. Though if they happen to have fallen in near something floating, then that'd certainly help them. Another thing to try might be to put a shallow dish or plant saucer filled with fresh water and pebbles near the pool, so as to try to encourage them to drink in a safer place when they're thirsty (also for honeybees looking for water to bring back to their hive for evaporative air-conditioning, which they do by having a row of bees fanning the droplets of water in front of the entrance to the hive).
When filling my bird feeders I found this bumble curled up at base of oak tree. I picked her up and placed her in a little cage. For an hour she would crawl and flop to one side. I used QTip for sugar water, a shallow dish for water, dandelions and a carnation. She’s moving much more, not yet quite flying. It is only 45 degrees here today, lows in 30’s. It will be like this for next 4 days and nights. Should I wait until cold snap is over to release her? Fascinating little bumble❤️
Yes, I would keep her safe over the next four days and nights, until the cold snap is over. Do make sure to keep her at similar temperatures to the outdoors, except protected from frost (and predators). Keeping her at a temperature approximating the chilly outdoors helps encourage her to stay in her energy-conserving state of torpor, as she would naturally outdoors (typically bees try to take shelter, rather than ending up exposed on the ground as you found her). Once it's warmer again, put her back near where you found her, ideally in a spot bathed in direct sunlight. Once she's warm, she'll be able to fly again!
Wa I seem to be was okay when it got where it was but now she just buzzes around or he and doesn't seem to have enough strength to play off they're a little bees wings are buzzing and they seem to be fully attacked but the beach just doesn't seem to have the strength it is the second morning please help me I want my little bee to be okay I found another way my ex husband's bedroom and I kept him overnight I had a jelly donut and I had put it in the box when I was coming into my front little door and then when I place the Box on the counter I had just put the donut in there to hold on to it with the bee box anyway the B had already come across the box and was on that donut and ate off of the raspberry jam about 5 or 6 times through the night pretty soon I heard buzzing and the next morning The View was plenty strong to fly away when I first found the bee he was barely moving after a few feedings on that jelly and the jelly donut those little guy was rearing to go he knew right where he was going when I opened his little container but this bee doesn't seem to be doing very well please help me help this little bee.
Warmth is usually the key when a bee is fed and buzzing but still not flying off. Hopefully you have some sunny weather today? Placing your bee in full sunlight outdoors may well revive them fully.
I rescued a bumblebee worker bee last night around 4 am, so about 22 hours ago now. I’m in USA, eastern Pennsylvania and the nights have been unseasonably cold—down into the high 30s and low 40s F.
The bee was lying on my backyard deck cold and wet and looked dead when I found it. It rained last night. It was about 40 degrees at the time. I carefully brought it into my garage and put it on a piece of cardboard and gave it white sugar water on the cardboard next to it. It was hardly moving last night, just the legs a little bit. It’s moving around a bit more today but still not flying. It turned around on the cardboard though.
I gave it plain water on a Q-Tip and more sugar water today. It buzzed at me a little bit but doesn’t move around much. It’s still in my warm garage in a box on a paper towel. I have it another Q-Tip to sit on too. I know worker bees only live about two weeks. We’re still getting cold overnight here so I didn’t want to put it outside. I thought by now it would have either died or been able to fly. The wings don’t look damaged but it’s not opening them. What should I do with the bee? Will it recover?
My garage has windows so it gets light during the day. I read it was important to mimic day and night light and dark for them.
I hope I'm looking at the right weather forecast, if so it looks as though you may have a nice sunny day today? I think your bee just needs to be warmer and fully dried off before being able to fly. If you do have sun, I'd put her in direct sunlight today outdoors near where you found her. Hopefully she'll fly off once she's well-warmed, and be able to get back to her colony for the night.
I now have two queen bees that I have been helping over the last 7 days. They have perked up due to nice weather but do not fly away. They are on my covered deck. But it got very cold this morning and I noticed them both on the ground. They are not dead and I placed them on a solid surface. I gave them sugar water and want to k ow if I can use a table lamp to help warm them up? I have nothing to put them I. To bring them inside. They are safe from predators on my deck.
That's kind of you to have been helping them! To answer your question, I don't think I would use a table lamp to help warm them up. If it's cold right now weather-wise, any warmth would only be very temporary, and then they'd be cold and stuck again. Right now, it sounds like they're both naturally in a state of torpor, where they move very little and thus need very little energy. That's an expected state for a queen bumble bee to be in at this time of year. So long as they're safe from predators and in a spot where the sun hits once your weather warms, they'll be fine biding their time.
We were painting our sunroom and I moved the plants outside while painting. A day after moving them back inside, I found this bee on the floor and moved her back outside in another flower pot. A day after that I found her on the walking path beside the flower pot not moving. I used a leaf and moved her to a spot she wouldn’t get stepped on and noticed that she was still there a few hours later. Then I googled and came across your page. It’s been cold and wet here the last few days so I moved her inside in a well ventilated box. I used your page to confirm she is a bumble bee queen. She’s now been with me for two days and I haven’t seen her drink any of the sugar water that I’ve left in her box during the day. She did walk through it the first day but it didn’t seem intentional to me. I’m concerned and wondering if there’s something else I can do to help her. I have her by a window that is slightly cracked to get some of the outside air in and lower the temp for her. She also gets good light there during the day. I just have a few flower petals that fell from a tree around where she was likely hanging out before taking a ride on my potted plant. Today I heard her buzzing and went to check and I realized that her wings might be stuck together. I gently used a tiny pin and helped her get them apart. They may have been stuck together from the sugar water that she walked through. She then spread them out and seemed to go back into her lethargic sleep state, likely used all her energy buzzing trying to open them. I know I’m not supposed to force her to drink (how would one even do that) but I just don’t know what will help. Any advice is welcome!
Kind of you to bee taking care of her! One trick I've found for helping encourage bees to drink sugar-water is to put a few tiny drops of sugar-water on the center of a bee-friendly cut flower in their enclosure. Sometimes the presence of the flower is enough to encourage them to drink. Another trick is gently to touch one of the tips of her antennae with a drop of sugar-water, though this isn't as reliable (and can seem a little intrusive to a bee)! She may also not feel a need to drink when she's cold, since she won't be using much energy in her lethargic state (though certainly the buzzing will have taken a little energy). It's good that her wings are freely opening again. Looking at the forecast for your general area, it looks as though tomorrow may be sunny (if cold)? If so, I'd try placing her outdoors in direct sunlight tomorrow to see how she responds to that. Your nighttime temperatures look just above freezing until it warms up a bit later in the week, but so long as she takes shelter at night (which she should naturally do, so long as she has energy to find a good spot), then she should be able to transition outdoors again soon. Queen bumble bees are relatively well-adapted to the shifting temperatures and conditions of early spring, but they can also end up exposed to the elements (and predators) on sidewalks, paths, and such. I'd keep a close eye on her when you try moving her outdoors. Assuming I'm looking at the right forecast for your specific area, the weekend looks pretty good in terms of warmth, if she stays with you until then. So long as she's cool and relatively inactive, she won't need much energy until it's warm again. I would still try to see how she does outdoors tomorrow though, as temperatures close to 55°F (especially with sunlight) are often sufficient for them to do some foraging and begin scouting for a good nest site for their summer colony. Did she happen to have any pollen on her back legs? I ask because if not, she probably has not yet chosen a site in which to begin her colony, but is instead still in the phase of early spring foraging after emerging from her winter hibernation. If she does have pollen, then make sure to release her very close to where you found her, so that she can get home easily!
Hi, i found a bumble bee yesterday. It can't fly, although there is no obvious damage to the wings. It has the lower part of a front leg missing and some fur missing from the back end. I offered sugar water and lifted it into some flowers. It walks around a lot and keeps going into the road. I think it's trying to get home. I keep bringing it back to the flowers but now it's raining heavily and the bee is clinging to the branch and not moving. I thought it had died but then i read about them going into a freeze state to survive the weather. Should I leave it out overnight or bring it inside? It's 7pm and will be dark in a couple of hours. Thank you for your helpful website.
If your bee's wings aren't damaged, but if it's cold, then the most likely reason for walking rather than flying is simply that your bee isn't warmed up well enough to fly yet. Also the wetter they are, the less able they are to fly. Naturally in such weather, bumbles usually take shelter under flower petals or other places where they can stay a little more dry and a little safer from predators (since a cold bee is fairly defenseless, owing to being cold-blooded; in a state of torpor when they're cold, they're unable to move much). I would say that it kind of depends on your bee what to do, and also whether you have a sheltered spot for her where she'll still be cool (similar to outdoor temperatures but frost-free). Your bee should be alright outdoors so long as she seeks shelter, but if she continues to head for the road, then she might be better taken into an enclosure somewhere safe and cool, such as an unheated room or shed or garage or similar, and then released in the same spot again once weather conditions are more favorable. At least there are flowers about now for her! She will probably be safer if you shelter her, especially with heavy rain (occasionally bees can fall to the ground from where they're clinging, though they usually cling on well).
Hi, I accidentally hit a bee when it came to my room as I was just waking up and got super scared and hit it :( i went back to sleep and realized once I fully woke up it was a bee and it was still alive laying on my floor :( now I’m giving it water with sugar and with it on the sun. It seems it can’t fully drink tho and it’s laying with its head at the bottom. I’m super worried it won’t recover, should I give it more water with sugar or mix more sugar perhaps?
I'm sorry to hear that, it can be hard when half-asleep to differentiate friend from foe. It'd help me a great deal in this case if you could email me a few close-up pics of your bee if possible, if he or she is still not recovering (I just got back, so I'll keep an eye on my email for your reply). I do hope we can get your bee buzzing again!
I've tried to find as much info as possible from your previous FAQs but I still have some questions about my situation. I found a bee today not moving on the concrete outside. I used the Bumblebee Conservation Trust species guide link you posted in answer to Eleanor last week and think she is a queen buff-tailed bumble bee. I gave her sugar water and placed her in a small box filled with cut dandelions and followed your advice about cold bees (brought her inside to warm up then moved her to cooler area inside to mimic outside temp). She seemed reluctant to move or drink but an hour or so later I saw her move a little. There are early spring flowers outside but my concern is about putting her outside while the weather is cold. (I can share a link to an accurate forecast but rather the location not be publicised for privacy reasons). It'll be close to freezing at night and not much above 10°C in the day for at least a week. I'm going off the 'feels like' temp rather than actual temp - is this right? I will keep her inside for as long as she needs but the cut flowers will die and I don't know what to provide. If you think I should keep her inside for more than a few days, please kindly advise what I should set up for her (specific plants/layout tips/fresh water with pebbles) and anything I need to check/refresh and how often plus signs that she's ready to go back outside. I'm very nervous of worsening her situation by not giving her what she needs whenever she needs it. I'm so worried about her. Thank you for your time and advice to try and help save this precious little bee.
Ending up unmoving on concrete certainly isn't good for a queen bumble bee! It's good you came along 🐝💛 If she doesn't have pollen on her hind legs, she can be released wherever you feel she'd do best (compared to near where you found her). She'll actually be alright outdoors if your weather is in the range of close to (but above) freezing through 10°C (in terms of 'feels like' temperature). Those are definitely temperatures for which she's evolved, emerging as queen bumbles do in early spring when the weather is unpredictable. At this time of year, queens often walk rather than fly if it's cold, so it's important that she be released near easily accessible flowers, ideally somewhere that she's bathed in sunlight when there is sun. Sometimes, when it's cold for days at a time, bees simply go into a state of torpor where they don't need much energy and can instead wait out the weather. So release her somewhere that also offers a place to hide and stay warmer than she would if exposed (such as under dead fallen leaves, twigs or logs, or even sometimes within flowers). Hopefully she has a little sugar-water mix before she leaves you too, or else hopefully you can put her out on some bee-friendly flowers in direct sunlight (it looks like your general area has some nice, warm and sunny days coming up)? By the way, dandelions are good for nectar but don't offer protein-rich pollen, so she'll be searching for other flowers at this time of year (here the early spring bulbs have already come and gone, but the orchard trees are in blossom, which are such bee favorites).
The children and teachers at Quince Tree Day Nursery in South Ockendon,Essex have made this picture as part of their new campaign “Save The Bees” we are hoping our picture will encourage people to plant more seeds so that we can save Bees.We were wondering if you would be able to share our picture so we can get the message across 😊
I found a queen bee on a cold pavement which was curled round and still, until I tried lifting it with a leaf. It moved its legs, so I took it home 4 days ago and have been giving it sugar and water (1:1 ratio) but it’s just walking and not trying to fly. I bought a tray of primroses to try to encourage her to feed, but she just climbed over them. Am I doing the wrong thinking trying to feed her if she’s not improving. I have kept my heating on overnight to keep her warm at all times, as it is extremely cold in Scotland at this time of the year. She did flap her wings for seconds once but that’s all. Can you give me some advice on what I should do now. Thank you, Eleanor x
Do you have any weather coming up that's closer to 10°C? Are your nighttime temperatures above freezing? Are there early flowers about yet outdoors, such as early spring bulbs? You're not wrong in helping her or trying to feed her, but the key to her improvement will be much warmer weather and sunshine. In the meantime, she'll just be in a state of waiting out the weather, which queen bumbles often do after emerging from their winter hibernation into unpredictable early spring weather. Since queen bumbles are so large, they often walk rather than flying when they're cold. One thing I wouldn't do is leave the heating on in her area too much overnight, as it's better to mirror outdoor temperatures (just without the danger of a heavy freeze). That way your bee stays more in sync with natural seasonal conditions, and doesn't expend unnecessary energy thinking that it's almost warm enough to be on their way. You can keep her (for several weeks, if necessary) until temperatures outdoors warm up closer to 10°C. As far as primroses go, they are good early nectar sources for bumble bees, but some bumble bees tongue lengths aren't sufficient to access the nectar (it depends on the species). So that may be the reason she's not fed on them. You may be able to determine her species with the UK guide here: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/learn-about-bumblebees/species-guide/
Have you tried offering a sugar-water solution? I have written up a number of tips on my page at https://savebees.org/1st-aid if you click one of the purple buttons such as "Bee is struggling, not moving, or not flying away…" or "It’s cold, raining, or the sun has almost set…" I realize it's late where you are, so I think either place your bumble bee somewhere sheltered outdoors overnight, or bring your bee indoors into a cool room inside a ventilated enclosure with some natural objects such as sticks, leaves, and such (cut flowers work too, but they don't hold their nectar for too long after cutting). Make sure that the sugar-water solution isn't too much that your bee might fall into it (you can place a piece of paper towel in to help). In the morning move your bee into direct sunshine (if it's sunny) to help them recover, and if there are bee-friendly flowers nearby (especially ones in the sunlight), try moving your bee onto one. It may take several hours for your bee to warm up sufficiently to be more lively once more and able to fly again!
I found a beautiful golden carpenter bee buzzing and struggling along on the concrete patio today. I tried to take it to a citrus flower and it wouldn’t hang on kept falling down. It was struggling along on the ground not seemingly doing well. So I looked up wish I could do and got a tiny shallow dish with a few citrus flowers and a stick along with 50/50 sugar water. It drank but after wasn’t moving much at all for a long while. I finally checked it before sun down and it had climb up towards the edge of the little dish and seems to be hanging on with its front legs hanging over. I left the little dish in a shady safe spot. Going to ck it by morning but is there anything else I should do?
Make sure that your bee can’t accidentally fall into the sugar-water solution in the dish. As night approaches and bees get colder, they can become clumsier (and being cold probably explains your bee not hanging onto the citrus flower). Your bee probably won’t drink more until morning, once it starts warming up again. With your warm weather there, I don’t think you need do anything else. If it’s shady in the spot in the morning, you might consider moving your bee into a sunny spot so as to warm up faster. If you’re around to observe it, your bee should begin grooming as it warms up, which can take up to a few hours depending on how warm the bee gets in that spot.
I've just had the biggest bee I've ever seen in my 50 years fly through an upstairs window, I thought it may just be a queen (my eyesight is not good) but got close and it's at least 5-6 cm long and 3-4 wide, predominantly black, is this still a queen? It sounds like a B52 bomber and I'm scared to go closer, she is stuck on the windowsill, I want to help but there are no grassy spots nearby, and I'm concerned if she's not a queen, what is this?!
Queen bumble bees are occasionally reported as having such exceptional sizes, but this is still very large by bee standards! Do you happen to have a photo, ideally one somewhat close-up? Hopefully you can get whatever your insect is away from the windowsill (perhaps with a wide-mouthed glass over her and a piece of card slid underneath)?
I’ve taken in a bit that was cold and it was near night and rainy and going to be -2 and now I have it in a show box. How do feed it and I don’t have any flowers for it to eat worried it starves ?
I would mix up some sugar-water for your bee with granulated cane sugar or refined white sugar crystals (never brown sugar or honey). A 1:1 mix (50%-50%) is appropriate, and this can be achieved by stirring the sugar rapidly in room temperature drinking water (lukewarm is fine, but not boiled as over-heating may create bee-toxic compounds). Ensure that your bee cannot fall into the solution, by either offering just a few drops in front of your bee, or by placing a small piece of paper towel in the solution (which they can feed on if soaked in the sugar-water solution). There are more details on my 1st Aid page if you click "Bee is struggling, not moving, or not flying away", including short videos that show a bee's tongue extended so that you can verify they're drinking!
If you visit my 1st Aid page and click the button "It's cold, raining, or the sun has almost set", there's quite a bit of advice I've compiled there. If you don't wish to house your bee, you could try moving it gently to a sheltered location overnight too.
First warm spring-ish day in my area after a heavy snow winter. There are no flowers yet and the ground is still covered in snow. I came home and found a Common Eastern on the floor of my kitchen not moving. I have no idea how.
She fought the paper towel when I touched her. I placed her in a container with a sugar water cotton ball. Then made a small den with a stapled TP tube and some straw. She wasn’t interested in either. She’s now trying to escape the container. I put the container near my cracked slider door for now.
Forecast shows next 2 days warm and in the 60’s, then back down again with intermittent rain for 8 days. Advice?
She's particularly large is my guess? Given the time of year and your description of the weather, she's most likely a young queen common eastern bumble bee freshly emerged from her winter hibernation. She'll benefit greatly from the warmth in the next couple of days, but only if there are some flowers too, as she'll need to replenish her energy (the sugar-water soaked cotton ball will definitely help tide her over). She may simply have emerged too early, though they do emerge early and often wait out rain and even snow, sheltering somewhere in the meantime. But typically they time their emergence to coincide with early flowers. It's good that you've given her some shelter for tonight, even if she's not keen on it! Do you happen to know of any place nearby that you could take her where there are some early flowers? Or perhaps there'll be some early spring flowers there soon, such as bulbs that flower even in snow (crocuses come to mind, among other early flowering plants depending on your area). So long as she has no pollen on her legs, and assuming she's fairly large (and thus a young queen rather than a smaller worker), you're free to transport her anywhere that might be more favorable. She's well adapted for the early springtime weather there, but flowers are a necessity for her, even if they're a little scarce and only open intermittently in the sun.
It’s hard to judge her size without agitating her. She seems to be about 3/4”. Her bum seems not as plump as I’m used to seeing- but I don’t know bees very well.
There is still about 8-10” of snow outside. I do have a few crocuses that bloom in my yard but everything is buried. I have not noticed flowers anywhere yet. I imagine there will be plenty in about 2 weeks.
My options seem to be:
1. Keep her cold tonight (maybe by a cracked window) and bring her to my rotting woodpile or leaf-exposed hillside by the woods.
2. Keep her in a container (inside the TP tube with a wet paper towel for humidity) in the refrigerator for 2 weeks until I see flowers.
3. Warm her up and try to encourage her to eat the sugar water, then bring her outside in the warmth tomorrow.
To return to these thoughts, I'm not sure if refrigeration has been tried for returning a bumble bee temporarily to hibernation, but it seems comparable to keeping her in a chilly but frost-free environment until there are flowers for her (and bee scientists do often refrigerate bees temporarily). She will enter a state of torpor when she's cold (whether outdoors in the cold, or in the fridge). One problem with putting her out in the woodpile or on the hillside today or tomorrow is that it'll be unusually warm, so she'll inevitably begin searching for flowers and burning up her energy (a flying bumble bee is only ever about 45 minutes away from starvation, since it takes so much energy to fly). So I think keeping her in the fridge for a couple of days might be a good idea. If you then decide to put her outdoors after this warm spell is over, find a spot that's sheltered from rain, snow, and frost. When they hibernate they often choose north-facing spots so that they aren't awoken too early from hibernation, so that might be a good idea too. If you can encourage her to drink some sugar-water mix first, I think that would be good too. If you decide to continue refrigeration for a couple of weeks, I'd ensure that the temperature is around 38-40°F for her, rather than closer to freezing. The humidity should be fairly high (60-70%), so the wet paper towel will need checking on from time to time to ensure it's still wet.
I lean towards (1) or (2), though either way and especially if (1), I’d try to ensure she first drinks a little sugar water tomorrow, as her energy reserves are likely quite low (which might also be a reason for her early emergence). I’d be cautious about the fridge, but it could definitely work, bees can be safely refrigerated so long as there’s also some moisture. I’ll get back to you with further thoughts in the morning. I’m sure (3) would seem to work for her, right up until she exhausted her energy searching for flowers that aren’t yet in sight under that much snow,
So I just walk outside and go to this little lake that I have in my backyard, and I see this BEE in there!!! I scoop her out with a leaf and then I gave it sugar water. after that, I put it in a container that is specified for bugs, but here’s the thing, it has a freaking rocky landscape so my B cannot find anywhere to lay! I don’t know what the heck to do! Help me!
Also, my dad told me I can’t bring it inside, there are no flowers, and everything is DEAD! Idk what to do, AGAIN! So many problems I have with this bee I’m trying to take of! Taking care of bees is a really, really hard thing to do! I’ve only taken care of two bees in my past life, and let me tell you, I did not know this page was a thing. So I just left it overnight on a table sitting somewhere and then it sadly died. The two of them. But this time I’m actually doing proper care and it turned out to be way harder than I expected. I don’t know really what to do, AGAIN!!! by the way I named the bee I’m taking care of, Lila! So yeah! I have a lot of problems and I’ve actually had a little bit of fun doing this! But I still don’t know where to put this bee overnight!
I'm happy to hear Lila's alive thanks to you! What's your weather forecast tonight/tomorrow, is there a safe place outdoors that's sheltered, somewhere without rain or ants, where you can leave her container overnight? I'd suggest putting some things in there that she can clamber on tonight too, like little rocks or sticks or dead leaves or similar. If she's a honey bee worker, hopefully tomorrow it'll be warm enough to release her near where you found her?
Hi Elise, yesterday I found a bumblebee walking around on my driveway and she was covered in some type of sticky substance (we think it was tree sap). I brought her inside and spent a couple of hours cleaning her with warm water and a very small amount of olive oil on Q-tips and eventually managed to unstick her leg and wings from her abdomen and remove the layer of sticky stuff from the top of her wings too. I left her inside for a while to rest and dry as it was quite cold and very cloudy. It took a while for her to unfold her wings but she did eventually try to fly and was very active moving around but couldn’t fly. I’ve kept her in overnight in a tank with some water, sugar water and some foliage, moving her into a slightly cooler part of the house for the night per your advice to another person. Now this morning she’s quite active but still cannot fly and won’t drink water or sugar water. I’m reluctant to release her until she can fly and don’t mind looking after her untill she is able to. I just wanted to know if there’s anything else I could do to help her and give her a better chance?
Some extra information: I believe she is an Early Bumblebee, due to her markings and colour. She could be a queen as she’s quite large and had no pollen on her. I live in a rural area right by a woodland so the environment is very good for bees.
That's so kind of you to spend all that time cleaning your bee! I'd imagine that at this time of year, especially being quite large and without pollen on her, she's almost certainly a young queen bumble bee who has recently emerged from her winter hibernation. If she's active and able to move her wings, she may well be able to fly even without demonstrating it, but I share your concern after what she went through with regards to the sticky substance. Being so large, queen bumble bees do often choose to walk rather than fly though, since getting off the ground takes a fair bit of energy for them. And they do also buzz their wings and even attempt to fly without success, when they're a little too cold still. Only once they're very well warmed up do they usually succeed in flying, and a perfectly healthy bumble bee queen may try to fly and yet repeatedly fall if she's too cold. So her attempts to fly may simply be owing to this, rather than any further problems with her wings (it's a good sign that she's able to unfold her wings). She probably is eager to be out again in order to begin her new life (which begins with her finding a good location in the ground, often an abandoned mouse burrow, in which to establish her new colony for the year). Do you have any sunny weather soon? If she sits in direct sunlight absorbing the warmth for awhile, she will most likely try to fly, and hopefully succeed. You might also try (during the daytime) bringing her enclosure into a warm room to see if the warmth encourages her to begin buzzing and even gain liftoff inside her enclosure, though it's hard to mimic the warmth of direct sunlight indoors, so this isn't a foolproof test by any means. I think if she's able to buzz and try to fly, then she's probably able to fly, and simply isn't warm enough yet. Since she'll be eager to begin her life outdoors, the sooner she's able to go out, the better for her mental health and well-being. It sounds as though you've given her a second chance at life, given how covered she was in the sticky substance, so I think if her wings appear clean and she's able to use them, it's probably safe to let her try her luck outdoors again. Are there any early spring flowers nearby? I wonder if she tried to forage for sugary tree sap, not finding any flowers. In our partial woodlands here, there are tiny spring ephemerals just appearing, as well as spring bulbs flowering. Hopefully there are some early spring flowers nearby for her?
I’ve found a bee, it’s not really doing much, I’ve given it the sugar solution l, really interested yesterday not so much today, had a lot of lice/ mites around it’s neck, could this be the issue? Wings are buzzing but not taking flight?
The mites are likely not the issue, since they're typically harmless tiny mites when they're on bumble bees (the mites hitchhike on the bees in order to get to their nests, where they then eat detritus). They're quite unlike the mites on honey bees, which are harmful but which are much larger (akin to one of us having a rabbit on us). As for having less interest in the sugar-water today, she's probably not expended much energy since yesterday (compared to just after you found her, when she may well have been quite hungry). Buzzing wings without taking flight typically means the bee simply isn't warm enough yet (particularly if she's a large bumble bee who takes a lot of energy to get off the ground). Try putting her in direct sunlight or warming her up well indoors first before trying to release her.
Morning, I understand there will be a time difference between us so please answer when you can. I have come across a waterlogged Bee on the pavement this morning, it seemed very grateful to be lifted up. Ive brought it to my Office and currently have it in a small box with a tissue and some sugar water. I also have a heater blowing nearby to try and help warm it quicker. Is there anything else I should do? I suspect its gonna take several hours for it to dry out as is so wet.
Sadly my wee Bee has died. I found it at 0845 GMT and it is now 1501 GMT. There were a few times where it was drying off really well and moving about, trying to buzz but after nipping out of the Office for a break, I returned and saw it really panting and it has since sadly passed away. I feel so bad that I wasnt able to help it.
I'm so sorry to hear that (just waking up here in our timezone). Bees breathe through little openings along the sides of their bodies, and so prolonged exposure to water is a real danger to them. It does sound as though you did everything you could do. Sadly, sometimes nothing can be done, owing to the amount of water taken into their air passageways before they're found.
Im honestly so sad, it really has taken the wind out of me. I am going to take it Home none the less and get it popped into a wee box and buried appropriately. I dont know how long it was lying on the ground for, but Im glad I had it warm and dry for a few hours and it had company, rather than just being ignored on the path
I found a bee on the street in the city centre, close to my apartment but far from any plants. It was 10*c out, and quite drizzly. I took her to an indoor location in my building and gave her a bit of honey (since learned that sugar water is better - but she appreciated it at the time!). I put her on a daffodil plant and left her by an open window, but she didn't leave. Instead, over the course of a few hours, she kept moving away from the window and even fell on the carpet in the hall, so I brought her to my house as it was getting dark.
I put her in a tiny greenhouse used to house a plant, which has good ventilation. I gave her sugar water and a few curls of paper and left her overnight. She seemed quite active but one of her little antennae was a bit bent and she kept trying to climb up, up, up. Overnight I think she slept, then this morning she was trying to climb the glass again. I added some spider plant leaves and sprigs of thyme, and more sugar water in a shallower tub that she could access more easily. I believe she is having issues with one of her wings as she keeps trying to take off and buzzing, but no luck. That wing seems a bit lazier than the other, which might be the issue.
It's colder and wetter today, so I think I'll have to keep her longer, looking at the guides on your site.
How can I tell if she is able to fly? Will she fly inside the little glasshouse, or would she need more space to attempt it? It's about 15cm high.
Do you happen to know what kind of bee yours is? A large fluffy one like a bumble bee, or a thinner stripier one like a honey bee? Also, do you see any pollen on your bee's hind legs? If she's a very large bumble bee, then given the time of year, she'll be a young queen bumble bee who's emerged recently from her winter hibernation. So long as she doesn't have pollen on her hind legs, you can take her anywhere, such as out of the city centre and into an area with more flowering plants. If she's a honey bee, it's important that she not be moved far from where you found her (also if she's a bumble bee worker, she'd need to be released close to where you found her, but it's not quite as likely that she's a worker at this time of year, and she'd be on the smaller side if she was, and would probably have pollen on her hind legs). If she's a young queen bumble bee, that'd explain her problems flying even when she's able to buzz. I've seen otherwise healthy queen bumbles climbing and falling repeatedly from grass and other low-growing plants in early spring. Turns out it takes a fair bit of energy and warmth to be able to fly successfully for such big bees! I've also seen bees that seem to be holding one of their pairs of wings oddly, only to correct that once they're well warmed and fly with no problems, so I'm hoping that's the case for her. If she is a young queen bumble bee, she'll be able to tolerate lower temperatures, especially if there's some sun on her, even when it's otherwise cold. 10°C is cold, but manageable for her, though she may not be able to fly until it's closer to or above 13°C. Having observed them at this time of year at such temperatures, it's common for bumble queens to forage and shelter at night within a very small area around, say, a patch of early-flowering spring bulbs such as crocuses. By the way, depending on the variety of daffodil, it may not be a great pollinator plant, as many daffodil varieties have lost their plentiful nectar and pollen characteristics during the breeding process (though if nothing else is blooming, bees will still head for them to get what they can). All this to say: for tonight, keep her enclosure somewhere cool so that she doesn't keep trying to fly, but instead goes into her night mode to rest. Let me know what type of bee you think she is (feel free to send photos), and if you let me know your particular region I can look up the weather forecast too (which helps for predicting the most favorable timing for releasing her). Once we know what kind of bee she is (and whether she has pollen collected on her hind legs), we'll know whether she can be released in a different location (which would be ideal, given your description of the city centre).
Hi the bumblebee cannot fly i have put him of a open flower and also given him sugar water.its cold and windy here so i bought him in now.i will put him on a different open flower tomorrow. What else can i do for it. It is not a queen as does not have a white or beige tail end . How long do they live. In the conservatory he’s in a flower pot rather than on the carpet
Is your bumble bee smaller, like worker bumble bee size? I ask because it's the time of year for queen bumbles to emerge, and there are just a few species in your country that don't have the distinctive white/buff tails (see https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/learn-about-bumblebees/species-guide/ ). Yours won't be a male as those are only around in late summer and autumn. As for lifespan, it depends on whether it's a queen or worker (as well as the species). The young queen bumbles emerging in early spring will live through this coming autumn, but the workers have shorter lifespans (typically measured in weeks, though partially owing to foraging being an activity that wears them out faster as well as exposing them to more risks from predation). The conservatory is a good place for your bee! I don't know what the weather forecast is for your region, but hopefully there'll be some sun soon. Bumble bees can tolerate quite cold temperatures and inclement weather, though when it's very cold or wet they won't be able to fly until conditions improve, so they typically shelter somewhere frost-free until the weather changes. I would keep an eye on the forecast and move your bee into the sunlight once it's sunny again. The closer it is to 12°C, the more active your bee will be, but even when they're too cold to fly, they may still forage by walking up and down flowers close to the ground (such as early-spring flowering bulbs like crocuses).
Hi Elise. We rescued a very large bee yesterday who doesn’t seem to fare well outside. We kept her (it could be a boy) in last night and brought her back in today after her looking poorly outside. We have sugar water in one of those butterfly observing pods, a flower from the garden with pollen and even a bee hotel! Any extra info much appreciated? Many thanks 🤗🐝
Sounds like you rescued a young queen bumble bee who's recently emerged from her winter hibernation (in a small solitary burrow underground)! Queen bumbles are larger than usual bumble bees, and emerge in early spring (the males aren't out at this time of year). Since queen bumbles are accustomed to emerging at this time of year (when it may be inclement with cold snaps, rain and even snow), they're better able to tolerate swings in temperatures. However, they'll be quite lethargic (often unmoving, in a state of torpor) when it's too cold for them to move about. When they're too cold to fly, they often walk up and down flower stems instead (this works for them when they emerge near early-spring flowering bulbs such as crocuses, which are close to the ground). I don't know what the forecast in your particular area of the country looks like, but I'd try to get her out again soon. She should be able to move about even in cold temperatures if it happens to be sunny (and if she's directly in the sun). Naturally, she'd seek shelter some place like under leaf litter or even sometimes inside flowers such as crocuses (which close up when the sun isn't shining on them, making quite the perfect BnB for a bee)! The closer it is to 12°C, the better for her, but even at 10°C they can be active if it's sunny. They don't freeze too easily (though it is important to keep your bee from freezing, of course!, but naturally they can generally survive for short periods of time even at temperatures as low as -5°C). In other words, I would keep her in (at a low but non-freezing temperature similar to outdoor temperatures) if it's raining or snowing, but as soon as it's sunny, she'll wish to bee on her way again. Sounds like you have a nice spot for her in the meantime! 💛🐝
yes, agricultural honeybees often end up in a cow trough where I try to rescue a few this year I noticed my success after putting them in the sun, helping them dry off, pulling off the moss from the trough and then I would exhale with warm air. I don’t know if it was the warmth or an air blowing or the CO2, but it was definitely had a improved my success rate of Rescue. Just curious what your thoughts are. Thank you Elise for all your good caring service
That's good to hear you're helping honey bees that fall in the water! They're drawn to water, which they bring back to their hives. I'm pretty sure that it's the warmth of your breath that helps them, rather than CO2. Being cold-blooded, the warmer bees are, the more energized they are (that's why the sun helps them too when they're wet). I don't know if there's any way to put something in the trough that wouldn't obstruct the cows drinking but would enable the bees to clamber out if they fall in (like a stick on the side)? Another thought is to put a shallow dish of water nearby that's filled with pebbles sticking up just above the surface. That'd give your nearby honey bees a safe drinking station if they find it!
I found a dormant honey bee lying in the snow yesterday while I was at work. I brought it inside to warm it up. It started moving after 20ish minutes. It was very slow and sluggish. I kept it inside over night as it was supposed to be freezing last night. This morning it’s still very slow/sluggish - only occasionally moving its body and its back legs. I offered it some honey before I knew it could be problematic. Then I removed the honey and offered it a few drops of sugar water. I have no idea where its hive is but I really want to save it. What should/can I do?
If your bee is definitely a honey bee, then I would try warming her up very well indoors and offering more sugar-water, and seeing if that doesn't help her to revive. She may have been out in the cold before you found her for too long, but if you can give her a place that's really cozy and warm for a few hours, and if she then perks up enough to start buzzing, then she'll be alright if you release her where you found her, as then she'll be able to find her way back to her hive. Is she still standing on all her legs?
So glad I found your page. I live in England and it's stinking cold 🥶 here right now at 3°c and raining 🌧 I found a bumble bee 🐝 floating in my horses water bucket 🪣 yesterday morning so I rescued her and put her on a towel under a bucket. Unfortunately she hadn't recovered enough today so I've bought her home and have her in the cool kitchen with a hamster muff,a bottle cap of sugar water in a spacious plastic container with air holes. She has started to buzz around a little now and I will bring in some bits from my garden but as for releasing her I'm approximately 15 miles away from where I found her so I may have to keep her here until it warms up a little. We don't have any flowers yet and spring is getting confused with the weather changes. Any advice would be appreciated 💜💜💜🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Sounds like you rescued a bumble bee queen who will have emerged from hibernation recently! If they get very wet (as they would in a horse water bucket), it will definitely take awhile to dry out fully. It's good that she is more active again! Given the temperatures and conditions outdoors (which sound unsuitable for releasing her), it will be a good idea to keep her enclosure relatively cool though, so as to keep her in sync with the outdoor temperatures (but still protected from frost) so that she naturally waits out this cold wet weather spell without expending too much energy. One important note is that you may not need to return her to where you found her, since it is unlikely that she began establishing a colony yet. A good way to tell is to examine her hind legs for a clump of pollen. If there is no pollen, then she in all likelihood has spent her time recently in just trying to forage in order to top up her own energy reserves after her winter hibernation (rather than establish a colony yet). One other note is to make sure she can't easily fall into the bottle cap of sugar-water. Placing tiny pebbles or a bit of paper towel will help ensure she doesn't have any sticky accidents! Do let me know how she's doing and if her behavior changes at all. It'll be safe to keep her for several days or even a couple of weeks, so long as she's kept at temperatures approximating those outdoors (just without the rain and frost). 🐝💛
I found a bumble bee yesterday. It was outside my back door on the concrete. I thought it was dead but it alive. I’ve brought it in and put it in a box. Can you advise. It is very cold and wet weather here. 7/3 degrees today.
I'm guessing yours is a very large bumble bee, in other words a queen bumble awaking from hibernation in anticipation of spring. Have you seen any early flowering bulbs up in your area yet, such as crocuses or similar? Does your bee look wet (her fluff clumped or spiky)? Bumble bee queens are accustomed to cold wet weather when they emerge in anticipation of spring, although they will often be very sluggish and will have to take shelter while waiting out cold snaps and wet weather. If they're not warm enough to fly, they often walk from flower to flower instead (easier with spring bulbs that are already close to the ground, and that are typically coming through fallen dead leaves, which also provide some frost shelter for early-emerging bumbles). Your weather forecast looks pretty consistently cold, but the closer it gets to 10°C during the day, the more your bee will want to be out and about. Even though she's cold-blooded, she can warm herself up a little by decoupling her wing muscles from her wings and then 'trembling' or 'shivering' in order to generate extra warmth. For the night, I'd definitely hold onto her in her ventilated box, which is best kept in a frost-free but cool area mimicking outdoor temperatures so that she doesn't get confused. Have you offered her any sugar-water mix? If you do leave sugar-water in her box, make sure there's no way she can fall into it! A bit of paper towel in the mixture can help with that. Let me know about the early spring flower availability in your area, and also if you think she's still wet, as that will help determine next steps!
I live in Florida and there is some cold weather now. Tomorrow it will be warmer. Should I house the bee until tomorrow? I have medical grade glucose that I give them (and butterflies) and some water. That usually works but I've never had one over night. What do I do?
Florida temperatures look fairly bee-friendly overall, but if your bee is sluggish and cold you could keep it overnight in a ventilated shoe box or similar in a cool room or sheltered outdoor structure, then release your bee once it warms up tomorrow morning. As far as the glucose solution goes, make sure it's not in something your bee could fall into and get sticky. Putting a paper towel inside a bottle cap or similar tiny dish can ensure the sugar-water is still available for the bee, without any danger of a sugar-bath! There are a few more tips about housing bees overnight on my First Aid page if you click the button "🌦 It’s cold, raining, or the sun has almost set…": https://savebees.org/how-to-help-revive-a-cold-or-wet-bee/
Thank you so much! I saw this a just now and the sun is down and much more windy now so I'll keep him in a ventilated box like you suggested. I will also follow your other tips. THAAANKKK YOUUU!!! Idk what me and our little bee friend would do without you.
While shoveling I found a bee. She seemed ok. But of course not flying. We had 6 degrees temp. Can I lplace her in a wood. shed. Under an kd dry plant. Mums exactly. 👍🏼 have her inside a plant. Which is blossoming. Christmas cactus.
If you can place her gently back in a new hole in the ground that you dig near (at roughly the same depth as where you found her when you were shoveling), that would likely be best for her. You'd then cover her again gently with soil. I'd imagine she's moving a little bit owing to being disturbed, so she'd be able to sort herself out with the slight disturbance in the soil around her. Though the sooner done, the better so that she goes back into hibernation quickly!
I found a very little bee inside my house. He was very sluggish so I gave him some sugar water, as you suggested, and he has really perked up. It is 40 degrees outside right now we are moving into a winter storm/ice storm for the next several days. He seems like he wants to get out of the box enclosure I made for him, but when I take him outside to see if he wants to fly away, he gets sluggish again. Should I keep him inside for the next few nights through this storm? Or should I tuck him away outside somewhere?
My suggestion would be to keep your bee in a cool, protected place that's similar to outdoor temperatures but without the ice storm. That could be either a basement, cool indoor room, or a sheltered outdoor spot where your bee can leave whenever they wish. If your bee is overly active indoors but sluggish outdoors, moving them to a cooler location will help give them the message about it still being too cold to be active. A very little bee at this time of year might be an early mining bee, the males emerge really early and are some of the first wild bees you see in very early spring. The males are small and have distinctive light patches of fluff on their faces typically.
Guest Post Proposal: The World’s Largest Honey Bee
Dear Savebees Team,
I hope you are well.
My name is Rashmi Kandel, a Nepal-based field researcher and social entrepreneur working closely with Himalayan honey-hunting communities for over 8 years. My work focuses on the Himalayan giant honey bee (Apis laboriosa), its behavior, high-altitude adaptation, and ecological role.
I am writing to ask if you would be open to a guest educational article for Science Buddies.
Proposed Topic
“Meet the World’s Largest Honey Bee: The Science of Himalayan Giant Bees”
The article would explain bee anatomy, behavior, altitude adaptation, and how Apis laboriosa differs from common honey bees, written in clear, student-friendly language suitable for stem learning.
The content would be purely educational, non-commercial, and aligned with biology and ecology concepts for middle- and high-school students.
Please let me know if this topic could be a good fit, or if you have any contributor guidelines to follow. I would be happy to share an outline or sample.
Thank you for your time and for supporting science education.
I found a bee in my house in January. He was nibbling on some leftover pizza. I dripped some water onto the counter and he went for it. Now I gave him a slice of banana and he is nibbling on it. I’m happy to keep him in the house until spring if that is the best thing for him/her.
Apologies for my late reply. Let me know if your bee is still around! Though I kind of wonder if, given pizza and banana, it's possible your bee is a 'bee-fly' (which is a kind of fly that mimics bees). You can tell if you look closely: bees have long antennae, whereas bee flies have short stubby antennae. Pizza and banana would be very unusual for a bee, but perhaps the sugars and salts might be the reason? In any case, let me know if your bee is still around. It's always hard to do the best for them if they're out too early in the year, since depending on the bee, they may not do well if kept for longer periods. Naturally they'd try to shelter somewhere outdoors, hoping to wait out the cold until the first of the early spring flowers.
Deat Elise, I found a bee inside my house. Yesterday was bit warmer ( 7°C) after a week of very cold weather. Today it is snowing! What should I do? I gave her sugar water, but if fell in it. Later she drank some of it. Now it is in a box in basement16-18°C) it is moving like searching for something but not mooving her wings. Pleas let me know, how I can help her.
Do you happen to know if she's a honey bee or a bumble bee? Honey bees are thin, striped, and not very fluffy, whereas bumble bees are more rotund and very fluffy. I'm going to assume she's a bumble bee, but if she happens to be a honey bee, then I'd warm her up very well indoors first, and then release her outdoors; so long as she's warm enough, she should be able to fly back to her hive, where she'll be warm again. But if she's a bumble bee, then she'll almost certainly have been awoken from hibernation early, perhaps by being disturbed in her burrow underground, or perhaps from mistaking a few days of warmth for spring. The temperature in your basement is relatively warm by bumble bee standards for this time of year, so she may be wandering around hoping to forage, or perhaps searching for her burrow in which she was hibernating, or perhaps even searching for a new place underground in which to establish a colony for the coming year. Bumble bee queens take a lot of energy to fly, but at cooler temperatures they'll still wander round. When are the first spring flowers around in your area (early spring bulbs such as crocuses, that come through the snow)? That's usually the time when young queen bumbles, who've been hibernating alone in their own burrows over winter, begin to emerge. You have a couple options: wait for a day soon where there's at least a little sun, even if it's still very cold, and warm her up a little first indoors and then put her out in the sun nearby. I don't know if she would do so, but we might hope she'd find her way back to her overwintering burrow (they do have excellent senses of navigation). The other choice would be to keep her somewhere dark and cooler than your current basement temperatures (above freezing but otherwise similar to your current outdoor temperatures), basically giving her a safe but very cool spot in which to wait for the spring bulbs. When bees are very cold, they enter a state of torpor where they don't require much energy. Bumble queens are adapted for these lower temperatures in early spring, and on good spring days they'll forage (often not flying, simply crawling from bulb flower to bulb flower) and then they'll wait out rains, cold snaps and even snow for several days at a time before it warms up sufficiently to move again. If you go with this latter option, you'd need to keep a good eye on her, and have some safe source of sugar-water available (perhaps soak a bit of paper towel in the sugar-water mix, or add tiny pebbles to the dish). If she started moving about too much (as if confused or searching for something), you'd reduce the temperature further in order to help her re-enter a state of torpor. And if you do go this route, I'd add fallen leaves, bark, twigs, and other such natural objects to her box so that she could crawl under them if she wished. I wish you both well, let me know if I can help further!
It was sunny today, then turned cold and wet. I found a large,black bee ,unmoving on my deck. I brought it in, offered sugar water, in a small cardboard box. I plan on keeping it overnight. I'm worried about it.
A huge black bee saved my life in 1976, I'd like to return the favor. That story is too graphic to share here but it contributed to my lifelong love of all bees.
A quick additional note to say I just replied with a long email, but in case you've not received it, look through all your email folders as it'll be there somewhere!
A huge black bee sounds like a queen bumble bee (does she by chance have any strip of pale yellow too)? This isn’t at all the time of year for her to be out in your area, instead she should be hibernating safely in her own little burrow in the ground, where she should stay until sometime in February, depending on the weather patterns. Have you had any stretches of unseasonably warm temperatures recently? If you might share a photo of her (or even a short video) by replying to this email, it’d help me help you both better. I’ll check in again in the morning 💛🐝
Hi! I just found a bee outside on our driveway lying there. I thought it was dead, so I took it inside to maybe put in in a fairy terrarium. After a couple minutes though, its antennae started moving and I realized he wasn't dead, just terribly cold! (it's very cold here.) So I took him back outside and put him in the grass. Later when I came in, I looked up how they hibernate and it said that they huddle together in the hive for warmth. I started to feel sorry for him and I looked up how to revive a cold bee, but when I went back outside to find him he was gone. Do you think I revived him enough so that he could fly back to the colony? He was just barely moving his antennae. Do you think that was enough to get him flying again?
Was your bee a large, fluffy bee by chance? The bees that hibernate by huddling in a hive are honey bees (slim and not very fluffy bees). It'd be unusual to find a honey bee out at this time of year, since they've plenty of food (in the form of honey) in their hive for winter. Young bumble bee queens, on the other hand, have left their colonies (which break up before winter) and those fluffy, large bumble bee queens are sometimes doing some last-minute foraging late in the year, in order to top up their individual energy reserves before hibernating in a little burrow each digs for themselves in the soil. Either way, the warmth you provided by bringing your bee indoors will have helped! It's quite possible that you helped warm your bee up enough for her to bee on her way again, hopefully finding a good spot to dig her burrow in the soil for winter. 🐝💛
Elise, hello! I’m glad I came across you page, so much helpful information. We found a bumblebee last evening by the main stairs of our building. It was quite cold and that little one was moving sluggishly while lying on its back/wings. My oldest thought it was dead but my first instinct was to think it was tired/cold, specially because I’ve never seen any bumblebees around our building or on our forest walks nearby. I was alone with three little ones so I managed to put her into a small shoebox and brought her upstairs to wait to release her in the warmth of the sun.. I put in her box a small spoon with sugar/water mix but she didn’t seem interested at first. I didn’t have crystal sugar but it was not brown sugar, something in the middle. I release her when the sun was out and about 50 degrees outside, at first she seemed well and quite active walked in the sun the whole balcony but then she kind of gave up? And I found her on her back again. I’m not sure how to help… I offered her some honey (my toddler insisted) and I just wanted to see if the sugar we had was a problem… she moved towards it and seemed to be giving it a go, now she is lying on the box and moving a little bit… the sun will be out in an hour and I’m gonna bring her back in… I have no garden and neighbours don’t have any flowers on theirs, so if you think she will be happier and have a better shot at leaving I will go buy her some. She is fluffy, big, and so pretty. I really hope she can make it! I hope you get to my message in time to help me help her. Thank you for such a high quality and curated content. 🩷
It's so kind of you to care about your bee! I'm guessing she's a young bumble bee queen, given the time of year. She'll need to find a spot underground to hibernate for winter, but first she'll need to have topped up her energy reserves well with nectar, in order to last her through until early spring. For your bee, it may help her to take her somewhere where there are still flowers, ideally an undisturbed area where she can both top off on nectar easily and also find a spot in the ground into which to burrow. Since young queen bumbles are relatively large, it takes more energy for them to fly, so it'd help her if you know of a place nearby where she can walk (or fly short distances) in order to find nectar as well as a good hibernation spot. It is concerning though that she was quite active at first in the sun, before ending up on her back. That sounds a little bit like exhaustion to me. Have you seen her drink any of the honey? It may help if you have some photos (or short videos) for me to look at to see her particular behavior and condition. As long as she's in good health, she'll be fine staying overnight in her small shoebox. Your weather forecast looks pretty good for her over the next few days, given the time of year. I do hope she responds to warmth and some kind of sustenance. I think that rather than buy flowers (very kind of you to think to do so!), she'll have the best chances if you can take her somewhere that still has some late-season flowers as well as suitable spots in which to burrow, since she needs to go into hibernation underground soon. Bumble queens are quite choosy about their hibernation spots, so it's not something we can help them with, other than taking them to places that look promising (ideally undisturbed, free-draining, easily-diggable soil, often north-facing if the soil is in a bank or hillock or such).
Hi Elise, thank you for having this page! I’m a photographer and was out walking several dogs this morning at a local park. It’s been low 50’s during the warmest part of the day and upper 30’s to low 40’s overnight. It rains all the time, just not this morning.
My friend noticed a large, fluffy bumble bee (looks like the middle one of your queen pictures) had attached herself to my hoodie, on my chest. She was bound and determined to climb up and park herself under my beard or on my shoulder. When I tried to gently move her, she parked herself on my hand. I finally did the entire hike (~3 miles) with her on my shoulder or on my hand.
When I got back to my car, I loaded the dogs in and offered to place her on foliage in the sun. No dice. She climbed back on my hand, back up my arm and onto my shoulder. I breathed on her to warm her up, but this resulted in her trying to grab onto my beard again.
At one point I held out my hand, she buzzed her wings, flew up several feet, then promptly landed back on me. I have now gently transferred her to a shallow dish with leaves and a capful of water. She’s been driving with me in my car today. Every chance she gets, she tries to climb back on me. I’m going to stop and pick her up some flowers and sugar to make her sugar water. I’m not really sure what else to do now? I’ve tried to release her several times and still no dice. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Sounds like you've befriended a young queen bumble bee! She likes your warmth 🐝🥰 We have similar weather here, and it's the time of year when young queen bumbles like her should be finding a nice spot to burrow underground for their winter hibernation. Naturally, she would forage sufficiently to top off her energy reserves to see her through winter, and then look for a nice, diggable spot of earth that's ideally raised (so as not to hold water) and north-facing (so that she doesn't get confused next spring and emerge from hibernation too soon, before there are flowers). She won't be able to fly easily if she's cold, though depending on where she finds herself, she may be able to forage by walking up and down flower stems, as well as find a good place for a winter burrow. I think what I'd do is warm her up well indoors (in an enclosure) tomorrow (or on any subsequent day that's not too rainy, a little rain won't be bad though so long as it's not super-windy), and then try to encourage her to go her own way. If she's warm and well-topped up with energy, I'd hope she might decide to fly off, as much as she loves your company! I think warmth is probably the key here. Ideally you'd have a bit of sun on the day you release her too, as she may not get far before getting cold again otherwise. Young bumble queens are very choosy about hibernation spots, but it'd be great if she might find some suitable soil nearby to where you release her (ideally in proximity to any late-season flowers). I'd love to see your photos!
Not a question, sorry! Just wanted to say this page helped me save a honey bee for the first time and I am very grateful. I'm terrified of bees and try to avoid them, but I saw this little one wet and unmoving on my windowsill and couldn't not help it. The q-tip feeding tip was incredibly useful, I didn't have to get my hand all that close to the bee but was still able to feed it and got to see it shake the lethargy off and fly away :) thank you!
I found a bumblebee walking slowly on my porch. It stops for a few moments and then walks again. I offered it some sugar water, but it’s not interested. It’s been staying still for a few minutes now and it’s super cold and not sunny outside because of the rain. What do I do to help it?
I apologize for my late reply, I haven't been well. If it was a large bumble bee, it may well have been a young queen bumble bee (given the time of year). They're often found walking about (when they're too cold to fly) at this time of year, seeking an appropriate digging spot in the ground in which to hibernate. Given that it's often cold and wet at this time of year, they occasionally get caught out in the elements, though they'll try to find some kind of temporary shelter. Hopefully your bee did shelter somewhere (with you or somewhere outdoors), and was able to get on her way again afterwards!
oct 24th, cold wet bumblebee, still alive. but I think it will freeze overnight. what do I do with it. I've seen it here for days on my flowers that are almost all dead.
Is your bee particularly large and fluffy? I ask because it’s the time of year when young bumble bee queens are seeking out hibernation spots underground for winter. Bumble bee queens can be relatively cold tolerant, and should be able to survive brief exposure to freezing temperatures. However, if she’s wet too, she’ll be less likely to survive such a cold snap. I’d move her into a sheltered frost-free place (garage, shed or similar) in an enclosure for the night. If you have any sunny weather on the way (even if it’s cold), put her out in the direct sun as soon as you can to warm up a bit. Alternatively, if your bee is small and fuzzy, he may sadly be one of the last male bumbles of the season, whose natural end of life is this time of year (they don’t hibernate).
It depends on the bee. Most bees get their water needs satisfied by the nectar they drink from flowers. Honey bees additionally make use of fresh water (gathered from puddles, pools, streams, etc.) that they use in front of their hive as a primitive air conditioning system (evaporating the water by buzzing their wings while remaining stationary in front of the hive's entrance).
I found a bee on Tuesday clinging to flowers after we had our Easter so I brought it into the garage overnight to let it dry off. When I put it outside yesterday, it couldn’t really fly. It’s going to be 39 degrees tonight. I’m. Not sure what to do. I realize it’s the fall and it could be the end of its lifecycle or it could be going into hibernation. I just wanna make sure that I’m doing the best thing for it. And curious what that is
It's helpful to give bees somewhere to dry off after such a storm, for sure! If you have any sunlight at all, it's good to place your bee in direct sun, to help them warm up enough to fly, even when it's cold. If it's a smaller bumble bee, it may well be a male bee near the end of his life cycle. If your bee is a very large bumble bee, she's likely to be a young queen seeking a good spot underground for hibernation. If your bee is a honey bee (less fluffy and thinner than a bumble bee), then they'll need to get back to their hive, where they overwinter in a ball of bees to stay warm. Regardless of the type of bee, the best thing to do is to give it an opportunity to dry off as you've done, then place it somewhere outdoors where it's most likely to catch any sun rays, and offer a sugar-water mix (just a tiny drop or two) in case your bee is hungry. It's quite common for bees (especially large bumble bee queens) to be unable to fly, even when they can still walk around. They're very choosy about their spots to hibernate, but if she is a young queen, she'll be looking to dig a small burrow in well-draining soil, ideally a mound that is north-facing (which sounds strange, but they choose north-facing so as not to be awoken by warmth too early in spring). So long as she has enough energy, she may be able to find a spot to hibernate during the day even if she's unable to fly, so long as there are spots within walking distance for her. 39 degrees is cold for a bee, but bumble bee queens (assuming that's what she is) are better equipped than most bees to wait out such cold temperatures outdoors, though they can be in trouble when they also get soaked in heavy rains (usually they seek shelter, but that can be difficult in a storm).
I know that you probably won’t be able to answer me in time -and I feel this is a dire situation and I am in need of an immediate solution- but I’ll ask anyway because I don’t know what else to do. I feel awful. This is definitely the worst case scenario, but the bee has fallen into the sugar water - and now her wings are sticky, and I am afraid that she can’t open them and I don’t know if I should try to rinse her off with water. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been trying to save her. I was camping and didn’t have any sugar so I drove to town got a packet of sugar and I was so happy that I would finally be able to revive her as it’s raining outside and she’s cold. She’s been stuck in my tent for a day without any sustenance. I feel so awful and now I think I might have killed her because she fell in the sugar water. What should I do? I know it will probably be too late. But I would like to know anyway. Thank you for all that you do. This is a wonderful resource. I couldn’t believe this page existed. I felt crazy for trying to save a new but now I know I’m not the only one. I did put pebbles in the dish, but somehow she managed to get in the water and now she’s covered with dried sugar water. I don’t know what to do I’m sorry I failed her. I could cry it’s so sad .
I’m sorry to hear about your bee when you’ve been trying so hard to help her. Is she still with you this morning? One of the things that can help in this situation is very carefully to drip slightly warmer-than-lukewarm water on your bee. In other words, giving her something of a bee bath, but with care (since they breathe through tiny holes in the sides of their bodies). Given your location, she should dry off relatively quickly in the sun afterwards. The water should help to dissolve the sugars, and if she has enough energy from drinking sugar-water, she should begin to clean herself once it’s easier to do so. I do hope she’s alright, it’s so kind of you to have tried to help her, and I do hope she’s able to recover there with you.
A bee appeared 2 days ago in our garden on the concrete just sat, I gave some sugar water and it crawled away but was then still just on the ground 12 hours later. I brought it in to warm up and provided it with some flowers ect
Its a bumblebee. They picked up so I placed the tub outside and he crawled awake again. Flying only slightly off the ground.
Its now 2 days later and its still just sitting in the garden, it does perk up slightly now and then but its cold outside so im bringing it in on a night and releasing when the sun comes up
Im not sure if its end of life as doesnt seem to be able to fly away? Wings do work but maybe not effective enough to let them fly off fully
Does your bumble bee happen to be quite large (if your bee is still with you)? I ask because it's the time of year that young bumble bee queens would be searching for hibernation spots in the ground in which to overwinter. Being even larger than worker bumble bees, queens take more energy to get lift-off, so they often crawl around (especially when it's cold) rather than flying. Although low-flying could also be her way of searching for a good hibernation spot on the ground. You're doing all the right things, and she may simply be waiting for a day that's sunny enough for her to be able to get going again. At this time of year (as in early spring), bumble bee queens may wait for several days or even a week or more before conditions are favorable enough to fly, and at these times they take shelter wherever they can. I don't know what your local weather forecast is, but I hope you have a sunnier (even if still cool) spell, in which she can bask in any sun rays to warm up sufficiently to fly off!
I found a little bumblebee crawling on the road late at night, I picked it up, gave it some sugar water, and made it a small plant pot home to stay the night. However the weather is getting colder and we've got a heavy rain warning tomorrow :( it seems to be doing okay, albeit a bit cold at the moment. Should I wait until Sunday to release it? Seeing as the weather is only getting colder and rainier.. Also, how often should I provide sugar water? (I also live next to the botanical gardens, so that might be a good place to release it)
I'm so sorry I wasn't able to reply sooner, but I thought I'd answer your questions, even though I hope your bee has flown off by now. I think I'd have waited until Sunday to release her, unless she seemed to wish to go sooner (moving energetically and buzzing her wings would be signs she'd like to go). Typically bees that are cold don't wish to fly, and will instead take shelter in cold and heavy rain, waiting out the weather until it's warm enough to fly again. As to how often to offer sugar-water, a bee that's not moving much won't be using much energy. It kind of depends on the bee too... if the bee sticks out her tongue as soon as there's sugar-water offered, then that's a good sign that she's ready for more. But if she's no longer hungry, she'll ignore the sugar-water on offer. Another option is to place an absorbent piece of paper towel in a tiny dish of sugar-water in the bee's enclosure, so that they can drink as needed (without the danger of them falling into it when unsupervised). I do hope she was able to bee on her way after staying with you! Botanical gardens sound like a great place to release her.
I found a bee this morning soaking wet and on its back. I made sugar water, fed it sugar water and sometimes it can walk, but mostly on its back with legs flailing. It’s still raining, is it ok to keep it inside with me until it seems better? Is there anything else I can do for it?
Yes, I’d keep your bee inside with you… looks like you have warmer and less rainy weather ahead too. Just make sure the enclosure is somewhere cool and dark at night. Once you get a day with less or no rain, try moving your bee into direct sunlight to warm up faster. It’ll take your bee some time to fully dry too, but he or she may do that in the meantime indoors. If you haven’t already, you might put some objects (twigs, pebbles, fallen leaves) in the enclosure to give your bee something to grab onto to help right themselves if they fall over. Make sure too that any sugar water isn’t in a dish too deep to fall into, while your bee is still unsteady (a small bit of paper towel can alleviate that danger). I hope your bee perks up once the weather’s better again! Give him or her time, a cold and wet bee may take hours to warm up and dry off, in the meantime being prone to falling over, and generally looking sluggish. Cleaning behaviors and “test buzzes” (wings moving quickly without flight) will be signs that they’re improving and hopefully able to fly off soon.
I found a bee in my bath last night and gave him some sugar water and put him in a container with some grass overnight, I left the container outside this morning with the lid off and went and ran some errands, hoping he would fly away and go home but he hasn’t. It’s quite cold atm 12C. I’ve bought him back inside in the container with a flower but he still isn’t moving much or flying. What should I do?
I am so sorry I wasn't able to reply in good time. Your bee was probably too cold at 12°C. Being cold-blooded, they depend on warm conditions in order to move and especially to fly. Your weather forecast looks as though it's been very cool. I think it's early spring where you are? If your bee was a particularly large and fluffy bumble bee, she'd probably be a queen emerging from hibernation. They can wait out many days of cold weather without moving much (sheltering inside or under flowers, or beneath leaf litter) until conditions improve. So long as they're not expending much energy, they don't need much energy either, being basically in a state of torpor. You could either have left her outdoors in a sheltered place (ideally one that would receive the sun's rays if it became sunny), or kept her safe in a cool protected area at outdoor temperatures until a sunny day. Even when it's cold, bees can move about (and even fly short distances) if they've been bathing in the sun's rays sufficiently. I hope your bee did get on their way in the end!
Are these honey bees? In very large numbers (hundreds)? If there are fewer (more in the tens of bees), then perhaps they're simply seeking fresh water (not sugar water) with which to cool their hive. If they're in the hundreds, then it's a swarm of honey bees seeking a new home. You might look up beekeepers in your local area if so, who'll usually be happy to come out and re-home the bees!
Hello, we have rescued a bee who was very cold and tired, stuck on her back in the middle of a very heavy rain shower. We brought her home as she was in the middle of town with no flowers around. We have put her in a box with some sugar water in a bottle cap as she was soaking wet. She seems to have dried a little bit but hasn’t drunk any sugar water and can barely move or lift her head up. Is there anything more we can do? She keeps accidentally flipping on to her back and doesn’t seem to have the strength to get up again. Thank you!
She may well feel more herself once she's well-warmed and dry. While she's cold and wet though, I'd be careful with the amount of sugar water in the bottle cap, in case she falls into it. Perhaps put a little piece of paper towel in it so that she can cling to something and still drink if she wishes, without any danger. Do you happen to know what kind of bee she is? I would put her enclosure somewhere warmish right now, to enable her to dry off faster. I'm not sure what part of the country you're in, so I don't know your weather forecast, but hopefully there are some sunnier, drier autumn days still to come? Once she's warm and dry, she should be able to stay on her feet. Tomorrow morning, if you have sun, I'd definitely put her outdoors where she can bask in the sun's rays. The concern would be over whether she was out for too long in the rain (a particular danger for bees, since they breathe through little holes along the sides of their bodies). I hope she perks up as she warms and dries!
Hi Elise! I have an injured bee who was found in water and it appears as though two of the six legs (inner middle legs on both sides) are not moving, but the wings seem to be intact and it’s drinking sugar water. I have it resting overnight and plan to hopefully release it tomorrow. Can it survive if two of the six legs are broken/not moving? Thanks for all you do. Your article is really helpful.
Yes, your bee should be able to live life alright with just four of six legs (the main concern would be if there are any unseen injuries). Let me know how your bee is doing in the morning once he or she warms up!
I brought into my screened in porch some potted salvia before work this morning due to impending rain. It is now 8 pm at night and I noticed a bumblebee on my porch screen. It's not moving unless I get close to it with the ends of a very small broom. Will it be okay til the morning when the rain has stopped and I can open the door? I am keeping the salvia plant inside for the night.
It’ll be just fine until morning. When they’re cold and not buzzing about, bees use very little energy. Once the rain has stopped and it’s warmer again, your bee should be able to be on their way again!
Thank you for your quick response last night. As of lunchtime today it was still on the screen but I was able to move it on top of the soil of the salvia plant. Within minutes it seemed to get its bearings and it flew out of the plant and through the open porch door! I am happy I was able to help it!
It is currently early august and freezing outside with heavy rain. Found a bee on porch and brought it inside. After a couple hours, it circled up and looked completely dead, but I checked on them again and it was alive!. It them moved around for about 3m, this being the first time it has been able to live more than just one warning leg. It then found. A spot and has been resting there for around 6 hours. Moved once when I was away. It's approaching night. It hasn't eaten or drunken anything so far. Ill probably put them in a shoe box, as you said, overnight- and away from my cats, but should I be leaving them any sort of food? And what would that be?
I apologize for my late response, we've had a serious heat wave here. As far as food goes, sugar-water is all a bee would need (as an approximation for nectar, their usual food). Your bee may have been too cold to wish to drink any, but I'd continue to offer it if your bee is still with you. Your weather looks cold but sunny at least? Hopefully if you set your bee out in the sun rays, he or she'll have enough warmth and energy to fly off. Let me know if you still have your bee. I hope that even after heavy rain, they recovered with you.
Not a question, just a thank you! I had a non-moving bumble on my pot of calibrachoa since early last evening. The night temps have been in the mid-low 50'd the past few nights( it's been awesome but not our norm). He/she was still there this morning. I googled and found your sight. I mixed up some sugar water and the bumble drank some from a spoon(which was probably one of the coolest things I have seen).. The sun peeked around to that side of my deck, and I went back out to check and the bumble, had flown away. So thank you for this informative site!!
Found what I think is a carpenter bee in one of our water buckets. She was sitting in a leaf that was partially submerged and I had thought that she’d be gone but surprisingly she’s still alive!
Have been with her for sround two hours now but she is refusing sugar water even when offered to her on a napkin, on a surface or when i touched her antenna with a little bit of the sugar water.
She doesn’t seem to be trying to fly either and I’m concerned :(
Any other way I could try and help her? I’m afraid to just put her somewhere as she’s quite clumsy from the look of it and seems to be napping from time to time.
Since it’s getting late in your day, I’d nestle her somewhere safe, either outdoors in a sheltered protected area nearby (hopefully with bee-friendly flowers near her) or temporarily in an enclosure overnight. Your weather forecast looks damp, if warm, which makes my next suggestion problematic: usually bees perk up as they bathe in the warmth of the sun. Warming her up indoors might help, but not tonight, it’s best to follow the natural day/night rhythms, and try warming her up tomorrow morning. If you do leave her outdoors, make sure her spot is protected from rain, but likely to be touched by any warm sun rays that might appear for her. Let me know how she is tomorrow; it’s not surprising she’s clumsy, having been immersed in water, and now probably feeling a bit cold from that. Does she still look a bit wet (fluff clumped in places)? She’ll need to dry off fully as well as feel warm, before being able to fly again.
I had put her to rest in a flower as I did have to go eat and it seemed that she was getting clumsier as time passed by and fell quite a lot. When I had come back she had already passed away💔
She did start showing interest in flowers though as I had taken her around some clover flowers that were blooming in our yard.
Maybe her tumbling around eventually got to her :(
I’ve put her to rest easy and peacefully in my garden now and I’ll remember her.
We saved a bumble that was drowning in lake michigan. It was exhausted and still on my arm. We went to put it on some sunny grass to dry off. It had started to vibrate but still not able to use its wings or move quickly. it was windy and only one leg was able to cling well so it fell off into sand. it was getting fuzzy again but sand stuck to it. I picked it up and tried again but it could not cling with its legs at all. It curled up
Its body pulsed its abdomen and waved its legs and died. What happened?! I thought it was getting better but it died. So sad! What could have happened?! I have photos
I’m very sorry to hear about your bee. Sounds like your bee was sadly in the water for too long before you found it, and was too weakened by that experience to be able to recover. Bees breathe through tiny holes (spiracles) along the sides of their bodies, so probably your bee took in far too much water in this way.
Hello, I've had a hummingbird feeder for years without any bee problem. Two days ago one bee has been harassing the hummingbirds, chasing them, and one time actually landing on the back of one bird. I checked the feeder and there are no leaks. Is there any way to discourage this bee from returning? Thank you
I’m going to guess that’s a honey bee that you’re seeing. They’re hard to dissuade… I’ve seen BBC footage of honey bees ‘sparring’ with hummingbirds for flowers in the tropics. Other bees (like our native bees) would probably be lured by nearby flowers over hummingbird feed. You might try planting some bee-friendly attractive flowering plants nearby. If it’s a honey bee though, they seem to favor easy sources of sugar, and have such good memories for spots. Maybe you could try moving the feeder around more, in case that helps fool the bee so that she goes looking elsewhere for nectar?
I do a lot of kayaking along the shores and often come across bees and bumblebees in distress and usually I just lift them out of the water with my paddle and shake them onto the deck of my kayak where they most often dry off and rest up before they're on their way again.
However some of them will just sit on the deck or try to seek shelter until I get ashore where I try placing them on nearby flowers and hope for the best. But I do wonder if the salt in the sea water is a problem for our furry little friends and if a fresh water shower would be in order for those still with me when I get ashore?
I'll start carrying a small syringe of sugar water and see of this is enough to get them going as a start.
Carrying sugar-water sounds like a good idea, it should help some of the exhausted bees get going sooner (they can expend a lot of energy flailing about in the water). I’m honestly not sure about giving them a freshwater shower. I do know they’re attracted to saltwater, as it provides extra minerals for them (and they’re also attracted to bodies of water generally, especially honey bees, since they use water for an evaporative cooling system in their hives). Usually, if it’s warm and sunny enough, bees can dry off and clean themselves well, and I’d kind of assume this would be the same with saltwater (although without observing them doing it, I’m not certain). It’s so kind of you to whisk them out of the water when you spot them in distress! Bees breathe along the sides of their bodies, so any immersion is dangerous. So long as it’s just brief, they typically recover quickly once they’re out of it, but the ones that take longer may well have been struggling in the water for awhile. Putting them on bee-friendly flowers once you’re ashore is definitely helpful too (ideally ones in direct sunlight, though it doesn’t matter so much if it’s a warm, dry day).
I found a bee in my pool, I took it out and set it down, and the only part that i knew it was alive is because it was dancing. Then it started moving, but it was like kicking and looked couldn't control its legs, I think it became blind, is it?
Typically “uncontrolled” behavior in bees is a sign of acute pesticide poisoning. Though if it’s simply the middle legs held high up in the air (and it’s a bumble bee), then it’s simply bumble-bee-speak for feeling threatened. Hopefully after warming up and drying off, your bee felt better. But if the bee seems agitated, circling aimlessly, and/or falling over, it’s much more likely to be a reaction to a pesticide they encountered before falling in the pool. Wet bees are usually just sluggish until they warm up and dry off.
I found a bee on the ground underneath our linden tree. I put her in a flower pot which I know bees like. She didn’t move all day except to move around the flowers I put down for her she crawled on. The weather turned and it rained overnight. I found her wet that morning, read this article, and created a space for her inside the garage with food and water and shelter. She dried out and several hours later slater walked around the container (old small dog tote). Over night she slept. I thought she was not well in the am so put my finger in the container and she strung me - better than I thought as I guess as maybe she was sleeping. My finger isn’t that bad but she did sting me. I have heard that they die when they sting and I was just trying to help. She is still with us - thoughts on progression and release?
It's only honey bee workers that die when they sting (queen honey bees are able to sting as many times as they wish, whereas male bees have no stingers at all). All other types of female bees (other than honey bees) are unhurt themselves, if they sting. You probably accidentally surprised her! Your weather looks cool and wet for a few days yet, but if she's a bumble bee (fuzzy, round-ish), she may well wish to fly off in this weather, so long as it's only intermittently or lightly rainy (bumble bees can tolerate lower temperatures and some rain, in contrast with honey bees that are tucked inside their hives during inclement weather). I'd put her in some kind of enclosure and warm her up well indoors, then release her towards the warmest part of the day. If she's not very active right now, you could also keep her in a cool location in your garage, as you've been doing (with access to sugar-water or fresh flowers), and then on the first day of warm sun, move her outdoors into direct sunlight. As she warms up, she should become more active, cleaning herself, perhaps feeding a bit, and buzzing her wings. Sometimes it's just minutes, and sometimes it's hours, but after some while of warming up in the sun, she should fly off!
I rescued a bee yesterday, i have them in a special ventilated bug box with flowers i picked from my garden and occasionally give sugar water. I housed overnight and this morning they were still moving around, I have taken them outside a few times but they dont seem to want to fly away, im getting worried now
I apologize for my late reply, do let me know if your bee is still with you! It sounds like you’ve set her up well there. I don’t know what your weather is like precisely, but when you do take her outdoors, put her in direct sunlight and let her bask in the warm rays for awhile. Sometimes it takes bees several hours in direct sunlight to recover and take off (especially if they got wet).
Hi! I found a bee in my garden that seems unable to fly. Its wings are tattered on the edges and I’ve been able to pick it up and bring it inside where it’s been for a few hours now. If I want to make it comfortable (and assuming it doesn’t suddenly resume the ability to fly) what should I do? I’ve offered it some local honey and am planning to mix up sugar water.
Apologies for my late reply! Tattered wing edges are a sign of old age in a foraging bee. Sometimes bees simply need a bit of energy (from a flower or from sugar-water) and warmth (from the sun) to be able to fly (even with somewhat tattered wings). But I’m guessing your bee is unable to fly anymore, as you thought. Your bee should be comfortable so long as she has food (sugar-water, honey) and a safe place to bee, with some natural objects of interest in her enclosure. I would just keep an eye on her, ensuring she doesn’t look agitated (and keeping her temperature and lighting in sync with the natural daily outdoor cycle). If she does start to buzz her wings as if to try to fly, you could try her outdoors in direct sunlight. But otherwise, I’d keep her safe from predators who might tear apart an old, weakened bee.
The bee I rescued is a worker bee, but I don't know how long shes been in the pool. She's really sluggish and barely moving, and its near dusk. I can't bring her in and I dont think I have any flowers for her, what should I do?
If you can, put her somewhere sheltered outdoors near where you found her, in a spot where the sun will hit her first thing in the morning. That’ll definitely help her too 🐝💛
A few hours ago, we found a bee that seems unable to fly. One side of it's wings seems slightly crooked.
We gave it a dandelion, and it went and hung out there for awhile. We waited about an hour, and then brought it home. We have given it sugar water and some more flowers, but it doesn't seem interested for the moment.
We think she or he is a 2-spotted bumblebee.
We will get some earth, rocks, and more flowers, and keep sugar water near it.
Sometimes once a bee warms up, they’re able to move their wings back into a normal position (I hope so, in your bee’s case)! Though for the night, I’d keep your bee’s enclosure somewhere cool. I’ll get back to you with more thoughts later, and feel free to reply with a photo so I can see what kind of bee you have there 💛🐝✨
I found a carpenter bee in my driveway late yesterday afternoon. I gave it sugar water and when it was still there but crawling around, I moved it to a plant for shelter and safety. This morning it was still there so I moved to to some flowers I have and gave it more sugar water today. It flaps its wings, but doesn't leave, and moves around the plant quite well. Is there anything else I can do for it?
Sometimes it's simply a matter of time (even when they flap their wings at high speeds, they may not get liftoff until after some further tries or a little more time feeding and resting). It's important that the bee is warm enough to be able to fly, but from the looks of your state-wide weather, it should easily be warm enough, even in the shade. I would keep an eye on your bee in case their behavior changes, but it sounds like you've done everything you can for the moment!
I would like to bring this important matter to your attention. All of the sticky fly, ant and any other insect sticky items that is selling on temu is also attracting bees and they are dying on the traps.
It is winter in nz, and 4 days ago i found a bumblebee on my apartment balcony. She seemed poorly so I brought her inside. 2 days later(yesterday)I put her amongst flowers, at Mum's place. It rained heavily overnight, and when I checked on her today she hadn't moved at all. I decided to bring her to mine to bury, and then realized she was still alive. I've fed her sugar water and she is moving slowly. What I want to know, is this her end of life process, and what should I do?
When bees are sluggish, it can often mean that they're simply cold, so my next question is: is your bee a smallish or a largish bumble bee? Young bumble bee queens hibernate over winter by each digging their own small hole in the ground. These large queens are the only bumble bees that survive winter. All the other bumble bees (worker bees and male bees, both of whom are much smaller than queen bumbles) naturally reach the end of their lifecycles at the end of autumn / onset of winter. If she is a large young queen, then it'd be helpful to warm her up briefly indoors and feed her some sugar-water, then release her on one of the warmer / less wet days ahead, so that she has the energy to locate a suitable hibernation spot in the ground. Bumble bee queens tend to choose north-facing, good-draining soil that has a little elevation, so that rainwater does not pool in their hole over winter. Although I'm not as familiar with New Zealand bumble bees, I'd be happy to take a look at your bee too, if you send some photos or a short video clip!
I found a bumble bee that got stuck in a rainstorm last night. He was hanging on to a flower being pelted by rain, looks soaking wet. I tried to dry them off with just the heat in my hand and warm breath. Let him munch on some flowers from my hand as well. He was quite active but couldn't fly. Night was coming so I let him spend the night inside a container. This morning I brought him outside again, let him feed from flowers. He is quite active, and then has power naps. He cleans himself and eats well from the flowers. His right wing still does not seem to want to work he tries, but the right one barely moves left one seems fine. Do you have any suggestions?
It's so kind of you to help your bee. If their right wing is truly damaged, there's unfortunately no way to help them recover the use of that wing. Bee wings are quite complex, with a pair of wings on each side of their body that hinge together in flight to form a single wing surface on each side. Sometimes bees can hold their wings oddly when they're still cold though. I don't know what your weather is like, but if your bee has been in full sun for a couple of hours, then we'd be able to rule out coldness as a reason for being unable to fly. If you'd like to send some close-up pics or a short video, perhaps I can look closer? Are there any other signs of damage? Do your bee's wing edges look ragged at all?
I have a bee i picked up yesterday looking tierd.. she's full of pollen sacs, and she was curled over as i gently picked her up she accidentally rolled to her back but this gave me a chance to see she was moving. Cleaning her antenas and twitching her legs..I popped her in a small open pot with leaves and flowers and gave her a small drop of bee revive water. She didn't move for a couple hours but still moved her legs.. I left her housed over night and this morning she's still alive, twitching but not walking around.. her wings look intact but one looks slightly off and another had pollen stuck in it this morning.. she's obviously trying to stay on so I'd love a happy ending for this one but I cant figure what it is she needs x
I really apologize for replying so late. If you still have your bee, perhaps you could send photos of her wing? Sometimes, wings are held in odd ways when a bee is cold, only to be fine once they're warmer and more limber. Did you happen to try warming your bee up indoors (or outdoors in the sun)? Otherwise-healthy bees respond quickly to warmth, particularly sunlight (though it looks possibly drizzly, or at least overcast, in your forecast). Do you know if she's a honey bee (slender) or a bumble bee (rounder and fuzzier)? It's hard to know what might be ailing her, but if one wing is off such that she can't use it, there may well be other unseen physical damage. If so, you'd have provided her with a safe place to live out her last moments.
I'm sorry to be replying too late to be helpful (we've had an unexpected heatwave here, and I live outdoors). Definitely does sound like a badger (bees aren't their preferred prey, but when conditions are dry and earthworms are more scarce, bee colonies are more likely to be targets). If a bumble bee colony defends itself well, the bees can recover their colony, but it does depend on the level of damage. Covering large badger-dug holes may help keep the remaining bees out of the elements while they try to recover, but there's little else one can do, unfortunately. I hope the remaining bees numbered enough individuals to able to survive.
I have a bee in my yard...l don't think it's a honeybee. It may be a bumblebee but it's more elongated than round but definitely bigger than a honeybee. It's 2.5 hrs before dark and quite war..about 26 degrees Celsius (sorry we don't use Fahrenheit here.) He's sluggish. I tried the sugar water solution which usually works but he's not interested. I put it on his antennae, still no interest
I tried a little fruit jam..no interest. I bought him a fresh lavender plant from the local market because l read it's a flower bees like but he can't cling to it. I tried putting him on what looks like a buttercup but l'm having no luck. He's just lying still . He's alive though. Unfortunately l have to leave on a business trip early tomorrow morning. I'm going to put him in the lavender plant pot so he's off the ground but near it and hiddyfron overhead predators. Any advice? Even if l can't save him perhaps you can impart knowledge that will help me in future. Do bees sometimes come to the end of their life cycle in early June? It's hard to watch him not do well. My husband died last year and l'm sad that he can't help because he would have known what to do or at least what was going on. I'm glad l can reach out to you..you've helped me before.
I’m so sorry to be getting back to you too late, after you’ll already have left on your trip. But it sounds like you’ve done all I would have suggested for your bee (and more, by finding such a good plant for it)! With temperatures that warm, I don’t see why your bee would be so sluggish, unless he or she (probably she) was suffering from an unseen malady, or near the end of their natural life. You can get a sense of a bee’s age from looking at the edges of their wings closely: if the edges look ragged, it’s a definite sign of advanced age in a bee. Foraging bees also wear themselves out rather quickly with their intensive lifestyle, so a month is a typical worker bee’s lifespan. Bumble bees (and other bees) also suffer somewhat commonly from internal parasites, so it could be something like that, or even a bee virus or an unseen physical injury of another kind. Lavender is a great bee plant, what a good idea to get a potted one locally for your bee! With its strong fragrance, it’d be easy for a bee to realize it’s near, and to walk up a stem (if unable to fly) if it feels the need for nectar. Though it sounds like your bee wasn’t hungry, as your bee would have responded to the sugar water otherwise. It’s always hard to see any bee (or other creature) not doing well, but it’s very kind of you to have given your bee such thought and care, providing a safe place to rest with food nearby. 🐝💛
Hiya, just got into savings bees by the pool a month ago. Tried most of what you've recommended here but have a specific question. If it's a chilly, overcast day and i find a wet bee (from rain or rescuing out of the pool), will letting her chill on my warm hand be better for her than chilling on a flower? Thanks in advance!
Great to hear you’re rescuing bees! Yes, if it’s a chilly and overcast day, any warmth will be welcomed by a recovering bee, and they’ll definitely warm up faster by soaking up some of our body warmth, as opposed to sitting on a chilly flower on a cold, overcast day. For folks who aren’t afraid of bees, it can be a lovely experience to bee close and observe a bee while they warm up on us 🐝🥰
I found a bee lastnight looking disoriented climbing through the grass. It climbed onto my sleeve and I left it on a windowsill with some sugar water. Which it did drink. It was windy and rainy so I kept it over night in a shoe box. Today it still seems very disorientated, it is endlessly climbing over leaves and cut flowers but it won't fly. Any advice would be much appreciated?
I would try putting your bee outdoors in direct sunlight (or if there's no sun today, moving her enclosure into a warm room first this morning). The warmer your bee is, the more active she should become. Often a bee simply needs to be warmer to have enough energy to fly.
I found a bee on my patio that wasn’t moving today at lunch. I gave it some sugar water and it drank it all up, but hasn’t really moved a lot. It has had some cut flowers and gets really excited at the pollen but just kind of sits there and doesn’t move. Its bum is going up and down (we think it’s a queen as it has a white fur bum) so I know it’s alive, and when I move the flower it moves but it’s been very still. I’ve brought it in for the night and put it in a box with leaves and air in the window sil. I’m worried if I take it to flowers near by tomorrow it will get lost (fall off a flower or something) and I won’t know if it survived or needs more help. Do I need to wait for it to get more active with sugar water etc till I release it again? How long is it allowed to be away from its other bee colony before the colony dies?
If your bee is particularly large, it may well be a queen bumble bee, but if it’s more normal-sized, it may well be a worker (given the time of year, I’d kind of imagine it is a worker, unless you’re having a very late spring)? Although I’m less familiar with UK bumble bee species, there’s a good identification guide here; workers often also have white bums: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/learn-about-bumblebees/species-guide/ Tomorrow (or today I think, when you read this) I would see if your bee starts becoming more active in sunlight (though given your rainy forecast, sunlight may be a bit iffy). Even with occasional rain showers, I would still try setting your bee out tomorrow once the day begins warming up. I know it’s not so very warm there, but it’s definitely warm enough for bumble bees. You might also try first warming her up in her enclosure in a warm room indoors, to give her a bit of a boost of warmth before setting her out. If yours is a queen bumble bee, and if she also has noticeable pollen collected on her hind legs, then it’s definitely important that she return soon to her colony (queens do all the foraging when they first establish their colonies for the season, before handing off foraging tasks to worker bees for the rest of their lives, remaining in the colony thereafter). If she is a worker bee, definitely the sooner she returns, the better, but the colony does not depend on a single worker bee. Hopefully she’ll perk up once she’s warmer! As she warms up, she should become more active, beginning by cleaning herself, and often then doing some “test buzzes” with her wings before readying herself to fly. Once she’s warm enough, she should become able to navigate without falling. I’d ensure you release her in roughly the same spot you found her, to make sure she’s able to get home safely!
I found a honey bee outside in the rain. We thought it died, brought it inside in a cardboard box. It’s moving now that it’s dry and warm, We also gave it sugar water but now it’s wobbling around and keeps flipping over. Any advice?
I’m very sorry to hear about your bee. If your bee keeps falling over onto her back, it’s sadly a fairly strong sign that she may be experiencing health issues beyond the help of any sugar water solution (there could be a number of reasons, including ailments unrelated to the rain, or simply too much time being soaked, if she was fully drenched). If this is the case, then you’ll at least be giving your bee a safe place to live out her final moments. Time will tell though, as she may improve drinking sugar water and continuing to dry out. I’d probably keep her overnight in a cooler room (unless she shows signs of buzzing her wings and readying for flight). I think by morning it’ll be clear if she’ll be able to pull through.
Im finding quite many dead bees in my weekend house trapped inside while running from the cold. Is there any sort of support I can leave inside for them to live until next time I come back to the weekend house? Water with sugar? There might be 5 days in between my visits.
Possibly sugar water might keep them alive in the interim, but it might also encourage further bees into your home while you’re away. Ideally, it’d be good (if it’s at all possible) to find where they’re coming in, and block that entry point, since they’re so much better off drinking nectar (sugar water is more of an emergency food, but bees can come to rely on it if they find an easy source of it).
My wee bee has had some sugar water, actually fell into it for a wee bit but try now, keeps wriggling about. Tried to put it on a flower but it had little energy then brought it inside and now in a cardboard box. I’m scared it’s been poisoned! What do you think I should do?
I’m very sorry that I was unable to reply sooner. I hope your bee was able to feel more energetic with time. Typically, sugar water and warmth do the trick. If a bee is still not responding several hours later, it can be a sign of other ailments beyond our ability to help.
Hi, last few years there was/is a bees nest (sorry I don't know the correct terminology) in our apartment building next to our kitchen. This year I keep finding dead/half dead bees in my kitchen even although I don't open the window now as I have cats. Clearly they are getting in via a hole somewhere (it's an old building). I have managed to save a few however is there anything I can do to dissuade them coming in ?
Are these honey bees, I’m guessing? If they’re living inside a wall next to your kitchen, then it’s going to be very hard not to end up finding bees on occasion, as you are. The only real way to dissuade them would be to find where they’re coming into the kitchen, and block that. Sometimes people can hear buzzing inside walls when nearest the bee colony, which can help locate them more precisely. A local beekeeper might then be able to relocate the colony safely.
She is a queen but moving now Rawlings slowly around , not flying ( I did see her fly earlier before she remedied to be not so well Given her sugar water in saucer which she paddled in She’s dried off now and wings look ok long legs propelling her around A lot more active now that before as at one I thought she was dead I don’t think the flowers here have pollen, have offered her 3 types but no I have Welsh poppies , columbines and some small geraniums but she’s refused them when I put them to her in the saucer she’s climbed out now and in shade by a pot
I don’t really know what else to do for her except keep her safe I usually find them on the grass and move them to the side but this one was centre on the patio where anyone could tread on her so I moved her to safety
I apologize for being unable to reply sooner, but it sounds as though you’re doing all the right things for the bees you find! When a bee is sluggish, they often benefit from a quick sugar water boost (and they definitely benefit from being moved out of areas where they might be stepped upon)! Pollen is less important at such times (it’s most often protein for young bees). Moving bees you find onto nearby flowers (especially ones in direct sunlight) where you often see other, similar bees is another way to help them quickly.
I found your website today while looking for answers. Last night, just before te sun was setting, a bee sat on the stones of our terrace. We have a big garden with flowers but it just sat there. I didn't know what to do. Eventually offered water, with sugar, then a few flowers and even honey, but she didn't want anything. When I approached, she held her paws up to me, as if to hold me back. So I put a bucket over her (with an opening) so she'd be safe. Next morning she was still there. I waited until I saw other bees flying around and then went and put her in the sun. Within less than a minute, she flew off.
Now, the next evening, it's already dark (11PM over here right now), and I hear a buzzing outside. There she is, seemingly trying to get in, flying up and down our window.
We read that you have to keep her safe from the cold, so: catch her and put her in a box inside for the night? And let her out in the morning? But what I really don't understand is: why??
We think she's a ground bee (not sure what the English word is), she's pretty black with an orange 'ass'.
I've never seen such behaviour, so not sure if I should do anything or not. Right now it's 12 degrees Celcius outside, and it'll go down to about 10°C.
Not sure if you can help (or if you even need to), but I thought, you never know... :-)
Apologies for my late reply! If you see a bumble bee raising his or her middle legs at you, it’s bumble bee meaning something like “buzz off” / “you’re too close”! They use those leg signs with one another too. As for keeping a bee overnight, that’s only something to do if your bee is clearly struggling (soaked with water, or so cold as to be unmoving in an unsafe spot). Then it can be helpful to bring them in overnight (still keeping them in a similarly cool and dark area) so that predators don’t find easy prey in them. Bumble bees (and especially queen bumble bees) can handle quite low temperatures too; their danger point is around -4°C! Still, they do need shelter from frosts when it’s very cold, and occasionally need our help (a bumble bee is only ever about 45 minutes away from starvation, so if flowers are not abundant, they also risk running out of energy). It’s kind of you to care about your bees there! 🐝💛
Firstly, thank you for your work and sharing your knowledge and advocating for the bees! I’ve found your website to be very informative so far.
I found what I believe is a male carpenter bee struggling about 8 hours ago. He was on the ground and part of one his middle legs was missing and one of his smaller wings is missing. He can’t fly though he tried and can’t walk very well- unbalanced and weak on one side. I put him in a little enclosure and tried to give him a little sugar water on a paper towel, on a qtip, in a flower, and in a droplet in front of him but he hasn’t taken any.
He has seemed to show a little interest in some of the flowers I gave him that had other bees congregated around it, but didn’t seem able to get his little tongue into the flowers. He also likes to crawl around on my hand. I have him in an enclosure with sticks, a toilet paper roll, leaves, and flowers. He’s much weaker now and I worry that he’s not getting enough energy due to lack of sugar water interest. I also presume he’s sick or experienced an injury causing his current state.
I hope he will pull through as Daniel’s carpenter bee did for a few months in the story I read. Is there anything else I can be doing to keep my little bee friend comfortable and nourished?
I am so sorry that I haven’t been able to reply sooner, and I’m even more sorry to hear about your bee friend. It sounds as though he was attacked by something (a bird, perhaps)? It’s so kind of you to provide a safe place for your him, and to try to help him recuperate as best he can, given the situation. I remember Daniel soaking a piece of watermelon in sugar water (which you’ll have read about), and to my surprise that worked well for his bee. Touching the tip of an antenna with sugar water can also sometimes help. But if he’s not responding at all when his tongue is near sugar water, chances are he’s choosing not to feed, owing to the extent of his injuries and how he feels as a result. Do let me know if he’s still with you 💛🐝
If you find a bee walking around late at night near a pool, it can be a good idea to move the bee a short distance away, to help avoid them falling into the water. Butt and leg wiggling is perfectly normal!
I found a male carpenter bee on my garage floor three days ago. He cannot fly, doesn't move around a lot, and isn't interested in sugar water. I am guessing he is nearing the end of his life. He has been living on smooth hydrangea flowers that I cut from my neighbor's bush. Unfortunately, a storm last night blew all of the flowers off their hydrangea bush. I would purchase cut flowers from the florist, but I am concerned about high pesticide levels. Any ideas on how to provide the bee with a safe source of pollen?
I apologize for my late reply, which almost certainly is too late to be helpful. I agree that it sounds like your bee was injured and nearing the end of his life (only if there’s no obvious injury, is it a good idea to move a bee into direct sunlight for awhile to see if they improve with warmth). As for finding other bee-friendly plants, I would avoid florists for sure, owing to likely pesticide exposure. Also cut flowers have no nectar once they’re cut (the hydrangea flowers you cut would have kept their nectar for some number of hours after cutting). Ideally, source bee-friendly plants from another neighboring garden or a garden center that specifically sells pesticide-free bee-friendly flowering plants. Sometimes soaking something in sugar water (a q-tip, a paper towel, or even a piece watermelon) can help encourage feeding. Nectar is the primary energy source for adult bees (pollen is mostly collected for their larvae as protein). But if you ever were to wish to source safe pollen, I’d contact a local beekeeper. Pollen is also sold in health food stores, but any pollen that’s not fresh (or frozen) loses so much nutritional benefit that it’s not suitable for bees any longer.
Suite à un essaimage, un apiculteur est venu chez moi, à coupé la branche avec l essaim et a laissé une poignée d abeilles Elles sont depuis 8 jours sur le tronc d un petit pêcher, comment les aider, je n'ai pas de ruche,j habite en ville, j'ai mis de l eau à côté mais là les températures baissent, je ne voudrais pas qu elles meurent, merci d'avance
My apologies for replying too late for my response to be useful, though I sadly don’t think there would have been a way to help these bees in any case. It’s important for honey bees to swarm together, since each worker depends upon the queen bee within their colony. So the beekeeper should have ensured he collected all the bees.
There are ground bees in a nearby school yard, and read somewhere scientists are asking ‘citizen scientists’ to help with data, in regard to the bees disappearing due to habitat loss.
I apologize for my late reply. Ground bees are lovely to see around this time of year! And if you have not already found some resources, here is a link to citizen science projects (with a couple of these being specific to ground nesting observations): https://savebees.org/resources/#main=.citsci&geo=.us
This is not a question but just a thanks. We had a little Bee who wouldn’t fly after being offered food. It was quite cold here and there was no sun, so we followed your advice and brought her into the house where she warmed up instantly and just flew away. It was awesome!
I Found an unmoving honey bee in my sisters car. It’s been very hot here so I assumed it was dead from the heat. When putting it in a small container for my science teacher (she’s on a lookout for animals to show in class) it moved its legs slightly. I’ve been feeding it sugar water but she was completely unmoving so I had to put a droplet like, right next to her face. Is it possible for a bee to get heatstroke or something of the sort? Also, I’m not sure where she If from, how do I release her without knowing?
I really apologize for replying so much later than is helpful. Yes, a bee can be overheated, though honey bees are pretty good with hot temperatures (they keep their hives around 95°). But the interior of a car gets so much hotter, so I’d imagine that she was very near the end of her life already when you found her. And yes, it would be hard to release a honey bee without knowing where she’s from, since she’d wish to return to her own hive. It’s kind of you to have cared 💛🐝
I found a large bumblebee drowning in a metal barrel. I fished it out and placed it in a flower pot and gave some sugar water. It didn’t the night under the paper towel but its wings are still wet. It was colder last night and no sun today. I’ve placed her in a shoebox with holes, sugar water, rosemary and other flowering plants that they were on. I have them inside where it’s warm. I have not handled her - she crawls on the paper towel. What next? Will she eventually dry off or did she get too cold last night?
I’m so sorry to replying so much later than is helpful. In case you find other bees in the future (especially large bumble bees), the answer is that it can take quite awhile (hours or even a couple of days, depending on how wet/cold they were and how warm/sunny it is) for them to dry fully and be energized ready to fly again. Bees will eventually dry off once they warm up enough, but they may need an energy boost in the meantime (which you provided with the sugar water and flowering plants). Occasionally, if bees have been immersed in water for too long, they may be unable to pull through, but it sounds like you gave her all the best chances 🐝💛
I found a carpenter bee on my step yesterday at 6pm. I took it home and gave it sugar water. It had some but I had to hold it next to the bee's face. It has been warm and had more sugar water today. It moves its legs a bit but has not moved that much at all. Is there anything else I can do? I don't want this buddy to die.
Does your bee respond to direct sunlight? Or maybe it’s not been sunny? Typically bees are lethargic when they’re cold, but if they’re indoors in a warm room they should become more active, unless they’re wet from rain (bees take awhile to dry out). Do you see any visible damage? Has your bee tried cleaning itself? Your weather forecast looks nice and warm tomorrow. I hope that once your bee is well warmed, it’ll perk up.
Unfortunately the bee did not make it =( I can't tell if there was any damage to the bee.. but this morning when I checked on the bee I saw that it passed.
It appears I have a carpenter bee. Should I assume that what would help a bumble recover would also help a carpenter bee recover?
It's 48° and 7:34 pm currently. So too cold for it to go out. Also, how do I know whether it's a male or female and how might that effect my care of it?
Sorry for my late reply, though I'm guessing you still have your bee? Male carpenter bees in your part of the country have a distinctive large, light yellow patch on their faces, whereas females do not. Though either way, their care is the same. And yes, the same things that help bumble bees recover will also help carpenter bees recover. Your weather forecast looks pretty good from a bee's perspective for this time of year, so I'd imagine that once it's sunny and warmer, your bee will fly off when released (if he or she hasn't already). Make sure to release your bee near to where you found him or her, as that's important whether bumble or carpenter 🐝💛
Move your bee’s enclosure somewhere cool (even cold), it’ll slow your bee down so that your bee will realize it’s not time to go out. It may take some several minutes but it’ll definitely calm them down soon.
I don't know what your weather forecast is like, but definitely good to try your bee outdoors once it's at least in the mid-50s, near to where you found them. It may take your bee a little time to warm up and fly off, but they'll for sure want to be on their way once the weather is decent and there are flowers for them!
Hi! I live on the east coast in central Pennsylvania. Last Monday, was a terribly wet and chilly day. I found a bee lying on its back. After reading some info on your site, I went back to pick it up and brought it inside. I followed your tips, revived the bee, now named Tuna. The bee is doing great, and I have been eagerly awaiting an improvement in the weather to set him or her free. While the daytime temps are hovering between 50-74 degress, the night time temps are anywhere frm 36-57 degrees, with the highest night time temperature taking place a week from today (Monday, 4/14/2025). Additionally, any advice on making a comfortable habitat for Tuna would be welcome. He or she is currently living in a shallow, clear plastic dish with a paper plate taped over the top, holes punched in it to allow oxygen flow and sugar-water soaked cotton-tipped sticks for feeding. Thank you so much for your time, help, and all that you do to help novices like me!
That's great to hear that Tuna is doing well with your help (she'll almost certainly be a "she" at this time of year, definitely if she's a large fluffy bumble bee)! I just took a look at your general weather forecast. You're right that the highs and lows are all over the place! It looks like your nighttime lows should improve this Thursday, after possible snow flurries the day before. I'd suggest waiting until lows are above 40°F before releasing her, but I'd also be guided by her behavior (I'd imagine she'll be eager in a way to begin her life outdoors foraging and nesting, once the weather improves)! Bees can handle occasional freezing temperatures, but only if they find adequate shelter to protect them from frost. Similarly, they can handle rain so long as they're able to find shelter first. When they're really cold though, they can't move at all, which is one of the biggest dangers they face in uncertain weather. Since she's doing so well with you, I'd aim to try her outdoors Thursday or Friday (unless your forecast changes), since it looks like more favorable bee weather from that point on. In terms of what to add to her environment, anything natural such as leaves, twigs, small rocks, that sort of thing (probably not cut flowers, since they lose their nectar so fast once cut). Just basically natural objects of interest for her to clamber over or under (bees don't usually try to fly until they're well-warmed up). It's so good of you to have rescued your poor bee and revived her (it's never a good sign when they're on their backs)! 🐝💛
Hi! I found a bumblebee on the road, it looked tired but moved her legs a little when I tried to scoop her. I took her inside my house and gave her sugar-water but she didn’t drink any. Still, when I touched her it would move a little. I put her in a shoebox to warm up. Anything else I can do? Or do I just wait a night for it to hopefully recover? Thank you!
She’ll be fine tonight, just place her enclosure somewhere cool tonight (low 50s or similar). Tomorrow once it begins to warm up, I’d take her outdoors to warm up naturally, near to where you found her and ideally also near some bee-friendly flowers. You might try her with a drop of sugar-water again tomorrow as she’s warming up, though she may prefer flowers if some are nearby and you gently move her onto one!
I found a bumble boy in a cold puddle today. It's spring but it's cold. There's no other bees around and ita so rainy I scooped him up and breathed on him and he responded
I'm going to try to keep him tonight and bring him back tomorrow or when the weather improves but he's just so tired!
Sounds like a good plan! Your weather forecast is kind of iffy, but Sunday looks like it might be a good day to try releasing your bee. Do let your bee be your guide, sometimes they really wish to get going once they warm up a bit. But if it's cold and rainy, some time to dry off and warm up with you should help! Just make sure to keep your bee's enclosure somewhere cool at night, so your bee doesn't think it's time to go too soon. There's some information on my 1st Aid page here, sharing thoughts on keeping bees in temporary habitats. Lows above 40°F and highs above 50°F should be fine for your bee outdoors, so long as there are some decent breaks in the rain (and ideally some sunlight too). The closer to 55°F (or higher), the better!
I'm worried about this bumblebee we found. It's getting to sunset so brought it in and tried giving it some sugar water. It did seem to get better but gone sluggish again. It's moving it's legs now and then but doesn't seem to use it's tongue much? Its mainly just waving its "hand" at the moment. We got no idea what we're doing and just want to try and help it. Considering as you wrote to keep it over night
Your bumble bee is probably simply cold, and that explains her sluggishness. If by waving her "hand" you mean raising a middle leg, that's bumble bee language for feeling as though something is too close, within their own little space (they use the gesture with one another to mean "back off" a bit)! Since it's late where you are, I'd keep her overnight somewhere cool, and not worry too much about her being sluggish since it's night time anyway. In the morning, hopefully you'll have some sun in which she can "bathe" in the warm rays. It can take them several hours to warm up fully! You might try her again with the sugar-water mix in the morning.
Yea it does seem to get better when in a hand. Wiggling the butt a little bit. Made it a ventilated box with grass, a rock, twigs and flowers (yes ik they're pointless but still) for overnight. Waving hand as the top bit of front leg "waving". But yea cleaned it off as mention in a past post with some lukewarm water since it fell into some sugar water. But yea it's not really clinging on or walking but just laying, moving it's legs and sometimes it's bum.
I found a honeybee in my room yesterday that was being terrorized by my cat. Its wings were fine and he was walking around (albeit clumsily and slowly). Also I'm not sure if it's a male or a female.
But I gave it some sugar water and moved it to a safe place before realizing that he may be cold.
We took him inside last night into a small terrarium with flowers and other outside items and while he was buzzing a bit this morning it is still quite sluggish staying stuck in a flower. I gave it small drops of sugar water and saturated a paper towel as well.
Do you have sunny weather today? Typically, bees continue to be sluggish if they are feeling too cold. Honey bees in particular really love to be quite warm before they're very active, and they love bathing in the sunlight in order to warm up. So if you have some sun today, try putting the terrarium open to the air in direct sunlight outdoors. If you don't have sun, try warming up your bee well indoors by putting the terrarium in the warmest room in the house and waiting awhile. Buzzing is already a good sign this morning! Oh, and if it's a honey bee, she's definitely female at this time of year.
I found a lethargic bumblebee in my house, no idea how long they were trapped inside. I let them out on a cold rainy day and went about my usual business. Several hours later I went to the spot outside and saw the bee still there, not moving. I brought them back in and made a little habitat, gave sugar water, some leaves and some paper egg carton for some contoured terrain. After some time they've been revived, slowly at first but eventually buzzing around and very active. So it's been very cold here, 50's in the day and low 40's at night. I've had the bee now for 3 nights, going into the 4th day, I very much want to let them go but I worry about their chances. Is it better to let it go or should I keep it in captivity until it's warmer? The weather won't improve into the 60's for another 3 days. Keep it inside and warm or let it go in the warmest part of the afternoon? Thanks!
OK, duh, I should have read the other posts, they are so similar. The next few nights the forecast says the lows will stay in the 40's. Not great but I think putting the habitat open outside when it's warmest is the way to go. If they fly away then I'll leave it to nature. If not then back inside to wait and try again tomorrow.
Yes, it's the time of year for cold wet bumble bees! I'd do as you've written, put the habitat open outside in the warmest part of the day tomorrow. If you do end up with your bumble bee for another night, just keep the habitat somewhere cool so that your bee quiets down naturally for the night 🐝💛
I apologize for my late reply. Is your bee still around? Sometimes, in early spring, walking is the best bees can do (especially for recently emerged bumble bee queens). They may not be able to get lift off simply owing to being too cold, rather than it being an issue with their wings. That said, if you do see a missing wing, that's very sad news for your bee. Other than taking care of them for their natural lives, there's no way to repair wing damage, so I hope that's not the case.
I rescued a bee from the rain this morning and it’s cold, I put her inside in a container on a paper towel with a little bit of sugar water. One of her antennas is moving so I think she’s resting. Is there anything else I need to do?
It looks like your weather will be improving over the week, though the next two days (even if sunny) have lows below freezing, which isn't great from a bee's perspective. Naturally, she'd try hiding out somewhere dry and frost-free until the weather improves. You might hold onto her until lows are above freezing and highs are nearer to 50°F. If you do choose to keep her for a few nights, make sure her ventilated enclosure is somewhere cool and dark at night. Place some natural objects in with her to give her places to cozy up. If you leave sugar-water in her enclosure, make sure she won't fall into it accidentally (a small bit of paper towel in a tiny dish will allow her to drink more safely). If she gets very active during the day, she may wish to take her chances outdoors. Though she'll slow down again if she's placed in a cooler location for awhile. Bees don't do well flying in the rain, but they can handle intermittent showers well enough, and in a couple of days it looks like you'll have warmer (if rainy) weather, so you could try setting her outdoors near where you found her around Wednesday, to see if she decides to fly off. Otherwise it looks as though you'll have better weather on Sunday, so that she can bask in the sun to warm up. Once she's warm enough, she should fly off!
I found a struggling honey bee yesterday and followed the instructions here to see if I could help it. She seemed to be struggling and kept falling, not really flying. (It was 47degrees.) She didn't drink when I gave her a sugar/water solution. So I grabbed a large mason jar with a sprouting lid and brought her inside. She must have been cold because after a few moments she was flying and buzzing. It's been cold and rainy over here and I'm concerned about letting her go when it's still cold. It's been half a day. (I found her last evening while I was in the yard.) How long can I safely keep her indoors (in a 64 oz jar turned sideways) and how warm should it be outside before letting her go?
I believe I found my answer by reading others questions. I can keep her for a week and release her when the temperature reaches around 54 degrees, right? Also, what happens if she did fall in the sugar water when I first attempted to feed her?
Honey bees are a little less cold-tolerant than bumble bees, so yes I'd wait until it's closer to 55°F before trying her outdoors. Though if you've sunny weather, she may warm up sufficiently by simply basking, even if it's a bit colder that day. Honey bees are such social creatures that it'd be good to give her the opportunity to get back to her hive sooner. One possibility is to warm her up well first on a sunnier day, then release her at the warmest part of the day, very close to where you found her. If she's fallen in sugar-water, she'll typically be able to clean that off herself once she's warmed up and become active. Though if her wings seem stuck together such that she can't fly as well, then that becomes an issue, but it sounds like that's not the case (though if it were the case, dropping the tiniest bit of slightly cooler than lukewarm water on her wings can help loosen that up, such that she can they clean herself up the rest of the way... but typically, it's better for them to clean themselves up whenever they're able to do so).
Hi. Tommorow we have +15' C, and now we have -2'C. And in my window fly bumblbee. A get it sugar and water, but we will have this terrible -2'C next week . How can I help the bumblebee for a whole week? Now he is in a glass jar with sugars water. And there is snow outside.
That's quite a swing in temperatures! I'm guessing this is a particularly large bumble bee? I say that because your bee is likely to be a young bumble bee queen emerging from hibernation, given the time of year. She may have thought it was early spring when it warmed up, only to realize it's now below freezing and snowy. I think naturally she wouldn't make it, having emerged from hibernation too early. But you may be able to keep her alive indoors, so long as you keep her enclosure in a relatively cool spot that approximates outdoor temperatures, not dropping below maybe +5°C or so. If you keep her enclosure somewhere that's too warm, she'll become very active and want to fly in search of flowers. But she won't need much sugar-water if she's not expending energy, so keeping her somewhere cool (that's not freezing) will naturally keep her in a waiting attitude for better weather. Put some natural objects in the jar or box, things like twigs and leaves that she can crawl on and under. If you leave sugar-water in there, make sure that it's not easy for her to fall into it and get sticky accidentally (a piece of paper towel in a tiny bottle-cap type dish would work, then she can still drink from that if she needs). Keep her in a darker cooler spot at night, and a brighter but still cool spot during the day, this way she won't get confused but will continue to conserve her energy, thinking that she's waiting for a sunnier day. With you, she'll be safe and protected for the week. Let me know if I can help any further!
Help ! I have a new bee friend called Tobee who I found out side my home and he was soo weak, I brought him in and gave him sugar water and a flower and a safe warm dry place to rest but he's still not improving... I don't know what else to do, it's been 24 hours and I don't know how else to help him but he's still alive and I'm still hoping! Any advice on how to help my lil guy is much appreciated!
That's such a cute bee name! Does your bee happen to be a particularly large, fluffy bumble bee? I'm not sure what part of the country you're in, but looking at the general weather forecast over there, it looks on the colder side, but at least with upcoming sunny days. Are there any early spring flowers in the area? Did Tobee not perk up once warmed up in the daytime indoors? Usually bees become much more active as they warm up, but if they're very cold (or especially if they're also wet), it can be some hours before they become more lively. It'd be good to know how Tobee responds to basking in direct sunlight, but it may be a day or two yet before that's possible. I'd continue to keep Tobee in a cool, dry, safe place at night. During the day, offer a little sugar water from time to time (though Tobee may not need much, if not moving around much). On the first day of more sun, I'd take Tobee outdoors in the morning, into direct sunlight (offering more sugar-water too). So long as daytime temperatures are close to 12° C and there's direct sunlight, I'd hope Tobee would feel energized enough (given some hours in the sun, plus more sugar-water if desired) to fly off. Nighttime temperatures as low as 4°C should be fine too. If Tobee still seems lethargic even when in sunlight and fed, then there may be something else amiss, but I hope warmth and sun revive your bee friend soon!
Hi thanks so much for replying! More information here, Donegal, ireland is where I am ! It's sunny but not overly warm but it is windy ! I took Tobee out for sunlight and the wind nearly blew him away so I have him back inside as he seems so fragile :( he's actually small compared to other bees I've seen around and I've placed dandelions beside him as well as the suger water so he has both close by... I can keep him inside until he gets better or stronger as I'm unsure if he's strong enough be outside with the wind at the minute, hoping he'll perk up soon, I'm already so attached to my new lil friend x
Aww, I hope Tobee perks up too! Looking at your forecast, it'll be windy through Sunday, before letting up. You're right in thinking that windy conditions are not at all helpful for a bee that's struggling (bees already find strong winds difficult). Is Tobee a small fluffy round-ish bee then (like a bumble bee worker), or thinner, longer, and less fluffy (like a honey bee)? Although Tobee might be another kind of bee too! You should be able to keep Tobee sheltered through the weekend, so long as you keep the enclosure somewhere cool and dark at night. Dandelions are good bee flowers, though like all flowers, once they're cut, they'll lose their nectar over time. I've sometimes placed a few drops of sugar-water directly on the cut flower, since that seems a more natural place to find food. I hope Tobee begins to be more active in the daytime, with indoor warmth. The first behaviors one typically sees for a recovering, warming bee are cleaning behaviors, followed by 'test buzzes' of their wings.
A couple days ago I found a large bumble bee inside my house, at the window. I'm not sure how it got in. It couldn't really lift itself up when it tried to fly, so I put it in a container and gave it some sugar water, which I've seen it drink. Two days later, it seems to have more energy (is able to fly, and sometimes tries to get out of the container). I'd like to let it go outside but I'm afraid it won't survive... I'm hesitant because it is still pretty cold here (below 0 degrees C, snowstorm coming on Wed). I don't know how long it will be until we have steady, above zero temperatures. If I let it go on a sunny warmish day, is it possible it'll be able to go back into hibernation? Thanks!
Your weather forecast looks very cold, even for queen bumble bees who are accustomed to cold snaps in early spring. Though the really dangerous temperatures for bumble bees are around -4° C. As far as I know, they don't go back into hibernation once they've emerged. They will take shelter inside flowers to avoid rain/snow, or under leaf litter or logs to avoid frost. If it is sunny and warmish, I'd definitely try her outdoors in direct sunlight (so that she'll warm up more quickly). This way she can choose to leave if she'd like. Even if she doesn't go back into hibernation, she'll be free to find her own chosen spot in which hopefully to wait out the weather. In the meantime, I'd keep her enclosure in a cool place indoors day and night, so that she continues to sense that the weather is not yet good enough to be active outdoors. She'll move slowly when she's cold, and she won't need sugar-water often if she's expending little energy. Ideally your outdoor high temperatures would be closer to 10° C for her, with lows closer to 4° C.
Hi, i have found a honey bee drowning in water this evening, it was completely limp, but after some time observing, I saw a few breaths, so I have bought her in and warmed her up and fed her, now she is quite active. It is a dry night, but it is dark now, and I'm not sure whether I should keep her in over night, seemingly against her will, or let her go outside in the dark? Can she survive if the temp is down to around 7°c? Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
I really apologize for replying late. I think either way she'd be alright. Bees don't usually fly at night, but it depends on the bee, and a dry night is better for sure. 7° C is definitely right on the edge of a honey bee's temperature tolerance, but it'd likely be alright for a short-ish flight, if the bee was well-warmed and energized first. If you kept her overnight, I think she'd be fine too, likely flying off once it warmed the following morning. She'd just need to be kept somewhere cool and dark at night, so as not to keep wishing to fly off.
Hi! Long story short, I’ve taken a male carpenter bee in. We’ve named him Waldo. I found him extremely lethargic on my porch a few nights ago. The temperature had dropped and it was raining. He’s been staying in my garage at night in a makeshift habitat. We’ve left him outside everyday after dosing him with sugar water and dandelions. He buzzes around and flutters his wings but never flies off. Every sundown I check where we left him and he’s hidden himself under a leaf again and won’t move at all so I bring him back into the garage for the night and repeat the next day. I don’t know what to do with him at this point. I don’t want to hurt his chances of a natural life but the weather won’t warm up for a few more days. I finally heard one other carpenter bee out today and thought he might join him by flying away but he didn’t. Any advice you might have, we’d appreciate! I read Daniel’s story about Buzz Buzz and found it quite helpful! Thank you!
Hello! So I found a carpenter bee on my walk home from the store today. She (no white spot on the head) was curled up a bit with her legs spread out, seemed a bit ditzy as if she had hit something. But she was moving around with no visible injuries or damage to her wings or anything. I picked her up and brought her home (7pm about) gave her some sugar water which she drank happily, slowly cleaned herself, and then napped on my hand for about an hour before I put her in a small box with some grass and a couple of twigs. There's sugar water in a bowl for her but she doesn't move much at all, and if she does it's very slow and lethargic. I'm worried maybe something's wrong with her but I also know bees are diurnal and I found her later in the day so I'm hoping she's just tired. She's a common eastern carpenter bee so I'm not sure if you'd know anything about her or how to care for her better if at all.. I just wanna help her get better if I can so I can release her back to the world if possible.
Any advice, information, or tips would be greatly appreciated. 🥺
Hello! Small update this morning: I opened her box to find her hanging from the lid. I offered her some sugar water and she didn't want any, she's been crawling/sitting on my hand for an hour or so now. She responds to heat and perks up a bit when I blow some heat on her, but she's still very lethargic and seemingly disoriented, won't eat really. I don't believe there's any flowers out yet for pollen either. I have some pictures/videos if you'd like them as well.
I just looked at what I think is close to your weather forecast, and today definitely looks like a day to keep your bee indoors in her enclosure (and tomorrow isn't ideal for releasing her either). It looks like your weather will warm up significantly over the coming days though, before dropping down again (a little rain isn't too much to handle for bees, but they do need to find shelter for any serious downpours). Typically bees are lethargic simply because they're cold. She'll enjoy sitting and crawling on your hand in part because she'll feel warmer. A cold bee often takes several hours to warm up too, especially without direct sunlight for basking. I think once your weather warms up, she should perk up. I would take her back to the place you found her before releasing her, as they do go home at night (to their own familiar tunnels inside wood). It is a little concerning if there are no flowers about yet, but perhaps there are a few early-flowering plants soon to come, as your weather warms? In terms of caring for her in the meantime, I recently wrote up the story of a fellow who took care of a wingless carpenter bee long-term, and he found that his bee really liked a moistened paper towel soaked in sugar-water (and even watermelon chunks soaking in sugar-water). Here's that write-up I did here, in case it's helpful for tips while you and she await warmer days (and feel free to reply with pictures and short videos if you'd like!): https://savebees.org/thoughts/wingless-carpenter-bee
I have what I think is a bumble bee, she has list antenna and maybe part of her mouth, she isn’t buzzing. She’s friendly and has chirped up in the warm, I’ve given her sugar water, and some stones in a little dish in case she’d like a drink and keeping her warm, is their anything else I can do.
Sounds like you've given her a good place to wait out your wet weather. Make sure that her enclosure is somewhere cool at night, mirroring outdoor temperatures. Looking at your weather forecast, your daytime highs look pretty good bee-wise, though I don't know how much rain you're getting. I'm guessing she's a particularly large bumble bee (a queen recently emerged from hibernation). Queen bumble bees are better able to handle early spring weather, since that's when they emerge naturally. Hopefully you have some bee-friendly flowers nearby, perhaps early-flowering bulbs? I would set her enclosure outdoors tomorrow, and if there are any moments of sunlight in between rain showers, definitely put her where she can bask in the sun rays. That'll help her get buzzing more quickly! Alternatively, in the morning tomorrow, you could bring her into a warm room first before setting her outdoors.
We have about 12 bees that suddenly showed up in our screened in porch. I was advised that they would leave once they warmed up but they’re still there and don’t seem to be doing well. I tried giving the ones I could reach a sugar/water mixture that they did drink. There’s no door or window to leave open and I don’t want them to die. The temperature is going to drop to about 50° overnight. Is there anything I can do?
Are they all similar looking bees, perhaps honey bees? Honey bees are noticeably striped, without too much fluff on their bodies (compared to large fluffy bees like bumble bees). I'm just guessing they're honey bees owing to how many you have, but whatever kind of bee it is, they'll definitely need a way to get out (they may not be able to find the spot where they got into your screen porch). 50 degrees tonight should be fine for them survival-wise, but it's not warm enough to fly without sunlight on them too. Hopefully it'll be warmer and sunnier tomorrow? Maybe you could trap them under a glass (sliding cardboard beneath them), and take each bee outdoors that way tomorrow, once it warms up?
It's good to hear that your bee has had a small drink of sugar water. Her lack of movement is most likely simply owing to her being cold. I'd be inclined to keep her overnight in a ventilated enclosure placed in a safely frost-free but cool area overnight (a garage or other unheated outdoor structure, if one is available). If you'd like to read more, I've written up ideas for this situation here: https://savebees.org/how-to-help-revive-a-cold-or-wet-bee/#overnight
I have a Queen Bumble Bee that hasn’t moved much since I rescued it from outside where I live, about 90 minutes ago. I gave it sugar water which at first it fell into on its back. It did drink it for a few minutes but still hasn’t moved much. Do I need to wash the sugar water off it’s back/wings?
My apologies for not replying in good time, I wish I'd been able to do so. How is your bee today, if she is still with you? So long as she's warm enough, she'll be able to clean any sugar-water residue from her back and wings herself. However, if the sugar-water dries on her, it can make it hard for her to clean off, and in those cases, gently using a dropper of lukewarm water to give her as small of a "bath" as possible can help rinse any sticky residue from her. The main downside of the water is that it'll take her quite a bit longer to warm up and dry off afterwards. Also, bees breathe through holes in the sides of their body (that's why being immersed in water is so dangerous for them), so make sure it's just one drop at a time if you do think it necessary. Her wings would be of most concern, in terms of those moving freely. It looks like you have near-freezing nighttime temperatures with partial sun over the next week, with temperatures generally warming before a period of possible rain. I'd try putting her out in the sunlight as soon as it's possible to do so, since as she warms up, she'll become much more active and able to clean herself up more fully, and it's always good to give bees a choice as to when they leave. Wednesday and Thursday look like much better bee weather (bumble bee queens can take relatively low temperatures). Over the next few days though, she'd probably not be warm enough to move much, unless she was in direct sunlight. You might consider keeping her for several nights in a frost-free, cool-ish outdoor place (so as not to throw off her sense of the season, or cause her to use up energy thinking it's warm enough to forage) until the weather warms in a few more days.
This is a hard question to answer. Ideally there'd be some plentiful early-blooming spring bulbs such as irises, snowdrops, and the like to help bees make it through unseasonably warm snaps early in spring. If there are no such flowers there, you might try purchasing some at a nursery and scattering them as widely as possible. For the future (next year), it's good to try to plant (and encourage others to plant) flowering plants that are native to your area and that have either very early or very late blooming times. The longer we can extend the flowering season, the better for bees, particularly when weather patterns are becomings more unpredictable. Since bees get a variety of added micro-nutrients from flower nectar, it's not possible to set up "bee feeders" with sugar-water to help them out (even though sugar-water is helpful in emergencies, if an individual bee runs out of energy). It's very kind of you to care and try to help them!
I found a bee (not sure what kind) clinging to my patio wall. It was about 50 degrees and raining. I figured he was too wet/cold to fly home so I picked him up with some paper and moved him under the covered portion of my patio so he could dry off. There wasn’t any sun and as I said it was still really cold so I got some room temperature water and mixed a bit of sugar which he seemed to like. He perked up a bit and I continued to check on him every 20 or so minutes for the next couple of hours, leaving more drops of sugar water, but he still wasn’t moving much, so I put some leaves from my plants in a shoe box (after drying them off) and cut a small hole in the side so he could get out if he wanted. He stayed in it for the next few hours and still hasn’t left. Once the sun set I noticed he was moving less and less as the temperature dropped and it’s still raining. I was worried about the temperature, so I sealed the door i had made and poked small holes in the lid for air and brought him inside where it’s warmer. I live in an apartment so I don’t have a utility room or anything so he’s just in my living room. I gave him more sugar water just to make sure he has plenty. It’s now after 8 PM. I’m not sure if he’s injured or not and I haven’t heard any buzzing. Is there anything else I should be doing? When I check on him he’s just sitting there licking the leaf he’s on haha but he isn’t moving a ton.
Is your bee still with you? I've been traveling, so I apologize for replying late! As temperatures cool, bees naturally move around less, so it's not surprising that your bee seemed less perky after the sun set. The only reason to be careful keeping bees warm indoors overnight is that they may get very active being warmer, but it sounds like your bee wouldn't have tried to fly in their enclosure. If you haven't already tried, I would try putting your bee out in direct sun tomorrow if you have any, since that warms them up the fastest. One of the first things bees do as they warm up is to clean themselves thoroughly. If you watch them closely while they do this, you can more easily spot injuries to things like wings and legs. Most likely, your bee simply got caught out in the cold unexpectedly, and tried clinging to your wall hoping that it'd provide shelter enough until the sun hit the next day. A little sugar-water energy and warm sun typically does the trick, but depending on the bee, it may need to be at least 55° F (with sun) before they're able to be active and fly.
I saw a a fluffy bumble bee land near my garden window on the wall bit, I tried to offer a leaf with water but as the leaf got close it fly away.
Then Iv found in on the floor near garden door porch bit not moveing and legs curled tucked in, looks newly dead? Iv picked it up and with my hair strand let a tiny drop of sugar water touch its mouth, still no movement, iv keeped nearvwindow seal in sun, suns gone and iv put in tissue paper and innmy hand to see if my body heat warmth revives it, still no movement but i dont want to give up,
I am so sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been traveling. I'm afraid that when bees curl and tuck their legs under them all together, it's a sign that they have passed.
Hi, i found a bee on a cold pavement stone today, seemed dead at first but i breathed on it and it started walking toward me so i guessed it was cold. i tried moving it with a leaf to a flower bed and giving it sugar water but its not really moving much. it did do a little shiver or shake once. i left sugar water near it but tonight it will be about 5C so im wondering if its best to bring it in the house at 22C or leave it outside for the night? thanks
i left it in a box over night outside and i kept an eye on it but it didnt move much when i released it so i moved it again to some sunlight and it finally climbed onto a flower . its slow and possibly damaged from the garden being cut by my parents so i guess ill just keep an eye on it. more rain is on its way but i feel like i should just let it be since it is able to crawl. let me know if i should intervene anymore. thanks
I apologize for replying so late (I've been traveling). It sounds like you did the right thing, and I hope your bee was simply cold (more likely) rather than injured. Whenever sunlight hits them, bees warm up and are more able to move around and fly. In early spring during cold snaps, bees tend to choose spots in or around flowers (or even leaf litter) for shelter. It's good that your bee climbed onto a flower (which offers sheltering bees a good energy source as they slowly warm up). 5° C is too cold for a bee to move much, but not life-threatening. A warm house at 22° C would be rather confusing to a bee in early spring!
Have found. Bee . Very slow moving. Wings buzzing but no flying. Have put it in a plastic container with flowers in our garden with obviously no lid to clear box. Will this help?? No flowers around sadly. All leaves mainly.
I am so sorry for replying late (I've been traveling). I don't know if it was a large fuzzy bee (like a bumble bee), but if it was, it would have been a queen emerging early-ish from hibernation (before the flowers are blooming). Bumble bees can wait for some number of days conserving their energy, so long as early blooming flowers are not too far behind, and so long as they shelter in a frost-free area. Sugar-water can help tide them over in such cases, though it depends on how much energy they had to begin with, whether they need it. Buzzing wings are a good sign of energy! As soon as the sun hits them (even on cold days), they're able to begin moving more. I hope your bee was able to fly off.
Today I rescued a little bee from drowning it wasn't moving at all but I scooped it up with a large Ivy leaf. . Carrying it over to a Lavender bush where I placed it gently after 1 hr it started to move a little.. so I trued to give it a little syrup but it moved away from it indicating it wasn't interested ..
I observed it for about 2 hours.. gently picking it up if it happened to slip off the lavender leaf ..
As it was getting dark I had to leave it very concerned ..
My question to you is :
If I gathered it up and placed it on a bed of lavender soft leaves in a match box and took it inside for the night ..
Would this be okay or would it suffocate the little bee..
I apologize for replying late (I've been traveling). It's so good of you to have rescued your bee from drowning! To your question, I think a match box would be too small for most bees (though there are some very tiny bees out there in the world who wouldn't mind it). A shoe box is better for housing bees overnight in a frost- and predator-free spot, until they're more active again.
I found a bumble bee outside in the freezing cold on its back. I just had a feeling he was still alive so I brought him inside and he began to move. His back right leg seems to not be functioning properly and he keeps falling on his back. I have tried to feed him sugar water but he won't go for it. Just keeps moving around trying to get out. Is there anything I can do?
I just took a look at your weather forecast... those are some swings in temperature, my goodness! Not a good time for what I'm guessing is a large-ish bumble bee emerging early from hibernation. There are two possible approaches to take. One is to try to get your bee back into hibernation, and the second is to house your bee (in an enclosure in a cool, frost-free area that keeps daytime/nighttime temperatures/light rhythms) until the weather is consistently better. But first off, your bee sounds in trouble if he or she keeps falling over, so let's start there. Move your bee's enclosure into a warmer room. Yes, this will disrupt their natural cycles, but since they're in trouble, it's worth it in this case. See if warmth helps your bee start to stay on their feet, ideally beginning grooming. I'm hopeful that your bee's leg issues are owing simply to being cold. If your bee is then able to stay on its feet after warming up well indoors (starting to be more active), I would again try offering just a drop or two of sugar-water (perhaps touched briefly to an antenna first, so the bee recognizes it as a food source). If your bee still can't stay on its feet, try taking some close-up photos or short videos and reply to this email so I can take a closer look!
I found a large bumblebee in the grass at the park, worried that she would be trodden on I put her on a leaf on a shrub. She was still there the following day and so brought her home, put her in an open container in the lean to against the shed with some leaves and hebe flowers . She made no attempt to fly so I gave her some sugar water. She was walking around my hand, that was almost two weeks ago and she has made no attempt to fly off, what do I do, it’s lovely seeing her every day but she isn’t moving around as much but still moves when she is on my hand?
It sounds as though you've found a young queen bee who's awoken early from her winter hibernation.Good to hear there are some early-flowering bee-friendly plants in the area, hebe would be a good flower source for her. I'm not surprised that she hasn't flown off though, as especially large bees like her need a lot of energy to get going. Is she able to walk easily to the hebe flowers from her spot against the shed? Cut flowers lose their nectar fairly fast. It looks like you won't get sun until the weekend, and it'll bring even colder weather, so I'm not sure she'll have energy for much walking anyway, without the sun to warm her first. Have you seen other similar bees flying lately? The other option is to try to get her back into hibernation, something I just described to someone else, so I'll include that here: if you have any easily dig-able (for a bee), loose-draining soil, with leaf litter above it (protecting from frost), ideally on a small mound or hillock (so that water doesn't pool) that is also north-facing (they choose north-facing so as to try to avoid awaking too early); these are the types of spots that bumble bee queens seek out naturally for hibernation. Though with the rain coming, she won't get far if ideal soil conditions like that are being drenched in rain. In which case, I'd keep her in a sheltered outdoor enclosure that will not freeze (and where there aren't ants or mice or such), checking on her from time to time and offering sugar-water, until the weather conditions are better. Naturally, if bees get caught out in weather conditions like these, they will try to find a place to wait out the rain and cold safely (inside closed flowers, underneath flowers or under logs or leaf litter). As soon as there's sun, I'd try placing her enclosure open to the warm rays, close by some bee-friendly flowers.
I found a bee upside down on my patio this morning in the fog and frost . I thought it was dead at first, when I went to pick it up a leg moved. I've brought it indoors this morning and it's had some sugar water and is more alert. Currently got it in a well ventilated box on my kitchen. Not sure what to do with it next, as its February it's very cold out there. If anyone can suggest what to do to keep it safe it'd be appreciated
Am I right in thinking this is a large, fuzzy bumble bee? If so, she'll be a young queen, awoken to early from her winter hibernation. Perhaps her spot underground received some unusual warmth lately, prompting her to emerge early. She probably used up much of her last stored energy out and about, before ending up on your patio, so it's good you've replenished that energy for her. I'm guessing that it's still too early there for the spring-flowering bulbs such as crocus? I think, given your weather forecast—and assuming the spring-flowering bulbs are still some time away—I'd be tempted to try to get her to go back into hibernation. If you have any easily dig-able (for a bee), loose-draining soil, with leaf litter above it (protecting from frost), ideally on a small mound or hillock (so that water doesn't pool) that is also north-facing (they choose north-facing so as to try to avoid awaking too early); these are the types of spots that bumble bee queens seek out naturally for hibernation. If it's possible, I'd keep an eye out for her in the following days, as given your cold temperatures, she won't be able to go far. Tonight I'd place her enclosure somewhere cool but sheltered from frost and rain, and then tomorrow—ideally if there's a little sun (and before the rain that's forecast)—try gently setting her out in a sheltered outdoor area, hopefully with soil conditions similar to what I described, and then check on her again in a few hours, later on in the day.
First off, my daughter is also named Elise! Second, it is super cold here right now. I found 1 bee in my bathroom this morning. He didn’t look good. Not sure if I accidentally stepped on him when I walked in the bathroom, but I feel so sad about it. Then about an hour ago I found 2 more in my bathroom and they looked way stronger, so I gave them sugar water and some flowers in a container under my grow light. Not sure what to do now! Help! Lol
If the stronger bees are buzzing around now, I’d probably let them back out. Odd that they’re suddenly appearing! Are they thinner striped bees (honey bees) or fluffy large bees (bumble bees)? Either way, if they’re very warm and look ready-to-fly, they might well have enough energy to get back to wherever they came from at this point. Let me know if you see any more, and what kind of bee you think they might be!
She has been eating and drinking. I saw her wings fluttering, but I don’t know if she can fly. This is day two but I am worried since I am not a expert.
Apologies for my late reply. Good to hear your bee has been drinking the sugar-water mix! Hopefully you've been keeping her in a relatively cool area, so that she doesn't get too confused about the difference between being indoors and out. As she warms up, you definitely may see her 'buzzing up' her wings without flying, that's normal behavior. It helps bees warm up, and also large bumble bees take quite a bit of buzzing before they're airborne. If she does start to buzz around her enclosure, definitely move her to a cooler spot. And keep her area dark as well as cool at night, mirroring the natural rhythms outdoors. The key to keeping her safe and healthy indoors over a period of days is mainly ensuring she doesn't warm up so much that she thinks it's time to go. It's also good to provide natural objects of interest in her enclosure. Your temperatures are super-cold though! Typically the earliest bumble bees shouldn't be emerging from hibernation until temperatures get above freezing with more sun. I wonder if she was awoken early as a result of her accidentally having chosen a spot to hibernate that warmed up early? Typically, in fall, young bumble bee queens choose northerly-facing spots to burrow into underground so that even if it's sunny early in the following year, they don't awaken too early accidentally, while there aren't any plants flowering. I don't think she'll be able to do well outdoors until your lows are above freezing, and until there are at least some bee-friendly early blooms. There are a number of tips I've included on my main 1st Aid page for keeping your bee overnight (which can be helpful even with a more extended bee stay indoors), but do feel free to reply with pics or further questions too: https://savebees.org/how-to-help-revive-a-cold-or-wet-bee/#overnight
We found a very drenched bumble bee under a flower, in a rainstorm, towards evening. Went through your checklist - a safe box, sugar water, she drank a bunch, dried her out under the lamp, but she’s still wet and lifeless. What more can we do overnight? Thanks xo
Apologies for replying later than might be helpful, I'm in a completely different time zone on the west coast of the U.S. To me, it sounds like she needs more time and warmth, especially if she's still wet as you mentioned. She won't really be able to get going again until she's dried off fully, which takes quite awhile at room temperature indoors (faster in direct sunlight). I'd imagine that this morning, she'll be in much the same state as you left her in. So long as she's still on her feet, but otherwise unmoving, I'd place her enclosure somewhere warm indoors to speed up the drying process (though I'd also keep a pretty good eye on her during that time). If it's sunny today, definitely put her outdoors in full sun near where you found her. Good that she at least drank plenty of sugar-water mix, so we know she's not starving now, and if she's not moving much, she won't be expending much energy currently either. It can be surprising to see just how much bees are affected by warmth... they can go from a seemingly lifeless state back to one of buzzing activity, simply by warming up. It can take several hours even in full sun though, especially after being drenched. Let me know if she continues to have trouble after she's well-warmed up!
Hi there, great website, I wonder if you could offer some advice. I found a big bee (around 20-30mm) on the floor in my back garden by the door, it wasn't moving and was quite wet. It has recently been freezing over night here, todays high was around 5c.
We took her inside and put her in a small open box with some sugar water, I don't think she drank any of it, maybe the tiniest bit, but she did warm up and dry her self then move around quite a bit, eventually was buzzing and trying to fly but unable to. Her wings look ok and not damaged.
That was around 12 mid day, I put her in a different box with a lid and cut a small hole on one side so that she could leave if she wished, I put some leaves and small twigs in the box then put her outside by a tree in the garden. I don't have any flowers in the garden and the tree has no leaves on it at this time of year. When I put her outside she was on one of the inside walls of the box, I've just checked on her about 3.5 hours later and she is still in the exact same place and doesn't look like she has moved at all.
It shouldn't freeze tonight the weather report says low of 3c over night and high of 8c tomorrow.
I'm not sure if I should bring her back in for the night or leave her out side?
It sounds like you've found a queen bumble bee who has emerged from her winter hibernation a little too early. I'm guessing you see no pollen collected on her hing legs? I'd be tempted to leave her box outside tonight since it's not going to freeze, and it's good to keep her in sync with the outdoor climate. Bumble bees that emerge early are still usually fine outdoors, even with cold snaps that include freezing temperatures... they just don't move much at all (as you've seen) when they're too cold. Your forecast looks as though you'll have overcast but slightly warmer weather next, followed by sunny and cooler weather (and then showers again later next week). Tomorrow I'd probably bring her indoors briefly in the morning to warm her up, and then set her back outdoors (in a fully open box) once the day is getting warmer (ideally in direct sunlight, but you may not get any of that). She may well need some energy soon too (in the form of flowers or sugar-water mix), depending on how much energy she's expended. Buzzing and trying to fly is relatively common in perfectly healthy queen bumble bees when they're cold... the buzzing itself helps them warm up, and I've often seen them trying to fly before they're fully able to do so (typically falling off flowers or plants in such cases, unharmed). If you know of any early-flowering bee-friendly plants in the area, I'd be tempted to take her to those tomorrow, after warming her up. Alternatively, I'd mix up a little sugar-water and touch a drop to her antennae, and place a single drop right in front of her, to ensure she has the option of an energy source (touching sugar water to antennae often helps them realize there's food on offer). She will need to find some seasonally early flowers soon though, so if you happen to know of any in the area, that'll help her out if you can take her there (my only caveat being if she already has pollen collected on her hind legs; if so, she has already tried to establish a new colony somewhere, and so she'd lose her bearings if taken to another location). Let me know if you have any more questions!
We have a bumble bee in our garden. It can’t fly and it doesn’t have a stinger. It’s very large but very lovely. And has come to us the last few days. We don’t know what to do to help it.
Leave a Reply to Hanna
Apologies for my late reply, I had some medical work yesterday. If your bee is still with you in your garden, is it not flying because there is some visible damage to its wings (or are the wings missing)? Or is it 'bumbling about' on the ground, walking here and there, and just not using its wings to fly? If you can send me a close-up photo of your bee in focus, that may help me to help you!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I rescued a bee from my pool yesterday and gave her some sugar water and let her dry off in a box overnight with some leaves and lavender. I’ve come down this morning and she seems a lot worse. She’s struggling to move and seems very weak, I’m not too sure how to help her. I’m also worried that I accidentally got sugar water on her yesterday and now she is sticky from it, I’m unsure if I am able to help her.
Leave a Reply to Emma
Owing to the time difference, I fear my reply may be too late, but I would definitely move her out into the sun (or if there's no sun, then somewhere warm) to see if she perks up. Often in bees, their weak and struggling behavior stems from being too cold. A bee that's not completely dry will also take longer to recover even in the direct warmth of the sun (remaining sluggish for some hours). If she did get any sugar-water on herself, her instinct will be to clean herself off (although if the sugar water dried on her wings, sticking them together, then a little drop of cooler-than-lukewarm water can help loosen the hold of the sugar-water on her wings so that she can finish cleaning them). Depending on how long she was in your pool, she may also sadly have taken on too much water during that time too (bees breathe through little openings along their sides, and so being immersed in water is very dangerous for them). I wish you and your bee well, I hope you had some sun and she was able to recover.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi. Found a bee on a wall. Thought it was resting. Still there next morning. Gave it sugar water. It was drinking it, crawling around. Today proboscus is out constantly. Bee is on back, appears to be dying. Anything I can do?
Leave a Reply to Si
I'm sorry to hear that, and you're right that being on his or her back with their proboscis sticking out is typically one of the last things bees do before dying. Other than keeping your bee from being torn apart alive by ants in their last moments, I don't think sadly that there's anything to be done. Has it been cold there lately, and was there any sunlight or warmth to be had on the wall? If it was warm on the wall, then there must have been something else wrong with the bee already, such as being near the end of their life, or perhaps internal parasites or even some kind of exposure to pesticides. One way to guess at the approximate age of a bee is to look at their wing edges; if these are tattered and uneven, then it's an older bee more likely nearing the end of their lives.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hey Elise, I often save bees that are drowning in the river where I go to have lunch during work every day. I normally get the bee out and leave them on a bit of wood in the sunlight to warm up. The sunlight will bring back bees that even look dead, but I notice sometimes they develop weird behaviours, like twitching or walking in a circle. I then feel bad and wonder if I'm torturing them instead of helping them! It's also difficult to have glucose or sugar on hand for them so generally I have no food for them. I try to give a source of shade if they start wondering around weirdly, but have I actually made their lives worse or better? Can they still recover if I give them shade soon enough?
Leave a Reply to Helen
Warmth and sunlight definitely revives bees well, and it's kind of you to be saving bees often from drowning in the nearby river! If there are bee-friendly flowers nearby (especially ones in the sunlight), you could try moving them gently onto the flowers too, in case they need nectar. Shade isn't typically helpful for bees, especially for bees that have recently been in water (it takes awhile for bees to dry out fully, and that's best done in direct sunlight). In terms of the weird behaviors such as twitching or walking in a circle, that's not a likely result of being immersed in water, but instead most often a sign of acute pesticide poisoning. Not that I'm trying to jump to that conclusion (I'd rather not!), but those behaviors are indicative of it (I've seen them myself, sadly, as well as read of them documented). There's unfortunately nothing one can do to help bees in such a case, much as I wish there were! A bee behaving in this fashion has more wrong with it than simply having fallen in the water, though they may have fallen in the water owing to being disoriented from whatever is also causing their behavioral symptoms.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a big bee fallen over on the sidewalk who seemed to be struggling so I moved her over and gave her some sugar water. She’s definitely perked up but she still hasn’t flown away and she’s seemed uninterested in the flowers I’ve placed her on so far. It looks like one of her wings is damaged but I might just be anxious. Could I send you a picture of her and you could tell me if I need to take her inside?
Leave a Reply to Shannon
She might still just be cold, but do send a photo (in reply to this email from my website) so that I can take a look at her closely!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
We had lots of bees out pollinating and then the weather went cold, that is when i cared for a few bees recently first a bumble bee that I did not think would come back, but it did, then shortly after another bumble. I see them hanging out together now! But I have seen no others. I brought back a honey be that i did not think would come back, but it did! Have not seet it around. Here is the thing, I have lots of flowers to pollinate, but there are no bees. I am very, very concerned with their absence! Is there hope? It is warmer now but still no bees. Well there is one other single bee that is making a little mud nest in a stone wall. (Working very hard) but very much alone. So dar anyway. Any thing positive that you could share? Thanks
Leave a Reply to Francie
That's very kind of you to rescue the bees you've been finding! Hopefully continued warmer weather will bring back more bees. It's concerning for sure, and there are a number of reasons for fewer bees, but it really depends on the location what those reasons may be. Weather extremes aren't helping for sure! I'm actually in the same position as you, but here on the other side of the U.S. I saw a good number of bees earlier this spring when we had unusually hot weather, followed by a steep drop-off after a cold snap, to the point now where there's plenty blooming and it's warming up, but I'm just seeing very few bees still. There are few people in my rural area, and no pesticide use that I know of, so it feels kind of surreal. I do think some bees are waiting for a longer burst of warm weather though, or at least I do hope so! I'd be interested to know if you see more bees after a brief period without them, do let me know. Is your location more rural or urban?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi there,
I noticed a bee hanging by a window and not moving much earlier but I had to leave however when I came back a few hours later, it was still there. I ended up bringing it inside and giving it some sugar water and greenery and put it in some sort of bug catcher thing. About 20 minutes later, it started moving and flying around again. I found your page and realized it was a honey bee and I should let it out so it can go back to its hive but when I tried to, it wasn't going. Should I just keep it inside overnight or somewhere else? Btw I'm guessing it wasn't moving because it was a bit cold and rainy all day.
Leave a Reply to z
You can keep her overnight, I've done that with honey bees before when it's clear they're just not going to fly off. It's safer to shelter her (in some kind of ventilated container in a cool sheltered location like a garage, shed, or similar). If she were outdoors on her own, ideally she'd shelter somewhere out of the rain, though sometimes bees don't have the energy to get somewhere safe before they're too cold or wet. Hopefully tomorrow will be warmer! Once she warms up in the sun, I bet she'll be on her way again quickly.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bee thats missing a couple legs and very sluggish. I've given her flowers, a bit of honey water and set her on a plate outside but I'm not sure if theres anything else I can do. She doesn't seem to be improving. Is she just reaching the end of her lifespan? Or is her leg situation the issue? Should I just let her be or is there something else I can do?
Leave a Reply to P
The bee flew off! I guess she just needed the flowers and a little time to herself. I also read what you said about using sugar water instead of honey water, I'll make sure to remember that for future reference. Thanks!
Leave a Reply to P
Good to hear she flew off! She sounded as though she was just cold and out of energy (as for her legs, bees can lose a couple and still be able to forage and live their life relatively normally).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
THANK YOU!
Following your advice, I've just rescued a starving bee who had flown into our house and was hardly moving. Fed her sugar solution until she said "Thanks, but that'll do" and then watched as she walked around with increasing confidence. Seeing her take of in the sunshine moved me to tears.
The Jura bees produce much of the honey sold in the area, so I like to think that one day I'll put a minute quantity of her honey on my Breakfast toast!
Leave a Reply to Steve
That's lovely to hear! It really is wonderful to see a bee flying off happily again after helping them. And as to her honey, perhaps one day you will!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
What’s my best course of action for a cold beer that will not drink the sugar water (it keeps turning away from the solution) and just standing still for what’s now been 30 minutes
Leave a Reply to Lou
My reply is going to be too late I think (owing to the time difference), but one trick is to touch a tiny drop of sugar-water to one of their antennae. Another trick is instead to put one or two drops of sugar-water into the center of a bee-friendly cut flower near the bee (dandelions work easily for this). There is always the possibility that the bee doesn't feel hungry either, and is instead simply cold (in which case, moving them somewhere warmer, ideally into bright sunlight, can help to get them buzzing again).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I have rescued a number of bumblebees over the years, and I have always used honey rather than sugar water. Is this a bad ieea?
Leave a Reply to Carl Clemons
It's better to use sugar-water, owing to the possibility of bee pathogens being transmitted (honey bees and bumble bees do have susceptibility to some shared pathogens), but it's not a certainty that the bumble bee will pick anything up from the honey, and in a pinch, it's definitely better than nothing. If there are bee-friendly flowers nearby, those would be even better than sugar-water (since they offer essential amino acids and other micronutrients that bees need).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I think I accidentally dislodged a queen bee from hibernation by pulling a few weeds in the garden. I found her on the ground, not moving, around 6:00 p.m. and brought her inside to warm her up and gave her some sugar water. Obviously, I did that before I found your article. It's midnight and she is still struggling. I just put her to bed for the night and will return her to an outside burrow tomorrow. Please advise in the meantime. Thank you!
Leave a Reply to Mel
I just read further and understand it's best to keep her in a similar temperature to the outdoors to keep her in torpor. There's frost tonight but I can put her in the garage. Is that the best action?
Leave a Reply to Mel
So sorry I missed your messages last night (I was asleep). I assume your bee spent the night in the garage? I'm not sure of the weather forecast for your particular locale within your state, but generally for your state the weather looks warm and spring-like, so if that's the case, there's no need to put her back in the ground. She may be groggy for a little while (all queen bumbles tend to be a little groggy for the first day or two after emerging from hibernation). But now that she's been warmed up and fed, and assuming your weather is heading into some kind of spring-like state, she should be just fine if placed outdoors in direct sunlight this morning. She should soak up the rays for a little while and then fly off. Another thought: possibly she may not have been in hibernation, it may be that you dislodged an already emerged bumble bee (since it's kind of late seasonally, bumble queens usually emerge in early spring). She may have been scouting for a nest site, or perhaps just out and about in cooler weather and ended up cold on the ground. Either way, she'll likely perk up with warm sunlight and bee on her way this morning!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
We found a bumblebee on our porch that was not moving and so we moved it to a place where it wouldn’t get stepped on. It’s been a cold, windy day and about three hours later the bee was still in the same spot we left it. It does seem to be moving as it will cling to a stick and walks a little but will not fly. We also gave it some sugar water but it does not seem to want it. What is the best way to help it?
Leave a Reply to alexa
Your bee sounds too cold to fly (and she probably isn't hungry, owing to not using much energy while being too cold to fly or even move much at all). Tomorrow looks like a warmer day there with some sun, so if you move your bee into the sun tomorrow morning, I think that she should quickly recover. Tonight I would make sure your bee is in some safe and sheltered spot (thankfully it won't get as cold tonight, so you probably don't need to bring your bee in).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a honeybee worker on the concrete an hour or two ago. I picked her up and eventually got her to my room, and she’s rearing to go, but… there’s going to be a freeze watch tonight and temperatures are dropping, and it is windy. Should I keep her overnight? Or take my chances and let her go find her hive?
Leave a Reply to Mitch
If she’s rearing to go (buzzing) and bring a honey bee, I’d let her take her chances as she’ll really want to get back! Just make sure to release her in the same spot, and watch to see that she does indeed have the energy to fly off. If she doesn’t fly off, I’d put her in an enclosure in a safe cool spot for the night, then release her once it’s warmer again. Your weather looks rough by honey bee standards, but so long as she’s warmed up enough to fly, she should make it back to her hive where she’ll be warm again.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
What is the best way to save a bee from a pool? I’ve tried to gently with the edge of a pool net, but sometimes it makes them go under more and I’m trying to find the safest way to rescue them. Is there anything I can have floating in my pool they can get on?
Leave a Reply to Karen
Just to add, I've often used a leaf to rescue them too, as one can typically find a stiff leaf that works as a small scoop. But it's still difficult when they're flailing about, and so encouraging them to another (safer) water source has always been my goal!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I could see how the action of a pool net might pull a bee under, but maybe if it's slid in slowly and carefully not too close to them, and then moved under them and upwards it might work? In terms of floating things, there'd have to be kind of a number of floating things to help, because once they're stuck in the water, bees are fighting for their lives, and often can't propel themselves in a purposeful direction, even when safety is close. Though if they happen to have fallen in near something floating, then that'd certainly help them. Another thing to try might be to put a shallow dish or plant saucer filled with fresh water and pebbles near the pool, so as to try to encourage them to drink in a safer place when they're thirsty (also for honeybees looking for water to bring back to their hive for evaporative air-conditioning, which they do by having a row of bees fanning the droplets of water in front of the entrance to the hive).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
When filling my bird feeders I found this bumble curled up at base of oak tree. I picked her up and placed her in a little cage. For an hour she would crawl and flop to one side. I used QTip for sugar water, a shallow dish for water, dandelions and a carnation. She’s moving much more, not yet quite flying. It is only 45 degrees here today, lows in 30’s. It will be like this for next 4 days and nights. Should I wait until cold snap is over to release her? Fascinating little bumble❤️
Leave a Reply to Brooke
Yes, I would keep her safe over the next four days and nights, until the cold snap is over. Do make sure to keep her at similar temperatures to the outdoors, except protected from frost (and predators). Keeping her at a temperature approximating the chilly outdoors helps encourage her to stay in her energy-conserving state of torpor, as she would naturally outdoors (typically bees try to take shelter, rather than ending up exposed on the ground as you found her). Once it's warmer again, put her back near where you found her, ideally in a spot bathed in direct sunlight. Once she's warm, she'll be able to fly again!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Wa I seem to be was okay when it got where it was but now she just buzzes around or he and doesn't seem to have enough strength to play off they're a little bees wings are buzzing and they seem to be fully attacked but the beach just doesn't seem to have the strength it is the second morning please help me I want my little bee to be okay I found another way my ex husband's bedroom and I kept him overnight I had a jelly donut and I had put it in the box when I was coming into my front little door and then when I place the Box on the counter I had just put the donut in there to hold on to it with the bee box anyway the B had already come across the box and was on that donut and ate off of the raspberry jam about 5 or 6 times through the night pretty soon I heard buzzing and the next morning The View was plenty strong to fly away when I first found the bee he was barely moving after a few feedings on that jelly and the jelly donut those little guy was rearing to go he knew right where he was going when I opened his little container but this bee doesn't seem to be doing very well please help me help this little bee.
Leave a Reply to Roberta
Warmth is usually the key when a bee is fed and buzzing but still not flying off. Hopefully you have some sunny weather today? Placing your bee in full sunlight outdoors may well revive them fully.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi,
I rescued a bumblebee worker bee last night around 4 am, so about 22 hours ago now. I’m in USA, eastern Pennsylvania and the nights have been unseasonably cold—down into the high 30s and low 40s F.
The bee was lying on my backyard deck cold and wet and looked dead when I found it. It rained last night. It was about 40 degrees at the time. I carefully brought it into my garage and put it on a piece of cardboard and gave it white sugar water on the cardboard next to it. It was hardly moving last night, just the legs a little bit. It’s moving around a bit more today but still not flying. It turned around on the cardboard though.
I gave it plain water on a Q-Tip and more sugar water today. It buzzed at me a little bit but doesn’t move around much. It’s still in my warm garage in a box on a paper towel. I have it another Q-Tip to sit on too. I know worker bees only live about two weeks. We’re still getting cold overnight here so I didn’t want to put it outside. I thought by now it would have either died or been able to fly. The wings don’t look damaged but it’s not opening them. What should I do with the bee? Will it recover?
My garage has windows so it gets light during the day. I read it was important to mimic day and night light and dark for them.
Any advice you can give would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Melissa
Leave a Reply to Melissa
I hope I'm looking at the right weather forecast, if so it looks as though you may have a nice sunny day today? I think your bee just needs to be warmer and fully dried off before being able to fly. If you do have sun, I'd put her in direct sunlight today outdoors near where you found her. Hopefully she'll fly off once she's well-warmed, and be able to get back to her colony for the night.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I now have two queen bees that I have been helping over the last 7 days. They have perked up due to nice weather but do not fly away. They are on my covered deck. But it got very cold this morning and I noticed them both on the ground. They are not dead and I placed them on a solid surface. I gave them sugar water and want to k ow if I can use a table lamp to help warm them up? I have nothing to put them I. To bring them inside. They are safe from predators on my deck.
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance
Pati
Leave a Reply to Pati
That's kind of you to have been helping them! To answer your question, I don't think I would use a table lamp to help warm them up. If it's cold right now weather-wise, any warmth would only be very temporary, and then they'd be cold and stuck again. Right now, it sounds like they're both naturally in a state of torpor, where they move very little and thus need very little energy. That's an expected state for a queen bumble bee to be in at this time of year. So long as they're safe from predators and in a spot where the sun hits once your weather warms, they'll be fine biding their time.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
We were painting our sunroom and I moved the plants outside while painting. A day after moving them back inside, I found this bee on the floor and moved her back outside in another flower pot. A day after that I found her on the walking path beside the flower pot not moving. I used a leaf and moved her to a spot she wouldn’t get stepped on and noticed that she was still there a few hours later. Then I googled and came across your page. It’s been cold and wet here the last few days so I moved her inside in a well ventilated box. I used your page to confirm she is a bumble bee queen. She’s now been with me for two days and I haven’t seen her drink any of the sugar water that I’ve left in her box during the day. She did walk through it the first day but it didn’t seem intentional to me. I’m concerned and wondering if there’s something else I can do to help her. I have her by a window that is slightly cracked to get some of the outside air in and lower the temp for her. She also gets good light there during the day. I just have a few flower petals that fell from a tree around where she was likely hanging out before taking a ride on my potted plant. Today I heard her buzzing and went to check and I realized that her wings might be stuck together. I gently used a tiny pin and helped her get them apart. They may have been stuck together from the sugar water that she walked through. She then spread them out and seemed to go back into her lethargic sleep state, likely used all her energy buzzing trying to open them. I know I’m not supposed to force her to drink (how would one even do that) but I just don’t know what will help. Any advice is welcome!
Leave a Reply to Jen
Kind of you to bee taking care of her! One trick I've found for helping encourage bees to drink sugar-water is to put a few tiny drops of sugar-water on the center of a bee-friendly cut flower in their enclosure. Sometimes the presence of the flower is enough to encourage them to drink. Another trick is gently to touch one of the tips of her antennae with a drop of sugar-water, though this isn't as reliable (and can seem a little intrusive to a bee)! She may also not feel a need to drink when she's cold, since she won't be using much energy in her lethargic state (though certainly the buzzing will have taken a little energy). It's good that her wings are freely opening again. Looking at the forecast for your general area, it looks as though tomorrow may be sunny (if cold)? If so, I'd try placing her outdoors in direct sunlight tomorrow to see how she responds to that. Your nighttime temperatures look just above freezing until it warms up a bit later in the week, but so long as she takes shelter at night (which she should naturally do, so long as she has energy to find a good spot), then she should be able to transition outdoors again soon. Queen bumble bees are relatively well-adapted to the shifting temperatures and conditions of early spring, but they can also end up exposed to the elements (and predators) on sidewalks, paths, and such. I'd keep a close eye on her when you try moving her outdoors. Assuming I'm looking at the right forecast for your specific area, the weekend looks pretty good in terms of warmth, if she stays with you until then. So long as she's cool and relatively inactive, she won't need much energy until it's warm again. I would still try to see how she does outdoors tomorrow though, as temperatures close to 55°F (especially with sunlight) are often sufficient for them to do some foraging and begin scouting for a good nest site for their summer colony. Did she happen to have any pollen on her back legs? I ask because if not, she probably has not yet chosen a site in which to begin her colony, but is instead still in the phase of early spring foraging after emerging from her winter hibernation. If she does have pollen, then make sure to release her very close to where you found her, so that she can get home easily!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi, i found a bumble bee yesterday. It can't fly, although there is no obvious damage to the wings. It has the lower part of a front leg missing and some fur missing from the back end. I offered sugar water and lifted it into some flowers. It walks around a lot and keeps going into the road. I think it's trying to get home. I keep bringing it back to the flowers but now it's raining heavily and the bee is clinging to the branch and not moving. I thought it had died but then i read about them going into a freeze state to survive the weather. Should I leave it out overnight or bring it inside? It's 7pm and will be dark in a couple of hours. Thank you for your helpful website.
Leave a Reply to Jasmin
If your bee's wings aren't damaged, but if it's cold, then the most likely reason for walking rather than flying is simply that your bee isn't warmed up well enough to fly yet. Also the wetter they are, the less able they are to fly. Naturally in such weather, bumbles usually take shelter under flower petals or other places where they can stay a little more dry and a little safer from predators (since a cold bee is fairly defenseless, owing to being cold-blooded; in a state of torpor when they're cold, they're unable to move much). I would say that it kind of depends on your bee what to do, and also whether you have a sheltered spot for her where she'll still be cool (similar to outdoor temperatures but frost-free). Your bee should be alright outdoors so long as she seeks shelter, but if she continues to head for the road, then she might be better taken into an enclosure somewhere safe and cool, such as an unheated room or shed or garage or similar, and then released in the same spot again once weather conditions are more favorable. At least there are flowers about now for her! She will probably be safer if you shelter her, especially with heavy rain (occasionally bees can fall to the ground from where they're clinging, though they usually cling on well).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi, I accidentally hit a bee when it came to my room as I was just waking up and got super scared and hit it :( i went back to sleep and realized once I fully woke up it was a bee and it was still alive laying on my floor :( now I’m giving it water with sugar and with it on the sun. It seems it can’t fully drink tho and it’s laying with its head at the bottom. I’m super worried it won’t recover, should I give it more water with sugar or mix more sugar perhaps?
Leave a Reply to Day
I'm sorry to hear that, it can be hard when half-asleep to differentiate friend from foe. It'd help me a great deal in this case if you could email me a few close-up pics of your bee if possible, if he or she is still not recovering (I just got back, so I'll keep an eye on my email for your reply). I do hope we can get your bee buzzing again!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise,
I've tried to find as much info as possible from your previous FAQs but I still have some questions about my situation. I found a bee today not moving on the concrete outside. I used the Bumblebee Conservation Trust species guide link you posted in answer to Eleanor last week and think she is a queen buff-tailed bumble bee. I gave her sugar water and placed her in a small box filled with cut dandelions and followed your advice about cold bees (brought her inside to warm up then moved her to cooler area inside to mimic outside temp). She seemed reluctant to move or drink but an hour or so later I saw her move a little. There are early spring flowers outside but my concern is about putting her outside while the weather is cold. (I can share a link to an accurate forecast but rather the location not be publicised for privacy reasons). It'll be close to freezing at night and not much above 10°C in the day for at least a week. I'm going off the 'feels like' temp rather than actual temp - is this right? I will keep her inside for as long as she needs but the cut flowers will die and I don't know what to provide. If you think I should keep her inside for more than a few days, please kindly advise what I should set up for her (specific plants/layout tips/fresh water with pebbles) and anything I need to check/refresh and how often plus signs that she's ready to go back outside. I'm very nervous of worsening her situation by not giving her what she needs whenever she needs it. I'm so worried about her. Thank you for your time and advice to try and help save this precious little bee.
Leave a Reply to Josie
Ending up unmoving on concrete certainly isn't good for a queen bumble bee! It's good you came along 🐝💛 If she doesn't have pollen on her hind legs, she can be released wherever you feel she'd do best (compared to near where you found her). She'll actually be alright outdoors if your weather is in the range of close to (but above) freezing through 10°C (in terms of 'feels like' temperature). Those are definitely temperatures for which she's evolved, emerging as queen bumbles do in early spring when the weather is unpredictable. At this time of year, queens often walk rather than fly if it's cold, so it's important that she be released near easily accessible flowers, ideally somewhere that she's bathed in sunlight when there is sun. Sometimes, when it's cold for days at a time, bees simply go into a state of torpor where they don't need much energy and can instead wait out the weather. So release her somewhere that also offers a place to hide and stay warmer than she would if exposed (such as under dead fallen leaves, twigs or logs, or even sometimes within flowers). Hopefully she has a little sugar-water mix before she leaves you too, or else hopefully you can put her out on some bee-friendly flowers in direct sunlight (it looks like your general area has some nice, warm and sunny days coming up)? By the way, dandelions are good for nectar but don't offer protein-rich pollen, so she'll be searching for other flowers at this time of year (here the early spring bulbs have already come and gone, but the orchard trees are in blossom, which are such bee favorites).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Save The Bees!
The children and teachers at Quince Tree Day Nursery in South Ockendon,Essex have made this picture as part of their new campaign “Save The Bees” we are hoping our picture will encourage people to plant more seeds so that we can save Bees.We were wondering if you would be able to share our picture so we can get the message across 😊
Best Wishes
Quince Tree Day Nursery
Leave a Reply to Rachael Hearn
Do share the picture with me by replying to this email 🐝
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a queen bee on a cold pavement which was curled round and still, until I tried lifting it with a leaf. It moved its legs, so I took it home 4 days ago and have been giving it sugar and water (1:1 ratio) but it’s just walking and not trying to fly. I bought a tray of primroses to try to encourage her to feed, but she just climbed over them. Am I doing the wrong thinking trying to feed her if she’s not improving. I have kept my heating on overnight to keep her warm at all times, as it is extremely cold in Scotland at this time of the year. She did flap her wings for seconds once but that’s all. Can you give me some advice on what I should do now. Thank you, Eleanor x
Leave a Reply to Eleanor
Do you have any weather coming up that's closer to 10°C? Are your nighttime temperatures above freezing? Are there early flowers about yet outdoors, such as early spring bulbs? You're not wrong in helping her or trying to feed her, but the key to her improvement will be much warmer weather and sunshine. In the meantime, she'll just be in a state of waiting out the weather, which queen bumbles often do after emerging from their winter hibernation into unpredictable early spring weather. Since queen bumbles are so large, they often walk rather than flying when they're cold. One thing I wouldn't do is leave the heating on in her area too much overnight, as it's better to mirror outdoor temperatures (just without the danger of a heavy freeze). That way your bee stays more in sync with natural seasonal conditions, and doesn't expend unnecessary energy thinking that it's almost warm enough to be on their way. You can keep her (for several weeks, if necessary) until temperatures outdoors warm up closer to 10°C. As far as primroses go, they are good early nectar sources for bumble bees, but some bumble bees tongue lengths aren't sufficient to access the nectar (it depends on the species). So that may be the reason she's not fed on them. You may be able to determine her species with the UK guide here: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/learn-about-bumblebees/species-guide/
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
J’ai récupéré un bourdon fatigué que dois je faire
Leave a Reply to Celine
Have you tried offering a sugar-water solution? I have written up a number of tips on my page at https://savebees.org/1st-aid if you click one of the purple buttons such as "Bee is struggling, not moving, or not flying away…" or "It’s cold, raining, or the sun has almost set…" I realize it's late where you are, so I think either place your bumble bee somewhere sheltered outdoors overnight, or bring your bee indoors into a cool room inside a ventilated enclosure with some natural objects such as sticks, leaves, and such (cut flowers work too, but they don't hold their nectar for too long after cutting). Make sure that the sugar-water solution isn't too much that your bee might fall into it (you can place a piece of paper towel in to help). In the morning move your bee into direct sunshine (if it's sunny) to help them recover, and if there are bee-friendly flowers nearby (especially ones in the sunlight), try moving your bee onto one. It may take several hours for your bee to warm up sufficiently to be more lively once more and able to fly again!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a beautiful golden carpenter bee buzzing and struggling along on the concrete patio today. I tried to take it to a citrus flower and it wouldn’t hang on kept falling down. It was struggling along on the ground not seemingly doing well. So I looked up wish I could do and got a tiny shallow dish with a few citrus flowers and a stick along with 50/50 sugar water. It drank but after wasn’t moving much at all for a long while. I finally checked it before sun down and it had climb up towards the edge of the little dish and seems to be hanging on with its front legs hanging over. I left the little dish in a shady safe spot. Going to ck it by morning but is there anything else I should do?
Leave a Reply to Leslie
Just a quick note to say I replied to your email just now, but in case you don't see my reply, check in all your email folders 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Make sure that your bee can’t accidentally fall into the sugar-water solution in the dish. As night approaches and bees get colder, they can become clumsier (and being cold probably explains your bee not hanging onto the citrus flower). Your bee probably won’t drink more until morning, once it starts warming up again. With your warm weather there, I don’t think you need do anything else. If it’s shady in the spot in the morning, you might consider moving your bee into a sunny spot so as to warm up faster. If you’re around to observe it, your bee should begin grooming as it warms up, which can take up to a few hours depending on how warm the bee gets in that spot.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I've just had the biggest bee I've ever seen in my 50 years fly through an upstairs window, I thought it may just be a queen (my eyesight is not good) but got close and it's at least 5-6 cm long and 3-4 wide, predominantly black, is this still a queen? It sounds like a B52 bomber and I'm scared to go closer, she is stuck on the windowsill, I want to help but there are no grassy spots nearby, and I'm concerned if she's not a queen, what is this?!
Leave a Reply to S
Queen bumble bees are occasionally reported as having such exceptional sizes, but this is still very large by bee standards! Do you happen to have a photo, ideally one somewhat close-up? Hopefully you can get whatever your insect is away from the windowsill (perhaps with a wide-mouthed glass over her and a piece of card slid underneath)?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi
I’ve taken in a bit that was cold and it was near night and rainy and going to be -2 and now I have it in a show box. How do feed it and I don’t have any flowers for it to eat worried it starves ?
Leave a Reply to Aurora
I would mix up some sugar-water for your bee with granulated cane sugar or refined white sugar crystals (never brown sugar or honey). A 1:1 mix (50%-50%) is appropriate, and this can be achieved by stirring the sugar rapidly in room temperature drinking water (lukewarm is fine, but not boiled as over-heating may create bee-toxic compounds). Ensure that your bee cannot fall into the solution, by either offering just a few drops in front of your bee, or by placing a small piece of paper towel in the solution (which they can feed on if soaked in the sugar-water solution). There are more details on my 1st Aid page if you click "Bee is struggling, not moving, or not flying away", including short videos that show a bee's tongue extended so that you can verify they're drinking!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
A bee has been sat on my back door almost all day, it is now cold, windy and dark.
The wind is blowing directly on our door.
What can I do to help the Bee
Leave a Reply to Yvonne Brookes
If you visit my 1st Aid page and click the button "It's cold, raining, or the sun has almost set", there's quite a bit of advice I've compiled there. If you don't wish to house your bee, you could try moving it gently to a sheltered location overnight too.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
First warm spring-ish day in my area after a heavy snow winter. There are no flowers yet and the ground is still covered in snow. I came home and found a Common Eastern on the floor of my kitchen not moving. I have no idea how.
She fought the paper towel when I touched her. I placed her in a container with a sugar water cotton ball. Then made a small den with a stapled TP tube and some straw. She wasn’t interested in either. She’s now trying to escape the container. I put the container near my cracked slider door for now.
Forecast shows next 2 days warm and in the 60’s, then back down again with intermittent rain for 8 days. Advice?
Leave a Reply to Tina
She's particularly large is my guess? Given the time of year and your description of the weather, she's most likely a young queen common eastern bumble bee freshly emerged from her winter hibernation. She'll benefit greatly from the warmth in the next couple of days, but only if there are some flowers too, as she'll need to replenish her energy (the sugar-water soaked cotton ball will definitely help tide her over). She may simply have emerged too early, though they do emerge early and often wait out rain and even snow, sheltering somewhere in the meantime. But typically they time their emergence to coincide with early flowers. It's good that you've given her some shelter for tonight, even if she's not keen on it! Do you happen to know of any place nearby that you could take her where there are some early flowers? Or perhaps there'll be some early spring flowers there soon, such as bulbs that flower even in snow (crocuses come to mind, among other early flowering plants depending on your area). So long as she has no pollen on her legs, and assuming she's fairly large (and thus a young queen rather than a smaller worker), you're free to transport her anywhere that might be more favorable. She's well adapted for the early springtime weather there, but flowers are a necessity for her, even if they're a little scarce and only open intermittently in the sun.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It’s hard to judge her size without agitating her. She seems to be about 3/4”. Her bum seems not as plump as I’m used to seeing- but I don’t know bees very well.
There is still about 8-10” of snow outside. I do have a few crocuses that bloom in my yard but everything is buried. I have not noticed flowers anywhere yet. I imagine there will be plenty in about 2 weeks.
My options seem to be:
1. Keep her cold tonight (maybe by a cracked window) and bring her to my rotting woodpile or leaf-exposed hillside by the woods.
2. Keep her in a container (inside the TP tube with a wet paper towel for humidity) in the refrigerator for 2 weeks until I see flowers.
3. Warm her up and try to encourage her to eat the sugar water, then bring her outside in the warmth tomorrow.
Do any of those sound good?
Leave a Reply to Tina
To return to these thoughts, I'm not sure if refrigeration has been tried for returning a bumble bee temporarily to hibernation, but it seems comparable to keeping her in a chilly but frost-free environment until there are flowers for her (and bee scientists do often refrigerate bees temporarily). She will enter a state of torpor when she's cold (whether outdoors in the cold, or in the fridge). One problem with putting her out in the woodpile or on the hillside today or tomorrow is that it'll be unusually warm, so she'll inevitably begin searching for flowers and burning up her energy (a flying bumble bee is only ever about 45 minutes away from starvation, since it takes so much energy to fly). So I think keeping her in the fridge for a couple of days might be a good idea. If you then decide to put her outdoors after this warm spell is over, find a spot that's sheltered from rain, snow, and frost. When they hibernate they often choose north-facing spots so that they aren't awoken too early from hibernation, so that might be a good idea too. If you can encourage her to drink some sugar-water mix first, I think that would be good too. If you decide to continue refrigeration for a couple of weeks, I'd ensure that the temperature is around 38-40°F for her, rather than closer to freezing. The humidity should be fairly high (60-70%), so the wet paper towel will need checking on from time to time to ensure it's still wet.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I lean towards (1) or (2), though either way and especially if (1), I’d try to ensure she first drinks a little sugar water tomorrow, as her energy reserves are likely quite low (which might also be a reason for her early emergence). I’d be cautious about the fridge, but it could definitely work, bees can be safely refrigerated so long as there’s also some moisture. I’ll get back to you with further thoughts in the morning. I’m sure (3) would seem to work for her, right up until she exhausted her energy searching for flowers that aren’t yet in sight under that much snow,
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
What if it’s not just a queen? Just a normal honeybee worker? I did follow, but what if I did it all wrong?
Leave a Reply to Nature_and_catlover
So I just walk outside and go to this little lake that I have in my backyard, and I see this BEE in there!!! I scoop her out with a leaf and then I gave it sugar water. after that, I put it in a container that is specified for bugs, but here’s the thing, it has a freaking rocky landscape so my B cannot find anywhere to lay! I don’t know what the heck to do! Help me!
Leave a Reply to Nature_and_catlover
Also, my dad told me I can’t bring it inside, there are no flowers, and everything is DEAD! Idk what to do, AGAIN! So many problems I have with this bee I’m trying to take of! Taking care of bees is a really, really hard thing to do! I’ve only taken care of two bees in my past life, and let me tell you, I did not know this page was a thing. So I just left it overnight on a table sitting somewhere and then it sadly died. The two of them. But this time I’m actually doing proper care and it turned out to be way harder than I expected. I don’t know really what to do, AGAIN!!! by the way I named the bee I’m taking care of, Lila! So yeah! I have a lot of problems and I’ve actually had a little bit of fun doing this! But I still don’t know where to put this bee overnight!
Leave a Reply to Nature_and_catlover
She’s alive! Yay!!!!😀 😁 😆LILA IS ALIVEEEEE
Leave a Reply to Nature_and_catlover
I'm happy to hear Lila's alive thanks to you! What's your weather forecast tonight/tomorrow, is there a safe place outdoors that's sheltered, somewhere without rain or ants, where you can leave her container overnight? I'd suggest putting some things in there that she can clamber on tonight too, like little rocks or sticks or dead leaves or similar. If she's a honey bee worker, hopefully tomorrow it'll be warm enough to release her near where you found her?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise, yesterday I found a bumblebee walking around on my driveway and she was covered in some type of sticky substance (we think it was tree sap). I brought her inside and spent a couple of hours cleaning her with warm water and a very small amount of olive oil on Q-tips and eventually managed to unstick her leg and wings from her abdomen and remove the layer of sticky stuff from the top of her wings too. I left her inside for a while to rest and dry as it was quite cold and very cloudy. It took a while for her to unfold her wings but she did eventually try to fly and was very active moving around but couldn’t fly. I’ve kept her in overnight in a tank with some water, sugar water and some foliage, moving her into a slightly cooler part of the house for the night per your advice to another person. Now this morning she’s quite active but still cannot fly and won’t drink water or sugar water. I’m reluctant to release her until she can fly and don’t mind looking after her untill she is able to. I just wanted to know if there’s anything else I could do to help her and give her a better chance?
Some extra information: I believe she is an Early Bumblebee, due to her markings and colour. She could be a queen as she’s quite large and had no pollen on her. I live in a rural area right by a woodland so the environment is very good for bees.
Leave a Reply to Bea
That's so kind of you to spend all that time cleaning your bee! I'd imagine that at this time of year, especially being quite large and without pollen on her, she's almost certainly a young queen bumble bee who has recently emerged from her winter hibernation. If she's active and able to move her wings, she may well be able to fly even without demonstrating it, but I share your concern after what she went through with regards to the sticky substance. Being so large, queen bumble bees do often choose to walk rather than fly though, since getting off the ground takes a fair bit of energy for them. And they do also buzz their wings and even attempt to fly without success, when they're a little too cold still. Only once they're very well warmed up do they usually succeed in flying, and a perfectly healthy bumble bee queen may try to fly and yet repeatedly fall if she's too cold. So her attempts to fly may simply be owing to this, rather than any further problems with her wings (it's a good sign that she's able to unfold her wings). She probably is eager to be out again in order to begin her new life (which begins with her finding a good location in the ground, often an abandoned mouse burrow, in which to establish her new colony for the year). Do you have any sunny weather soon? If she sits in direct sunlight absorbing the warmth for awhile, she will most likely try to fly, and hopefully succeed. You might also try (during the daytime) bringing her enclosure into a warm room to see if the warmth encourages her to begin buzzing and even gain liftoff inside her enclosure, though it's hard to mimic the warmth of direct sunlight indoors, so this isn't a foolproof test by any means. I think if she's able to buzz and try to fly, then she's probably able to fly, and simply isn't warm enough yet. Since she'll be eager to begin her life outdoors, the sooner she's able to go out, the better for her mental health and well-being. It sounds as though you've given her a second chance at life, given how covered she was in the sticky substance, so I think if her wings appear clean and she's able to use them, it's probably safe to let her try her luck outdoors again. Are there any early spring flowers nearby? I wonder if she tried to forage for sugary tree sap, not finding any flowers. In our partial woodlands here, there are tiny spring ephemerals just appearing, as well as spring bulbs flowering. Hopefully there are some early spring flowers nearby for her?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi,
I’ve found a bee, it’s not really doing much, I’ve given it the sugar solution l, really interested yesterday not so much today, had a lot of lice/ mites around it’s neck, could this be the issue? Wings are buzzing but not taking flight?
Leave a Reply to Stacey Costine
The mites are likely not the issue, since they're typically harmless tiny mites when they're on bumble bees (the mites hitchhike on the bees in order to get to their nests, where they then eat detritus). They're quite unlike the mites on honey bees, which are harmful but which are much larger (akin to one of us having a rabbit on us). As for having less interest in the sugar-water today, she's probably not expended much energy since yesterday (compared to just after you found her, when she may well have been quite hungry). Buzzing wings without taking flight typically means the bee simply isn't warm enough yet (particularly if she's a large bumble bee who takes a lot of energy to get off the ground). Try putting her in direct sunlight or warming her up well indoors first before trying to release her.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Morning, I understand there will be a time difference between us so please answer when you can. I have come across a waterlogged Bee on the pavement this morning, it seemed very grateful to be lifted up. Ive brought it to my Office and currently have it in a small box with a tissue and some sugar water. I also have a heater blowing nearby to try and help warm it quicker. Is there anything else I should do? I suspect its gonna take several hours for it to dry out as is so wet.
Leave a Reply to Nicky
Sadly my wee Bee has died. I found it at 0845 GMT and it is now 1501 GMT. There were a few times where it was drying off really well and moving about, trying to buzz but after nipping out of the Office for a break, I returned and saw it really panting and it has since sadly passed away. I feel so bad that I wasnt able to help it.
Leave a Reply to Nicky
I'm so sorry to hear that (just waking up here in our timezone). Bees breathe through little openings along the sides of their bodies, and so prolonged exposure to water is a real danger to them. It does sound as though you did everything you could do. Sadly, sometimes nothing can be done, owing to the amount of water taken into their air passageways before they're found.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Im honestly so sad, it really has taken the wind out of me. I am going to take it Home none the less and get it popped into a wee box and buried appropriately. I dont know how long it was lying on the ground for, but Im glad I had it warm and dry for a few hours and it had company, rather than just being ignored on the path
Leave a Reply to Nicky
I found a bee on the street in the city centre, close to my apartment but far from any plants. It was 10*c out, and quite drizzly. I took her to an indoor location in my building and gave her a bit of honey (since learned that sugar water is better - but she appreciated it at the time!). I put her on a daffodil plant and left her by an open window, but she didn't leave. Instead, over the course of a few hours, she kept moving away from the window and even fell on the carpet in the hall, so I brought her to my house as it was getting dark.
I put her in a tiny greenhouse used to house a plant, which has good ventilation. I gave her sugar water and a few curls of paper and left her overnight. She seemed quite active but one of her little antennae was a bit bent and she kept trying to climb up, up, up. Overnight I think she slept, then this morning she was trying to climb the glass again. I added some spider plant leaves and sprigs of thyme, and more sugar water in a shallower tub that she could access more easily. I believe she is having issues with one of her wings as she keeps trying to take off and buzzing, but no luck. That wing seems a bit lazier than the other, which might be the issue.
It's colder and wetter today, so I think I'll have to keep her longer, looking at the guides on your site.
How can I tell if she is able to fly? Will she fly inside the little glasshouse, or would she need more space to attempt it? It's about 15cm high.
Leave a Reply to Hanza
Do you happen to know what kind of bee yours is? A large fluffy one like a bumble bee, or a thinner stripier one like a honey bee? Also, do you see any pollen on your bee's hind legs? If she's a very large bumble bee, then given the time of year, she'll be a young queen bumble bee who's emerged recently from her winter hibernation. So long as she doesn't have pollen on her hind legs, you can take her anywhere, such as out of the city centre and into an area with more flowering plants. If she's a honey bee, it's important that she not be moved far from where you found her (also if she's a bumble bee worker, she'd need to be released close to where you found her, but it's not quite as likely that she's a worker at this time of year, and she'd be on the smaller side if she was, and would probably have pollen on her hind legs). If she's a young queen bumble bee, that'd explain her problems flying even when she's able to buzz. I've seen otherwise healthy queen bumbles climbing and falling repeatedly from grass and other low-growing plants in early spring. Turns out it takes a fair bit of energy and warmth to be able to fly successfully for such big bees! I've also seen bees that seem to be holding one of their pairs of wings oddly, only to correct that once they're well warmed and fly with no problems, so I'm hoping that's the case for her. If she is a young queen bumble bee, she'll be able to tolerate lower temperatures, especially if there's some sun on her, even when it's otherwise cold. 10°C is cold, but manageable for her, though she may not be able to fly until it's closer to or above 13°C. Having observed them at this time of year at such temperatures, it's common for bumble queens to forage and shelter at night within a very small area around, say, a patch of early-flowering spring bulbs such as crocuses. By the way, depending on the variety of daffodil, it may not be a great pollinator plant, as many daffodil varieties have lost their plentiful nectar and pollen characteristics during the breeding process (though if nothing else is blooming, bees will still head for them to get what they can). All this to say: for tonight, keep her enclosure somewhere cool so that she doesn't keep trying to fly, but instead goes into her night mode to rest. Let me know what type of bee you think she is (feel free to send photos), and if you let me know your particular region I can look up the weather forecast too (which helps for predicting the most favorable timing for releasing her). Once we know what kind of bee she is (and whether she has pollen collected on her hind legs), we'll know whether she can be released in a different location (which would be ideal, given your description of the city centre).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi the bumblebee cannot fly i have put him of a open flower and also given him sugar water.its cold and windy here so i bought him in now.i will put him on a different open flower tomorrow. What else can i do for it. It is not a queen as does not have a white or beige tail end . How long do they live. In the conservatory he’s in a flower pot rather than on the carpet
Leave a Reply to Maxine
Is your bumble bee smaller, like worker bumble bee size? I ask because it's the time of year for queen bumbles to emerge, and there are just a few species in your country that don't have the distinctive white/buff tails (see https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/learn-about-bumblebees/species-guide/ ). Yours won't be a male as those are only around in late summer and autumn. As for lifespan, it depends on whether it's a queen or worker (as well as the species). The young queen bumbles emerging in early spring will live through this coming autumn, but the workers have shorter lifespans (typically measured in weeks, though partially owing to foraging being an activity that wears them out faster as well as exposing them to more risks from predation). The conservatory is a good place for your bee! I don't know what the weather forecast is for your region, but hopefully there'll be some sun soon. Bumble bees can tolerate quite cold temperatures and inclement weather, though when it's very cold or wet they won't be able to fly until conditions improve, so they typically shelter somewhere frost-free until the weather changes. I would keep an eye on the forecast and move your bee into the sunlight once it's sunny again. The closer it is to 12°C, the more active your bee will be, but even when they're too cold to fly, they may still forage by walking up and down flowers close to the ground (such as early-spring flowering bulbs like crocuses).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise. We rescued a very large bee yesterday who doesn’t seem to fare well outside. We kept her (it could be a boy) in last night and brought her back in today after her looking poorly outside. We have sugar water in one of those butterfly observing pods, a flower from the garden with pollen and even a bee hotel! Any extra info much appreciated? Many thanks 🤗🐝
Leave a Reply to Andrea
Sounds like you rescued a young queen bumble bee who's recently emerged from her winter hibernation (in a small solitary burrow underground)! Queen bumbles are larger than usual bumble bees, and emerge in early spring (the males aren't out at this time of year). Since queen bumbles are accustomed to emerging at this time of year (when it may be inclement with cold snaps, rain and even snow), they're better able to tolerate swings in temperatures. However, they'll be quite lethargic (often unmoving, in a state of torpor) when it's too cold for them to move about. When they're too cold to fly, they often walk up and down flower stems instead (this works for them when they emerge near early-spring flowering bulbs such as crocuses, which are close to the ground). I don't know what the forecast in your particular area of the country looks like, but I'd try to get her out again soon. She should be able to move about even in cold temperatures if it happens to be sunny (and if she's directly in the sun). Naturally, she'd seek shelter some place like under leaf litter or even sometimes inside flowers such as crocuses (which close up when the sun isn't shining on them, making quite the perfect BnB for a bee)! The closer it is to 12°C, the better for her, but even at 10°C they can be active if it's sunny. They don't freeze too easily (though it is important to keep your bee from freezing, of course!, but naturally they can generally survive for short periods of time even at temperatures as low as -5°C). In other words, I would keep her in (at a low but non-freezing temperature similar to outdoor temperatures) if it's raining or snowing, but as soon as it's sunny, she'll wish to bee on her way again. Sounds like you have a nice spot for her in the meantime! 💛🐝
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
yes, agricultural honeybees often end up in a cow trough where I try to rescue a few this year I noticed my success after putting them in the sun, helping them dry off, pulling off the moss from the trough and then I would exhale with warm air. I don’t know if it was the warmth or an air blowing or the CO2, but it was definitely had a improved my success rate of Rescue. Just curious what your thoughts are. Thank you Elise for all your good caring service
Leave a Reply to silver goose
That's good to hear you're helping honey bees that fall in the water! They're drawn to water, which they bring back to their hives. I'm pretty sure that it's the warmth of your breath that helps them, rather than CO2. Being cold-blooded, the warmer bees are, the more energized they are (that's why the sun helps them too when they're wet). I don't know if there's any way to put something in the trough that wouldn't obstruct the cows drinking but would enable the bees to clamber out if they fall in (like a stick on the side)? Another thought is to put a shallow dish of water nearby that's filled with pebbles sticking up just above the surface. That'd give your nearby honey bees a safe drinking station if they find it!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a dormant honey bee lying in the snow yesterday while I was at work. I brought it inside to warm it up. It started moving after 20ish minutes. It was very slow and sluggish. I kept it inside over night as it was supposed to be freezing last night. This morning it’s still very slow/sluggish - only occasionally moving its body and its back legs. I offered it some honey before I knew it could be problematic. Then I removed the honey and offered it a few drops of sugar water. I have no idea where its hive is but I really want to save it. What should/can I do?
Leave a Reply to Summer
If your bee is definitely a honey bee, then I would try warming her up very well indoors and offering more sugar-water, and seeing if that doesn't help her to revive. She may have been out in the cold before you found her for too long, but if you can give her a place that's really cozy and warm for a few hours, and if she then perks up enough to start buzzing, then she'll be alright if you release her where you found her, as then she'll be able to find her way back to her hive. Is she still standing on all her legs?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
So glad I found your page. I live in England and it's stinking cold 🥶 here right now at 3°c and raining 🌧 I found a bumble bee 🐝 floating in my horses water bucket 🪣 yesterday morning so I rescued her and put her on a towel under a bucket. Unfortunately she hadn't recovered enough today so I've bought her home and have her in the cool kitchen with a hamster muff,a bottle cap of sugar water in a spacious plastic container with air holes. She has started to buzz around a little now and I will bring in some bits from my garden but as for releasing her I'm approximately 15 miles away from where I found her so I may have to keep her here until it warms up a little. We don't have any flowers yet and spring is getting confused with the weather changes. Any advice would be appreciated 💜💜💜🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Leave a Reply to Tracy
Sounds like you rescued a bumble bee queen who will have emerged from hibernation recently! If they get very wet (as they would in a horse water bucket), it will definitely take awhile to dry out fully. It's good that she is more active again! Given the temperatures and conditions outdoors (which sound unsuitable for releasing her), it will be a good idea to keep her enclosure relatively cool though, so as to keep her in sync with the outdoor temperatures (but still protected from frost) so that she naturally waits out this cold wet weather spell without expending too much energy. One important note is that you may not need to return her to where you found her, since it is unlikely that she began establishing a colony yet. A good way to tell is to examine her hind legs for a clump of pollen. If there is no pollen, then she in all likelihood has spent her time recently in just trying to forage in order to top up her own energy reserves after her winter hibernation (rather than establish a colony yet). One other note is to make sure she can't easily fall into the bottle cap of sugar-water. Placing tiny pebbles or a bit of paper towel will help ensure she doesn't have any sticky accidents! Do let me know how she's doing and if her behavior changes at all. It'll be safe to keep her for several days or even a couple of weeks, so long as she's kept at temperatures approximating those outdoors (just without the rain and frost). 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bumble bee yesterday. It was outside my back door on the concrete. I thought it was dead but it alive. I’ve brought it in and put it in a box. Can you advise. It is very cold and wet weather here. 7/3 degrees today.
Leave a Reply to Carole
Just a quick note to let you know I replied directly to your emails, but if you didn't receive my replies yet, do check all your email folders!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I'm guessing yours is a very large bumble bee, in other words a queen bumble awaking from hibernation in anticipation of spring. Have you seen any early flowering bulbs up in your area yet, such as crocuses or similar? Does your bee look wet (her fluff clumped or spiky)? Bumble bee queens are accustomed to cold wet weather when they emerge in anticipation of spring, although they will often be very sluggish and will have to take shelter while waiting out cold snaps and wet weather. If they're not warm enough to fly, they often walk from flower to flower instead (easier with spring bulbs that are already close to the ground, and that are typically coming through fallen dead leaves, which also provide some frost shelter for early-emerging bumbles). Your weather forecast looks pretty consistently cold, but the closer it gets to 10°C during the day, the more your bee will want to be out and about. Even though she's cold-blooded, she can warm herself up a little by decoupling her wing muscles from her wings and then 'trembling' or 'shivering' in order to generate extra warmth. For the night, I'd definitely hold onto her in her ventilated box, which is best kept in a frost-free but cool area mimicking outdoor temperatures so that she doesn't get confused. Have you offered her any sugar-water mix? If you do leave sugar-water in her box, make sure there's no way she can fall into it! A bit of paper towel in the mixture can help with that. Let me know about the early spring flower availability in your area, and also if you think she's still wet, as that will help determine next steps!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I live in Florida and there is some cold weather now. Tomorrow it will be warmer. Should I house the bee until tomorrow? I have medical grade glucose that I give them (and butterflies) and some water. That usually works but I've never had one over night. What do I do?
Leave a Reply to Rachel
Florida temperatures look fairly bee-friendly overall, but if your bee is sluggish and cold you could keep it overnight in a ventilated shoe box or similar in a cool room or sheltered outdoor structure, then release your bee once it warms up tomorrow morning. As far as the glucose solution goes, make sure it's not in something your bee could fall into and get sticky. Putting a paper towel inside a bottle cap or similar tiny dish can ensure the sugar-water is still available for the bee, without any danger of a sugar-bath! There are a few more tips about housing bees overnight on my First Aid page if you click the button "🌦 It’s cold, raining, or the sun has almost set…": https://savebees.org/how-to-help-revive-a-cold-or-wet-bee/
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Thank you so much! I saw this a just now and the sun is down and much more windy now so I'll keep him in a ventilated box like you suggested. I will also follow your other tips. THAAANKKK YOUUU!!! Idk what me and our little bee friend would do without you.
Leave a Reply to Rachel
While shoveling I found a bee. She seemed ok. But of course not flying. We had 6 degrees temp. Can I lplace her in a wood. shed. Under an kd dry plant. Mums exactly. 👍🏼 have her inside a plant. Which is blossoming. Christmas cactus.
Leave a Reply to G
If you can place her gently back in a new hole in the ground that you dig near (at roughly the same depth as where you found her when you were shoveling), that would likely be best for her. You'd then cover her again gently with soil. I'd imagine she's moving a little bit owing to being disturbed, so she'd be able to sort herself out with the slight disturbance in the soil around her. Though the sooner done, the better so that she goes back into hibernation quickly!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi,
I found a very little bee inside my house. He was very sluggish so I gave him some sugar water, as you suggested, and he has really perked up. It is 40 degrees outside right now we are moving into a winter storm/ice storm for the next several days. He seems like he wants to get out of the box enclosure I made for him, but when I take him outside to see if he wants to fly away, he gets sluggish again. Should I keep him inside for the next few nights through this storm? Or should I tuck him away outside somewhere?
Leave a Reply to Rivka
My suggestion would be to keep your bee in a cool, protected place that's similar to outdoor temperatures but without the ice storm. That could be either a basement, cool indoor room, or a sheltered outdoor spot where your bee can leave whenever they wish. If your bee is overly active indoors but sluggish outdoors, moving them to a cooler location will help give them the message about it still being too cold to be active. A very little bee at this time of year might be an early mining bee, the males emerge really early and are some of the first wild bees you see in very early spring. The males are small and have distinctive light patches of fluff on their faces typically.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Guest Post Proposal: The World’s Largest Honey Bee
Dear Savebees Team,
I hope you are well.
My name is Rashmi Kandel, a Nepal-based field researcher and social entrepreneur working closely with Himalayan honey-hunting communities for over 8 years. My work focuses on the Himalayan giant honey bee (Apis laboriosa), its behavior, high-altitude adaptation, and ecological role.
I am writing to ask if you would be open to a guest educational article for Science Buddies.
Proposed Topic
“Meet the World’s Largest Honey Bee: The Science of Himalayan Giant Bees”
The article would explain bee anatomy, behavior, altitude adaptation, and how Apis laboriosa differs from common honey bees, written in clear, student-friendly language suitable for stem learning.
The content would be purely educational, non-commercial, and aligned with biology and ecology concepts for middle- and high-school students.
Please let me know if this topic could be a good fit, or if you have any contributor guidelines to follow. I would be happy to share an outline or sample.
Thank you for your time and for supporting science education.
Leave a Reply to Rasmi Kandel
I shall be in touch directly over email soon.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bee in my house in January. He was nibbling on some leftover pizza. I dripped some water onto the counter and he went for it. Now I gave him a slice of banana and he is nibbling on it. I’m happy to keep him in the house until spring if that is the best thing for him/her.
Leave a Reply to Linda
Apologies for my late reply. Let me know if your bee is still around! Though I kind of wonder if, given pizza and banana, it's possible your bee is a 'bee-fly' (which is a kind of fly that mimics bees). You can tell if you look closely: bees have long antennae, whereas bee flies have short stubby antennae. Pizza and banana would be very unusual for a bee, but perhaps the sugars and salts might be the reason? In any case, let me know if your bee is still around. It's always hard to do the best for them if they're out too early in the year, since depending on the bee, they may not do well if kept for longer periods. Naturally they'd try to shelter somewhere outdoors, hoping to wait out the cold until the first of the early spring flowers.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Deat Elise, I found a bee inside my house. Yesterday was bit warmer ( 7°C) after a week of very cold weather. Today it is snowing! What should I do? I gave her sugar water, but if fell in it. Later she drank some of it. Now it is in a box in basement16-18°C) it is moving like searching for something but not mooving her wings. Pleas let me know, how I can help her.
Leave a Reply to Ursula
Do you happen to know if she's a honey bee or a bumble bee? Honey bees are thin, striped, and not very fluffy, whereas bumble bees are more rotund and very fluffy. I'm going to assume she's a bumble bee, but if she happens to be a honey bee, then I'd warm her up very well indoors first, and then release her outdoors; so long as she's warm enough, she should be able to fly back to her hive, where she'll be warm again. But if she's a bumble bee, then she'll almost certainly have been awoken from hibernation early, perhaps by being disturbed in her burrow underground, or perhaps from mistaking a few days of warmth for spring. The temperature in your basement is relatively warm by bumble bee standards for this time of year, so she may be wandering around hoping to forage, or perhaps searching for her burrow in which she was hibernating, or perhaps even searching for a new place underground in which to establish a colony for the coming year. Bumble bee queens take a lot of energy to fly, but at cooler temperatures they'll still wander round. When are the first spring flowers around in your area (early spring bulbs such as crocuses, that come through the snow)? That's usually the time when young queen bumbles, who've been hibernating alone in their own burrows over winter, begin to emerge. You have a couple options: wait for a day soon where there's at least a little sun, even if it's still very cold, and warm her up a little first indoors and then put her out in the sun nearby. I don't know if she would do so, but we might hope she'd find her way back to her overwintering burrow (they do have excellent senses of navigation). The other choice would be to keep her somewhere dark and cooler than your current basement temperatures (above freezing but otherwise similar to your current outdoor temperatures), basically giving her a safe but very cool spot in which to wait for the spring bulbs. When bees are very cold, they enter a state of torpor where they don't require much energy. Bumble queens are adapted for these lower temperatures in early spring, and on good spring days they'll forage (often not flying, simply crawling from bulb flower to bulb flower) and then they'll wait out rains, cold snaps and even snow for several days at a time before it warms up sufficiently to move again. If you go with this latter option, you'd need to keep a good eye on her, and have some safe source of sugar-water available (perhaps soak a bit of paper towel in the sugar-water mix, or add tiny pebbles to the dish). If she started moving about too much (as if confused or searching for something), you'd reduce the temperature further in order to help her re-enter a state of torpor. And if you do go this route, I'd add fallen leaves, bark, twigs, and other such natural objects to her box so that she could crawl under them if she wished. I wish you both well, let me know if I can help further!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It was sunny today, then turned cold and wet. I found a large,black bee ,unmoving on my deck. I brought it in, offered sugar water, in a small cardboard box. I plan on keeping it overnight. I'm worried about it.
A huge black bee saved my life in 1976, I'd like to return the favor. That story is too graphic to share here but it contributed to my lifelong love of all bees.
Leave a Reply to Deb
A quick additional note to say I just replied with a long email, but in case you've not received it, look through all your email folders as it'll be there somewhere!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
A huge black bee sounds like a queen bumble bee (does she by chance have any strip of pale yellow too)? This isn’t at all the time of year for her to be out in your area, instead she should be hibernating safely in her own little burrow in the ground, where she should stay until sometime in February, depending on the weather patterns. Have you had any stretches of unseasonably warm temperatures recently? If you might share a photo of her (or even a short video) by replying to this email, it’d help me help you both better. I’ll check in again in the morning 💛🐝
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi! I just found a bee outside on our driveway lying there. I thought it was dead, so I took it inside to maybe put in in a fairy terrarium. After a couple minutes though, its antennae started moving and I realized he wasn't dead, just terribly cold! (it's very cold here.) So I took him back outside and put him in the grass. Later when I came in, I looked up how they hibernate and it said that they huddle together in the hive for warmth. I started to feel sorry for him and I looked up how to revive a cold bee, but when I went back outside to find him he was gone. Do you think I revived him enough so that he could fly back to the colony? He was just barely moving his antennae. Do you think that was enough to get him flying again?
Leave a Reply to Ava
Was your bee a large, fluffy bee by chance? The bees that hibernate by huddling in a hive are honey bees (slim and not very fluffy bees). It'd be unusual to find a honey bee out at this time of year, since they've plenty of food (in the form of honey) in their hive for winter. Young bumble bee queens, on the other hand, have left their colonies (which break up before winter) and those fluffy, large bumble bee queens are sometimes doing some last-minute foraging late in the year, in order to top up their individual energy reserves before hibernating in a little burrow each digs for themselves in the soil. Either way, the warmth you provided by bringing your bee indoors will have helped! It's quite possible that you helped warm your bee up enough for her to bee on her way again, hopefully finding a good spot to dig her burrow in the soil for winter. 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Elise, hello! I’m glad I came across you page, so much helpful information. We found a bumblebee last evening by the main stairs of our building. It was quite cold and that little one was moving sluggishly while lying on its back/wings. My oldest thought it was dead but my first instinct was to think it was tired/cold, specially because I’ve never seen any bumblebees around our building or on our forest walks nearby. I was alone with three little ones so I managed to put her into a small shoebox and brought her upstairs to wait to release her in the warmth of the sun.. I put in her box a small spoon with sugar/water mix but she didn’t seem interested at first. I didn’t have crystal sugar but it was not brown sugar, something in the middle. I release her when the sun was out and about 50 degrees outside, at first she seemed well and quite active walked in the sun the whole balcony but then she kind of gave up? And I found her on her back again. I’m not sure how to help… I offered her some honey (my toddler insisted) and I just wanted to see if the sugar we had was a problem… she moved towards it and seemed to be giving it a go, now she is lying on the box and moving a little bit… the sun will be out in an hour and I’m gonna bring her back in… I have no garden and neighbours don’t have any flowers on theirs, so if you think she will be happier and have a better shot at leaving I will go buy her some. She is fluffy, big, and so pretty. I really hope she can make it! I hope you get to my message in time to help me help her. Thank you for such a high quality and curated content. 🩷
Leave a Reply to Ica
It's so kind of you to care about your bee! I'm guessing she's a young bumble bee queen, given the time of year. She'll need to find a spot underground to hibernate for winter, but first she'll need to have topped up her energy reserves well with nectar, in order to last her through until early spring. For your bee, it may help her to take her somewhere where there are still flowers, ideally an undisturbed area where she can both top off on nectar easily and also find a spot in the ground into which to burrow. Since young queen bumbles are relatively large, it takes more energy for them to fly, so it'd help her if you know of a place nearby where she can walk (or fly short distances) in order to find nectar as well as a good hibernation spot. It is concerning though that she was quite active at first in the sun, before ending up on her back. That sounds a little bit like exhaustion to me. Have you seen her drink any of the honey? It may help if you have some photos (or short videos) for me to look at to see her particular behavior and condition. As long as she's in good health, she'll be fine staying overnight in her small shoebox. Your weather forecast looks pretty good for her over the next few days, given the time of year. I do hope she responds to warmth and some kind of sustenance. I think that rather than buy flowers (very kind of you to think to do so!), she'll have the best chances if you can take her somewhere that still has some late-season flowers as well as suitable spots in which to burrow, since she needs to go into hibernation underground soon. Bumble queens are quite choosy about their hibernation spots, so it's not something we can help them with, other than taking them to places that look promising (ideally undisturbed, free-draining, easily-diggable soil, often north-facing if the soil is in a bank or hillock or such).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise, thank you for having this page! I’m a photographer and was out walking several dogs this morning at a local park. It’s been low 50’s during the warmest part of the day and upper 30’s to low 40’s overnight. It rains all the time, just not this morning.
My friend noticed a large, fluffy bumble bee (looks like the middle one of your queen pictures) had attached herself to my hoodie, on my chest. She was bound and determined to climb up and park herself under my beard or on my shoulder. When I tried to gently move her, she parked herself on my hand. I finally did the entire hike (~3 miles) with her on my shoulder or on my hand.
When I got back to my car, I loaded the dogs in and offered to place her on foliage in the sun. No dice. She climbed back on my hand, back up my arm and onto my shoulder. I breathed on her to warm her up, but this resulted in her trying to grab onto my beard again.
At one point I held out my hand, she buzzed her wings, flew up several feet, then promptly landed back on me. I have now gently transferred her to a shallow dish with leaves and a capful of water. She’s been driving with me in my car today. Every chance she gets, she tries to climb back on me. I’m going to stop and pick her up some flowers and sugar to make her sugar water. I’m not really sure what else to do now? I’ve tried to release her several times and still no dice. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
PS I do have a ton of photos of her.
Leave a Reply to Jeff
Sounds like you've befriended a young queen bumble bee! She likes your warmth 🐝🥰 We have similar weather here, and it's the time of year when young queen bumbles like her should be finding a nice spot to burrow underground for their winter hibernation. Naturally, she would forage sufficiently to top off her energy reserves to see her through winter, and then look for a nice, diggable spot of earth that's ideally raised (so as not to hold water) and north-facing (so that she doesn't get confused next spring and emerge from hibernation too soon, before there are flowers). She won't be able to fly easily if she's cold, though depending on where she finds herself, she may be able to forage by walking up and down flower stems, as well as find a good place for a winter burrow. I think what I'd do is warm her up well indoors (in an enclosure) tomorrow (or on any subsequent day that's not too rainy, a little rain won't be bad though so long as it's not super-windy), and then try to encourage her to go her own way. If she's warm and well-topped up with energy, I'd hope she might decide to fly off, as much as she loves your company! I think warmth is probably the key here. Ideally you'd have a bit of sun on the day you release her too, as she may not get far before getting cold again otherwise. Young bumble queens are very choosy about hibernation spots, but it'd be great if she might find some suitable soil nearby to where you release her (ideally in proximity to any late-season flowers). I'd love to see your photos!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Not a question, sorry! Just wanted to say this page helped me save a honey bee for the first time and I am very grateful. I'm terrified of bees and try to avoid them, but I saw this little one wet and unmoving on my windowsill and couldn't not help it. The q-tip feeding tip was incredibly useful, I didn't have to get my hand all that close to the bee but was still able to feed it and got to see it shake the lethargy off and fly away :) thank you!
Leave a Reply to Tei
That’s lovely to hear, I’m so happy you were able to help your bee despite your fear of her sting! I’m sure she was grateful for your help 💛🐝
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bumblebee walking slowly on my porch. It stops for a few moments and then walks again. I offered it some sugar water, but it’s not interested. It’s been staying still for a few minutes now and it’s super cold and not sunny outside because of the rain. What do I do to help it?
Leave a Reply to Savanna
I apologize for my late reply, I haven't been well. If it was a large bumble bee, it may well have been a young queen bumble bee (given the time of year). They're often found walking about (when they're too cold to fly) at this time of year, seeking an appropriate digging spot in the ground in which to hibernate. Given that it's often cold and wet at this time of year, they occasionally get caught out in the elements, though they'll try to find some kind of temporary shelter. Hopefully your bee did shelter somewhere (with you or somewhere outdoors), and was able to get on her way again afterwards!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
oct 24th, cold wet bumblebee, still alive. but I think it will freeze overnight. what do I do with it. I've seen it here for days on my flowers that are almost all dead.
Leave a Reply to cindy
Is your bee particularly large and fluffy? I ask because it’s the time of year when young bumble bee queens are seeking out hibernation spots underground for winter. Bumble bee queens can be relatively cold tolerant, and should be able to survive brief exposure to freezing temperatures. However, if she’s wet too, she’ll be less likely to survive such a cold snap. I’d move her into a sheltered frost-free place (garage, shed or similar) in an enclosure for the night. If you have any sunny weather on the way (even if it’s cold), put her out in the direct sun as soon as you can to warm up a bit. Alternatively, if your bee is small and fuzzy, he may sadly be one of the last male bumbles of the season, whose natural end of life is this time of year (they don’t hibernate).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
How much water does a bee need a day
Leave a Reply to Catgirl
It depends on the bee. Most bees get their water needs satisfied by the nectar they drink from flowers. Honey bees additionally make use of fresh water (gathered from puddles, pools, streams, etc.) that they use in front of their hive as a primitive air conditioning system (evaporating the water by buzzing their wings while remaining stationary in front of the hive's entrance).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bee on Tuesday clinging to flowers after we had our Easter so I brought it into the garage overnight to let it dry off. When I put it outside yesterday, it couldn’t really fly. It’s going to be 39 degrees tonight. I’m. Not sure what to do. I realize it’s the fall and it could be the end of its lifecycle or it could be going into hibernation. I just wanna make sure that I’m doing the best thing for it. And curious what that is
Leave a Reply to Jenn
It's helpful to give bees somewhere to dry off after such a storm, for sure! If you have any sunlight at all, it's good to place your bee in direct sun, to help them warm up enough to fly, even when it's cold. If it's a smaller bumble bee, it may well be a male bee near the end of his life cycle. If your bee is a very large bumble bee, she's likely to be a young queen seeking a good spot underground for hibernation. If your bee is a honey bee (less fluffy and thinner than a bumble bee), then they'll need to get back to their hive, where they overwinter in a ball of bees to stay warm. Regardless of the type of bee, the best thing to do is to give it an opportunity to dry off as you've done, then place it somewhere outdoors where it's most likely to catch any sun rays, and offer a sugar-water mix (just a tiny drop or two) in case your bee is hungry. It's quite common for bees (especially large bumble bee queens) to be unable to fly, even when they can still walk around. They're very choosy about their spots to hibernate, but if she is a young queen, she'll be looking to dig a small burrow in well-draining soil, ideally a mound that is north-facing (which sounds strange, but they choose north-facing so as not to be awoken by warmth too early in spring). So long as she has enough energy, she may be able to find a spot to hibernate during the day even if she's unable to fly, so long as there are spots within walking distance for her. 39 degrees is cold for a bee, but bumble bee queens (assuming that's what she is) are better equipped than most bees to wait out such cold temperatures outdoors, though they can be in trouble when they also get soaked in heavy rains (usually they seek shelter, but that can be difficult in a storm).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I know that you probably won’t be able to answer me in time -and I feel this is a dire situation and I am in need of an immediate solution- but I’ll ask anyway because I don’t know what else to do. I feel awful. This is definitely the worst case scenario, but the bee has fallen into the sugar water - and now her wings are sticky, and I am afraid that she can’t open them and I don’t know if I should try to rinse her off with water. I don’t know what to do. I’ve been trying to save her. I was camping and didn’t have any sugar so I drove to town got a packet of sugar and I was so happy that I would finally be able to revive her as it’s raining outside and she’s cold. She’s been stuck in my tent for a day without any sustenance. I feel so awful and now I think I might have killed her because she fell in the sugar water. What should I do? I know it will probably be too late. But I would like to know anyway. Thank you for all that you do. This is a wonderful resource. I couldn’t believe this page existed. I felt crazy for trying to save a new but now I know I’m not the only one. I did put pebbles in the dish, but somehow she managed to get in the water and now she’s covered with dried sugar water. I don’t know what to do I’m sorry I failed her. I could cry it’s so sad .
Leave a Reply to Becca
I’m sorry to hear about your bee when you’ve been trying so hard to help her. Is she still with you this morning? One of the things that can help in this situation is very carefully to drip slightly warmer-than-lukewarm water on your bee. In other words, giving her something of a bee bath, but with care (since they breathe through tiny holes in the sides of their bodies). Given your location, she should dry off relatively quickly in the sun afterwards. The water should help to dissolve the sugars, and if she has enough energy from drinking sugar-water, she should begin to clean herself once it’s easier to do so. I do hope she’s alright, it’s so kind of you to have tried to help her, and I do hope she’s able to recover there with you.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi
A bee appeared 2 days ago in our garden on the concrete just sat, I gave some sugar water and it crawled away but was then still just on the ground 12 hours later. I brought it in to warm up and provided it with some flowers ect
Its a bumblebee. They picked up so I placed the tub outside and he crawled awake again. Flying only slightly off the ground.
Its now 2 days later and its still just sitting in the garden, it does perk up slightly now and then but its cold outside so im bringing it in on a night and releasing when the sun comes up
Im not sure if its end of life as doesnt seem to be able to fly away? Wings do work but maybe not effective enough to let them fly off fully
Just wondering what else I can be doing to help?
Thank you
Leave a Reply to Louise
Does your bumble bee happen to be quite large (if your bee is still with you)? I ask because it's the time of year that young bumble bee queens would be searching for hibernation spots in the ground in which to overwinter. Being even larger than worker bumble bees, queens take more energy to get lift-off, so they often crawl around (especially when it's cold) rather than flying. Although low-flying could also be her way of searching for a good hibernation spot on the ground. You're doing all the right things, and she may simply be waiting for a day that's sunny enough for her to be able to get going again. At this time of year (as in early spring), bumble bee queens may wait for several days or even a week or more before conditions are favorable enough to fly, and at these times they take shelter wherever they can. I don't know what your local weather forecast is, but I hope you have a sunnier (even if still cool) spell, in which she can bask in any sun rays to warm up sufficiently to fly off!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hello!
I found a little bumblebee crawling on the road late at night, I picked it up, gave it some sugar water, and made it a small plant pot home to stay the night. However the weather is getting colder and we've got a heavy rain warning tomorrow :( it seems to be doing okay, albeit a bit cold at the moment. Should I wait until Sunday to release it? Seeing as the weather is only getting colder and rainier.. Also, how often should I provide sugar water? (I also live next to the botanical gardens, so that might be a good place to release it)
Leave a Reply to mimi
I'm so sorry I wasn't able to reply sooner, but I thought I'd answer your questions, even though I hope your bee has flown off by now. I think I'd have waited until Sunday to release her, unless she seemed to wish to go sooner (moving energetically and buzzing her wings would be signs she'd like to go). Typically bees that are cold don't wish to fly, and will instead take shelter in cold and heavy rain, waiting out the weather until it's warm enough to fly again. As to how often to offer sugar-water, a bee that's not moving much won't be using much energy. It kind of depends on the bee too... if the bee sticks out her tongue as soon as there's sugar-water offered, then that's a good sign that she's ready for more. But if she's no longer hungry, she'll ignore the sugar-water on offer. Another option is to place an absorbent piece of paper towel in a tiny dish of sugar-water in the bee's enclosure, so that they can drink as needed (without the danger of them falling into it when unsupervised). I do hope she was able to bee on her way after staying with you! Botanical gardens sound like a great place to release her.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bee this morning soaking wet and on its back. I made sugar water, fed it sugar water and sometimes it can walk, but mostly on its back with legs flailing. It’s still raining, is it ok to keep it inside with me until it seems better? Is there anything else I can do for it?
Leave a Reply to Chris
Yes, I’d keep your bee inside with you… looks like you have warmer and less rainy weather ahead too. Just make sure the enclosure is somewhere cool and dark at night. Once you get a day with less or no rain, try moving your bee into direct sunlight to warm up faster. It’ll take your bee some time to fully dry too, but he or she may do that in the meantime indoors. If you haven’t already, you might put some objects (twigs, pebbles, fallen leaves) in the enclosure to give your bee something to grab onto to help right themselves if they fall over. Make sure too that any sugar water isn’t in a dish too deep to fall into, while your bee is still unsteady (a small bit of paper towel can alleviate that danger). I hope your bee perks up once the weather’s better again! Give him or her time, a cold and wet bee may take hours to warm up and dry off, in the meantime being prone to falling over, and generally looking sluggish. Cleaning behaviors and “test buzzes” (wings moving quickly without flight) will be signs that they’re improving and hopefully able to fly off soon.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hello!
I found a bee in my bath last night and gave him some sugar water and put him in a container with some grass overnight, I left the container outside this morning with the lid off and went and ran some errands, hoping he would fly away and go home but he hasn’t. It’s quite cold atm 12C. I’ve bought him back inside in the container with a flower but he still isn’t moving much or flying. What should I do?
Leave a Reply to Sarah
I am so sorry I wasn't able to reply in good time. Your bee was probably too cold at 12°C. Being cold-blooded, they depend on warm conditions in order to move and especially to fly. Your weather forecast looks as though it's been very cool. I think it's early spring where you are? If your bee was a particularly large and fluffy bumble bee, she'd probably be a queen emerging from hibernation. They can wait out many days of cold weather without moving much (sheltering inside or under flowers, or beneath leaf litter) until conditions improve. So long as they're not expending much energy, they don't need much energy either, being basically in a state of torpor. You could either have left her outdoors in a sheltered place (ideally one that would receive the sun's rays if it became sunny), or kept her safe in a cool protected area at outdoor temperatures until a sunny day. Even when it's cold, bees can move about (and even fly short distances) if they've been bathing in the sun's rays sufficiently. I hope your bee did get on their way in the end!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
We have a swarm of distressed bees buzzing around a tap. We have put the pond of sugared water out but it hasn't helped.
Leave a Reply to Lee
Are these honey bees? In very large numbers (hundreds)? If there are fewer (more in the tens of bees), then perhaps they're simply seeking fresh water (not sugar water) with which to cool their hive. If they're in the hundreds, then it's a swarm of honey bees seeking a new home. You might look up beekeepers in your local area if so, who'll usually be happy to come out and re-home the bees!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hello, we have rescued a bee who was very cold and tired, stuck on her back in the middle of a very heavy rain shower. We brought her home as she was in the middle of town with no flowers around. We have put her in a box with some sugar water in a bottle cap as she was soaking wet. She seems to have dried a little bit but hasn’t drunk any sugar water and can barely move or lift her head up. Is there anything more we can do? She keeps accidentally flipping on to her back and doesn’t seem to have the strength to get up again. Thank you!
Leave a Reply to Mary
She may well feel more herself once she's well-warmed and dry. While she's cold and wet though, I'd be careful with the amount of sugar water in the bottle cap, in case she falls into it. Perhaps put a little piece of paper towel in it so that she can cling to something and still drink if she wishes, without any danger. Do you happen to know what kind of bee she is? I would put her enclosure somewhere warmish right now, to enable her to dry off faster. I'm not sure what part of the country you're in, so I don't know your weather forecast, but hopefully there are some sunnier, drier autumn days still to come? Once she's warm and dry, she should be able to stay on her feet. Tomorrow morning, if you have sun, I'd definitely put her outdoors where she can bask in the sun's rays. The concern would be over whether she was out for too long in the rain (a particular danger for bees, since they breathe through little holes along the sides of their bodies). I hope she perks up as she warms and dries!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise! I have an injured bee who was found in water and it appears as though two of the six legs (inner middle legs on both sides) are not moving, but the wings seem to be intact and it’s drinking sugar water. I have it resting overnight and plan to hopefully release it tomorrow. Can it survive if two of the six legs are broken/not moving? Thanks for all you do. Your article is really helpful.
Leave a Reply to Cam
Yes, your bee should be able to live life alright with just four of six legs (the main concern would be if there are any unseen injuries). Let me know how your bee is doing in the morning once he or she warms up!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I brought into my screened in porch some potted salvia before work this morning due to impending rain. It is now 8 pm at night and I noticed a bumblebee on my porch screen. It's not moving unless I get close to it with the ends of a very small broom. Will it be okay til the morning when the rain has stopped and I can open the door? I am keeping the salvia plant inside for the night.
Leave a Reply to Elle
It’ll be just fine until morning. When they’re cold and not buzzing about, bees use very little energy. Once the rain has stopped and it’s warmer again, your bee should be able to be on their way again!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Thank you for your quick response last night. As of lunchtime today it was still on the screen but I was able to move it on top of the soil of the salvia plant. Within minutes it seemed to get its bearings and it flew out of the plant and through the open porch door! I am happy I was able to help it!
Leave a Reply to Elle
No questions. Just wanted to tell you that your videos were so helpful. I saw the bee tongue come out and within minutes, it flew away. Thank you!
Leave a Reply to Quynh
That’s wonderful, I’m so happy you were able to help your bee! 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It is currently early august and freezing outside with heavy rain. Found a bee on porch and brought it inside. After a couple hours, it circled up and looked completely dead, but I checked on them again and it was alive!. It them moved around for about 3m, this being the first time it has been able to live more than just one warning leg. It then found. A spot and has been resting there for around 6 hours. Moved once when I was away. It's approaching night. It hasn't eaten or drunken anything so far. Ill probably put them in a shoe box, as you said, overnight- and away from my cats, but should I be leaving them any sort of food? And what would that be?
Any other tips would be good too!
Leave a Reply to Maeve
I apologize for my late response, we've had a serious heat wave here. As far as food goes, sugar-water is all a bee would need (as an approximation for nectar, their usual food). Your bee may have been too cold to wish to drink any, but I'd continue to offer it if your bee is still with you. Your weather looks cold but sunny at least? Hopefully if you set your bee out in the sun rays, he or she'll have enough warmth and energy to fly off. Let me know if you still have your bee. I hope that even after heavy rain, they recovered with you.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise.
Not a question, just a thank you! I had a non-moving bumble on my pot of calibrachoa since early last evening. The night temps have been in the mid-low 50'd the past few nights( it's been awesome but not our norm). He/she was still there this morning. I googled and found your sight. I mixed up some sugar water and the bumble drank some from a spoon(which was probably one of the coolest things I have seen).. The sun peeked around to that side of my deck, and I went back out to check and the bumble, had flown away. So thank you for this informative site!!
Leave a Reply to Danielle
Found what I think is a carpenter bee in one of our water buckets. She was sitting in a leaf that was partially submerged and I had thought that she’d be gone but surprisingly she’s still alive!
Have been with her for sround two hours now but she is refusing sugar water even when offered to her on a napkin, on a surface or when i touched her antenna with a little bit of the sugar water.
She doesn’t seem to be trying to fly either and I’m concerned :(
Any other way I could try and help her? I’m afraid to just put her somewhere as she’s quite clumsy from the look of it and seems to be napping from time to time.
Leave a Reply to Deea
Since it’s getting late in your day, I’d nestle her somewhere safe, either outdoors in a sheltered protected area nearby (hopefully with bee-friendly flowers near her) or temporarily in an enclosure overnight. Your weather forecast looks damp, if warm, which makes my next suggestion problematic: usually bees perk up as they bathe in the warmth of the sun. Warming her up indoors might help, but not tonight, it’s best to follow the natural day/night rhythms, and try warming her up tomorrow morning. If you do leave her outdoors, make sure her spot is protected from rain, but likely to be touched by any warm sun rays that might appear for her. Let me know how she is tomorrow; it’s not surprising she’s clumsy, having been immersed in water, and now probably feeling a bit cold from that. Does she still look a bit wet (fluff clumped in places)? She’ll need to dry off fully as well as feel warm, before being able to fly again.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I’m afraid she’s sadly passed away :(
I had put her to rest in a flower as I did have to go eat and it seemed that she was getting clumsier as time passed by and fell quite a lot. When I had come back she had already passed away💔
She did start showing interest in flowers though as I had taken her around some clover flowers that were blooming in our yard.
Maybe her tumbling around eventually got to her :(
I’ve put her to rest easy and peacefully in my garden now and I’ll remember her.
Thank you for your help nonetheless!
Leave a Reply to Deea
We saved a bumble that was drowning in lake michigan. It was exhausted and still on my arm. We went to put it on some sunny grass to dry off. It had started to vibrate but still not able to use its wings or move quickly. it was windy and only one leg was able to cling well so it fell off into sand. it was getting fuzzy again but sand stuck to it. I picked it up and tried again but it could not cling with its legs at all. It curled up
Its body pulsed its abdomen and waved its legs and died. What happened?! I thought it was getting better but it died. So sad! What could have happened?! I have photos
Leave a Reply to Ab
I’m very sorry to hear about your bee. Sounds like your bee was sadly in the water for too long before you found it, and was too weakened by that experience to be able to recover. Bees breathe through tiny holes (spiracles) along the sides of their bodies, so probably your bee took in far too much water in this way.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hello, I've had a hummingbird feeder for years without any bee problem. Two days ago one bee has been harassing the hummingbirds, chasing them, and one time actually landing on the back of one bird. I checked the feeder and there are no leaks. Is there any way to discourage this bee from returning? Thank you
Leave a Reply to Paul
I’m going to guess that’s a honey bee that you’re seeing. They’re hard to dissuade… I’ve seen BBC footage of honey bees ‘sparring’ with hummingbirds for flowers in the tropics. Other bees (like our native bees) would probably be lured by nearby flowers over hummingbird feed. You might try planting some bee-friendly attractive flowering plants nearby. If it’s a honey bee though, they seem to favor easy sources of sugar, and have such good memories for spots. Maybe you could try moving the feeder around more, in case that helps fool the bee so that she goes looking elsewhere for nectar?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Thank you
Leave a Reply to Paul
Hello, I used your suggestion and moved my feeder. Bee is gone, hummingbirds are feeding at new location, everyone's happy! Thank you
Leave a Reply to Paul
I do a lot of kayaking along the shores and often come across bees and bumblebees in distress and usually I just lift them out of the water with my paddle and shake them onto the deck of my kayak where they most often dry off and rest up before they're on their way again.
However some of them will just sit on the deck or try to seek shelter until I get ashore where I try placing them on nearby flowers and hope for the best. But I do wonder if the salt in the sea water is a problem for our furry little friends and if a fresh water shower would be in order for those still with me when I get ashore?
I'll start carrying a small syringe of sugar water and see of this is enough to get them going as a start.
Leave a Reply to Kayaker
Carrying sugar-water sounds like a good idea, it should help some of the exhausted bees get going sooner (they can expend a lot of energy flailing about in the water). I’m honestly not sure about giving them a freshwater shower. I do know they’re attracted to saltwater, as it provides extra minerals for them (and they’re also attracted to bodies of water generally, especially honey bees, since they use water for an evaporative cooling system in their hives). Usually, if it’s warm and sunny enough, bees can dry off and clean themselves well, and I’d kind of assume this would be the same with saltwater (although without observing them doing it, I’m not certain). It’s so kind of you to whisk them out of the water when you spot them in distress! Bees breathe along the sides of their bodies, so any immersion is dangerous. So long as it’s just brief, they typically recover quickly once they’re out of it, but the ones that take longer may well have been struggling in the water for awhile. Putting them on bee-friendly flowers once you’re ashore is definitely helpful too (ideally ones in direct sunlight, though it doesn’t matter so much if it’s a warm, dry day).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bee in my pool, I took it out and set it down, and the only part that i knew it was alive is because it was dancing. Then it started moving, but it was like kicking and looked couldn't control its legs, I think it became blind, is it?
Leave a Reply to Amelia
Typically “uncontrolled” behavior in bees is a sign of acute pesticide poisoning. Though if it’s simply the middle legs held high up in the air (and it’s a bumble bee), then it’s simply bumble-bee-speak for feeling threatened. Hopefully after warming up and drying off, your bee felt better. But if the bee seems agitated, circling aimlessly, and/or falling over, it’s much more likely to be a reaction to a pesticide they encountered before falling in the pool. Wet bees are usually just sluggish until they warm up and dry off.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi.
I found a bee on the ground underneath our linden tree. I put her in a flower pot which I know bees like. She didn’t move all day except to move around the flowers I put down for her she crawled on. The weather turned and it rained overnight. I found her wet that morning, read this article, and created a space for her inside the garage with food and water and shelter. She dried out and several hours later slater walked around the container (old small dog tote). Over night she slept. I thought she was not well in the am so put my finger in the container and she strung me - better than I thought as I guess as maybe she was sleeping. My finger isn’t that bad but she did sting me. I have heard that they die when they sting and I was just trying to help. She is still with us - thoughts on progression and release?
Leave a Reply to Kathleen
It's only honey bee workers that die when they sting (queen honey bees are able to sting as many times as they wish, whereas male bees have no stingers at all). All other types of female bees (other than honey bees) are unhurt themselves, if they sting. You probably accidentally surprised her! Your weather looks cool and wet for a few days yet, but if she's a bumble bee (fuzzy, round-ish), she may well wish to fly off in this weather, so long as it's only intermittently or lightly rainy (bumble bees can tolerate lower temperatures and some rain, in contrast with honey bees that are tucked inside their hives during inclement weather). I'd put her in some kind of enclosure and warm her up well indoors, then release her towards the warmest part of the day. If she's not very active right now, you could also keep her in a cool location in your garage, as you've been doing (with access to sugar-water or fresh flowers), and then on the first day of warm sun, move her outdoors into direct sunlight. As she warms up, she should become more active, cleaning herself, perhaps feeding a bit, and buzzing her wings. Sometimes it's just minutes, and sometimes it's hours, but after some while of warming up in the sun, she should fly off!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I rescued a bee yesterday, i have them in a special ventilated bug box with flowers i picked from my garden and occasionally give sugar water. I housed overnight and this morning they were still moving around, I have taken them outside a few times but they dont seem to want to fly away, im getting worried now
Leave a Reply to Josh
I apologize for my late reply, do let me know if your bee is still with you! It sounds like you’ve set her up well there. I don’t know what your weather is like precisely, but when you do take her outdoors, put her in direct sunlight and let her bask in the warm rays for awhile. Sometimes it takes bees several hours in direct sunlight to recover and take off (especially if they got wet).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi! I found a bee in my garden that seems unable to fly. Its wings are tattered on the edges and I’ve been able to pick it up and bring it inside where it’s been for a few hours now. If I want to make it comfortable (and assuming it doesn’t suddenly resume the ability to fly) what should I do? I’ve offered it some local honey and am planning to mix up sugar water.
Leave a Reply to Mccalla
Apologies for my late reply! Tattered wing edges are a sign of old age in a foraging bee. Sometimes bees simply need a bit of energy (from a flower or from sugar-water) and warmth (from the sun) to be able to fly (even with somewhat tattered wings). But I’m guessing your bee is unable to fly anymore, as you thought. Your bee should be comfortable so long as she has food (sugar-water, honey) and a safe place to bee, with some natural objects of interest in her enclosure. I would just keep an eye on her, ensuring she doesn’t look agitated (and keeping her temperature and lighting in sync with the natural daily outdoor cycle). If she does start to buzz her wings as if to try to fly, you could try her outdoors in direct sunlight. But otherwise, I’d keep her safe from predators who might tear apart an old, weakened bee.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
The bee I rescued is a worker bee, but I don't know how long shes been in the pool. She's really sluggish and barely moving, and its near dusk. I can't bring her in and I dont think I have any flowers for her, what should I do?
Leave a Reply to Madie
If you can, put her somewhere sheltered outdoors near where you found her, in a spot where the sun will hit her first thing in the morning. That’ll definitely help her too 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hello! Your page is so helpful.
A few hours ago, we found a bee that seems unable to fly. One side of it's wings seems slightly crooked.
We gave it a dandelion, and it went and hung out there for awhile. We waited about an hour, and then brought it home. We have given it sugar water and some more flowers, but it doesn't seem interested for the moment.
We think she or he is a 2-spotted bumblebee.
We will get some earth, rocks, and more flowers, and keep sugar water near it.
If you have any advice, we'd love to have it.
Thank you.
Leave a Reply to Ali
Sometimes once a bee warms up, they’re able to move their wings back into a normal position (I hope so, in your bee’s case)! Though for the night, I’d keep your bee’s enclosure somewhere cool. I’ll get back to you with more thoughts later, and feel free to reply with a photo so I can see what kind of bee you have there 💛🐝✨
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a carpenter bee in my driveway late yesterday afternoon. I gave it sugar water and when it was still there but crawling around, I moved it to a plant for shelter and safety. This morning it was still there so I moved to to some flowers I have and gave it more sugar water today. It flaps its wings, but doesn't leave, and moves around the plant quite well. Is there anything else I can do for it?
Leave a Reply to Cathy
Sometimes it's simply a matter of time (even when they flap their wings at high speeds, they may not get liftoff until after some further tries or a little more time feeding and resting). It's important that the bee is warm enough to be able to fly, but from the looks of your state-wide weather, it should easily be warm enough, even in the shade. I would keep an eye on your bee in case their behavior changes, but it sounds like you've done everything you can for the moment!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I would like to bring this important matter to your attention. All of the sticky fly, ant and any other insect sticky items that is selling on temu is also attracting bees and they are dying on the traps.
Leave a Reply to Maz
You’re quite right, it’s a real problem. I wish these items were not sold anywhere!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It is winter in nz, and 4 days ago i found a bumblebee on my apartment balcony. She seemed poorly so I brought her inside. 2 days later(yesterday)I put her amongst flowers, at Mum's place. It rained heavily overnight, and when I checked on her today she hadn't moved at all. I decided to bring her to mine to bury, and then realized she was still alive. I've fed her sugar water and she is moving slowly. What I want to know, is this her end of life process, and what should I do?
Leave a Reply to Geri
When bees are sluggish, it can often mean that they're simply cold, so my next question is: is your bee a smallish or a largish bumble bee? Young bumble bee queens hibernate over winter by each digging their own small hole in the ground. These large queens are the only bumble bees that survive winter. All the other bumble bees (worker bees and male bees, both of whom are much smaller than queen bumbles) naturally reach the end of their lifecycles at the end of autumn / onset of winter. If she is a large young queen, then it'd be helpful to warm her up briefly indoors and feed her some sugar-water, then release her on one of the warmer / less wet days ahead, so that she has the energy to locate a suitable hibernation spot in the ground. Bumble bee queens tend to choose north-facing, good-draining soil that has a little elevation, so that rainwater does not pool in their hole over winter. Although I'm not as familiar with New Zealand bumble bees, I'd be happy to take a look at your bee too, if you send some photos or a short video clip!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bumble bee that got stuck in a rainstorm last night. He was hanging on to a flower being pelted by rain, looks soaking wet. I tried to dry them off with just the heat in my hand and warm breath. Let him munch on some flowers from my hand as well. He was quite active but couldn't fly. Night was coming so I let him spend the night inside a container. This morning I brought him outside again, let him feed from flowers. He is quite active, and then has power naps. He cleans himself and eats well from the flowers. His right wing still does not seem to want to work he tries, but the right one barely moves left one seems fine. Do you have any suggestions?
Leave a Reply to J
It's so kind of you to help your bee. If their right wing is truly damaged, there's unfortunately no way to help them recover the use of that wing. Bee wings are quite complex, with a pair of wings on each side of their body that hinge together in flight to form a single wing surface on each side. Sometimes bees can hold their wings oddly when they're still cold though. I don't know what your weather is like, but if your bee has been in full sun for a couple of hours, then we'd be able to rule out coldness as a reason for being unable to fly. If you'd like to send some close-up pics or a short video, perhaps I can look closer? Are there any other signs of damage? Do your bee's wing edges look ragged at all?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I have a bee i picked up yesterday looking tierd.. she's full of pollen sacs, and she was curled over as i gently picked her up she accidentally rolled to her back but this gave me a chance to see she was moving. Cleaning her antenas and twitching her legs..I popped her in a small open pot with leaves and flowers and gave her a small drop of bee revive water. She didn't move for a couple hours but still moved her legs.. I left her housed over night and this morning she's still alive, twitching but not walking around.. her wings look intact but one looks slightly off and another had pollen stuck in it this morning.. she's obviously trying to stay on so I'd love a happy ending for this one but I cant figure what it is she needs x
Leave a Reply to Natasha
I really apologize for replying so late. If you still have your bee, perhaps you could send photos of her wing? Sometimes, wings are held in odd ways when a bee is cold, only to be fine once they're warmer and more limber. Did you happen to try warming your bee up indoors (or outdoors in the sun)? Otherwise-healthy bees respond quickly to warmth, particularly sunlight (though it looks possibly drizzly, or at least overcast, in your forecast). Do you know if she's a honey bee (slender) or a bumble bee (rounder and fuzzier)? It's hard to know what might be ailing her, but if one wing is off such that she can't use it, there may well be other unseen physical damage. If so, you'd have provided her with a safe place to live out her last moments.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
a hole appeared in the bank !
I saw bumble bees using it .
suddenly, today , a huge hole appeared above the original one stones and roots flung out
must be a badger all the bumble bees are exhausted and dusty how to help them?
Leave a Reply to danny
I'm sorry to be replying too late to be helpful (we've had an unexpected heatwave here, and I live outdoors). Definitely does sound like a badger (bees aren't their preferred prey, but when conditions are dry and earthworms are more scarce, bee colonies are more likely to be targets). If a bumble bee colony defends itself well, the bees can recover their colony, but it does depend on the level of damage. Covering large badger-dug holes may help keep the remaining bees out of the elements while they try to recover, but there's little else one can do, unfortunately. I hope the remaining bees numbered enough individuals to able to survive.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hello 👋
I have a bee in my yard...l don't think it's a honeybee. It may be a bumblebee but it's more elongated than round but definitely bigger than a honeybee. It's 2.5 hrs before dark and quite war..about 26 degrees Celsius (sorry we don't use Fahrenheit here.) He's sluggish. I tried the sugar water solution which usually works but he's not interested. I put it on his antennae, still no interest
I tried a little fruit jam..no interest. I bought him a fresh lavender plant from the local market because l read it's a flower bees like but he can't cling to it. I tried putting him on what looks like a buttercup but l'm having no luck. He's just lying still . He's alive though. Unfortunately l have to leave on a business trip early tomorrow morning. I'm going to put him in the lavender plant pot so he's off the ground but near it and hiddyfron overhead predators. Any advice? Even if l can't save him perhaps you can impart knowledge that will help me in future. Do bees sometimes come to the end of their life cycle in early June? It's hard to watch him not do well. My husband died last year and l'm sad that he can't help because he would have known what to do or at least what was going on. I'm glad l can reach out to you..you've helped me before.
Leave a Reply to Oksana
I’m so sorry to be getting back to you too late, after you’ll already have left on your trip. But it sounds like you’ve done all I would have suggested for your bee (and more, by finding such a good plant for it)! With temperatures that warm, I don’t see why your bee would be so sluggish, unless he or she (probably she) was suffering from an unseen malady, or near the end of their natural life. You can get a sense of a bee’s age from looking at the edges of their wings closely: if the edges look ragged, it’s a definite sign of advanced age in a bee. Foraging bees also wear themselves out rather quickly with their intensive lifestyle, so a month is a typical worker bee’s lifespan. Bumble bees (and other bees) also suffer somewhat commonly from internal parasites, so it could be something like that, or even a bee virus or an unseen physical injury of another kind. Lavender is a great bee plant, what a good idea to get a potted one locally for your bee! With its strong fragrance, it’d be easy for a bee to realize it’s near, and to walk up a stem (if unable to fly) if it feels the need for nectar. Though it sounds like your bee wasn’t hungry, as your bee would have responded to the sugar water otherwise. It’s always hard to see any bee (or other creature) not doing well, but it’s very kind of you to have given your bee such thought and care, providing a safe place to rest with food nearby. 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Sorry for typos, l'm a bit upset about the bee.
Leave a Reply to Oksana
Hiya, just got into savings bees by the pool a month ago. Tried most of what you've recommended here but have a specific question. If it's a chilly, overcast day and i find a wet bee (from rain or rescuing out of the pool), will letting her chill on my warm hand be better for her than chilling on a flower? Thanks in advance!
Leave a Reply to Pru
Great to hear you’re rescuing bees! Yes, if it’s a chilly and overcast day, any warmth will be welcomed by a recovering bee, and they’ll definitely warm up faster by soaking up some of our body warmth, as opposed to sitting on a chilly flower on a cold, overcast day. For folks who aren’t afraid of bees, it can be a lovely experience to bee close and observe a bee while they warm up on us 🐝🥰
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi,
I found a bee lastnight looking disoriented climbing through the grass. It climbed onto my sleeve and I left it on a windowsill with some sugar water. Which it did drink. It was windy and rainy so I kept it over night in a shoe box. Today it still seems very disorientated, it is endlessly climbing over leaves and cut flowers but it won't fly. Any advice would be much appreciated?
Leave a Reply to Sara
I would try putting your bee outdoors in direct sunlight (or if there's no sun today, moving her enclosure into a warm room first this morning). The warmer your bee is, the more active she should become. Often a bee simply needs to be warmer to have enough energy to fly.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi,
I found a bee on my patio that wasn’t moving today at lunch. I gave it some sugar water and it drank it all up, but hasn’t really moved a lot. It has had some cut flowers and gets really excited at the pollen but just kind of sits there and doesn’t move. Its bum is going up and down (we think it’s a queen as it has a white fur bum) so I know it’s alive, and when I move the flower it moves but it’s been very still. I’ve brought it in for the night and put it in a box with leaves and air in the window sil. I’m worried if I take it to flowers near by tomorrow it will get lost (fall off a flower or something) and I won’t know if it survived or needs more help. Do I need to wait for it to get more active with sugar water etc till I release it again? How long is it allowed to be away from its other bee colony before the colony dies?
Leave a Reply to Caz
If your bee is particularly large, it may well be a queen bumble bee, but if it’s more normal-sized, it may well be a worker (given the time of year, I’d kind of imagine it is a worker, unless you’re having a very late spring)? Although I’m less familiar with UK bumble bee species, there’s a good identification guide here; workers often also have white bums: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/learn-about-bumblebees/species-guide/ Tomorrow (or today I think, when you read this) I would see if your bee starts becoming more active in sunlight (though given your rainy forecast, sunlight may be a bit iffy). Even with occasional rain showers, I would still try setting your bee out tomorrow once the day begins warming up. I know it’s not so very warm there, but it’s definitely warm enough for bumble bees. You might also try first warming her up in her enclosure in a warm room indoors, to give her a bit of a boost of warmth before setting her out. If yours is a queen bumble bee, and if she also has noticeable pollen collected on her hind legs, then it’s definitely important that she return soon to her colony (queens do all the foraging when they first establish their colonies for the season, before handing off foraging tasks to worker bees for the rest of their lives, remaining in the colony thereafter). If she is a worker bee, definitely the sooner she returns, the better, but the colony does not depend on a single worker bee. Hopefully she’ll perk up once she’s warmer! As she warms up, she should become more active, beginning by cleaning herself, and often then doing some “test buzzes” with her wings before readying herself to fly. Once she’s warm enough, she should become able to navigate without falling. I’d ensure you release her in roughly the same spot you found her, to make sure she’s able to get home safely!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a honey bee outside in the rain. We thought it died, brought it inside in a cardboard box. It’s moving now that it’s dry and warm, We also gave it sugar water but now it’s wobbling around and keeps flipping over. Any advice?
Leave a Reply to Cat
I’m very sorry to hear about your bee. If your bee keeps falling over onto her back, it’s sadly a fairly strong sign that she may be experiencing health issues beyond the help of any sugar water solution (there could be a number of reasons, including ailments unrelated to the rain, or simply too much time being soaked, if she was fully drenched). If this is the case, then you’ll at least be giving your bee a safe place to live out her final moments. Time will tell though, as she may improve drinking sugar water and continuing to dry out. I’d probably keep her overnight in a cooler room (unless she shows signs of buzzing her wings and readying for flight). I think by morning it’ll be clear if she’ll be able to pull through.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Im finding quite many dead bees in my weekend house trapped inside while running from the cold. Is there any sort of support I can leave inside for them to live until next time I come back to the weekend house? Water with sugar? There might be 5 days in between my visits.
Leave a Reply to Lulu
Possibly sugar water might keep them alive in the interim, but it might also encourage further bees into your home while you’re away. Ideally, it’d be good (if it’s at all possible) to find where they’re coming in, and block that entry point, since they’re so much better off drinking nectar (sugar water is more of an emergency food, but bees can come to rely on it if they find an easy source of it).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
My wee bee has had some sugar water, actually fell into it for a wee bit but try now, keeps wriggling about. Tried to put it on a flower but it had little energy then brought it inside and now in a cardboard box. I’m scared it’s been poisoned! What do you think I should do?
Leave a Reply to Charlotte
I’m very sorry that I was unable to reply sooner. I hope your bee was able to feel more energetic with time. Typically, sugar water and warmth do the trick. If a bee is still not responding several hours later, it can be a sign of other ailments beyond our ability to help.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi, last few years there was/is a bees nest (sorry I don't know the correct terminology) in our apartment building next to our kitchen. This year I keep finding dead/half dead bees in my kitchen even although I don't open the window now as I have cats. Clearly they are getting in via a hole somewhere (it's an old building). I have managed to save a few however is there anything I can do to dissuade them coming in ?
Leave a Reply to Linda
Are these honey bees, I’m guessing? If they’re living inside a wall next to your kitchen, then it’s going to be very hard not to end up finding bees on occasion, as you are. The only real way to dissuade them would be to find where they’re coming into the kitchen, and block that. Sometimes people can hear buzzing inside walls when nearest the bee colony, which can help locate them more precisely. A local beekeeper might then be able to relocate the colony safely.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
She is a queen but moving now Rawlings slowly around , not flying ( I did see her fly earlier before she remedied to be not so well Given her sugar water in saucer which she paddled in She’s dried off now and wings look ok long legs propelling her around A lot more active now that before as at one I thought she was dead I don’t think the flowers here have pollen, have offered her 3 types but no I have Welsh poppies , columbines and some small geraniums but she’s refused them when I put them to her in the saucer she’s climbed out now and in shade by a pot
I don’t really know what else to do for her except keep her safe I usually find them on the grass and move them to the side but this one was centre on the patio where anyone could tread on her so I moved her to safety
Leave a Reply to Rosemary Hughes
I apologize for being unable to reply sooner, but it sounds as though you’re doing all the right things for the bees you find! When a bee is sluggish, they often benefit from a quick sugar water boost (and they definitely benefit from being moved out of areas where they might be stepped upon)! Pollen is less important at such times (it’s most often protein for young bees). Moving bees you find onto nearby flowers (especially ones in direct sunlight) where you often see other, similar bees is another way to help them quickly.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi!
I found your website today while looking for answers. Last night, just before te sun was setting, a bee sat on the stones of our terrace. We have a big garden with flowers but it just sat there. I didn't know what to do. Eventually offered water, with sugar, then a few flowers and even honey, but she didn't want anything. When I approached, she held her paws up to me, as if to hold me back. So I put a bucket over her (with an opening) so she'd be safe. Next morning she was still there. I waited until I saw other bees flying around and then went and put her in the sun. Within less than a minute, she flew off.
Now, the next evening, it's already dark (11PM over here right now), and I hear a buzzing outside. There she is, seemingly trying to get in, flying up and down our window.
We read that you have to keep her safe from the cold, so: catch her and put her in a box inside for the night? And let her out in the morning? But what I really don't understand is: why??
We think she's a ground bee (not sure what the English word is), she's pretty black with an orange 'ass'.
I've never seen such behaviour, so not sure if I should do anything or not. Right now it's 12 degrees Celcius outside, and it'll go down to about 10°C.
Not sure if you can help (or if you even need to), but I thought, you never know... :-)
Sincerely,
Marian.
Leave a Reply to Marian
Apologies for my late reply! If you see a bumble bee raising his or her middle legs at you, it’s bumble bee meaning something like “buzz off” / “you’re too close”! They use those leg signs with one another too. As for keeping a bee overnight, that’s only something to do if your bee is clearly struggling (soaked with water, or so cold as to be unmoving in an unsafe spot). Then it can be helpful to bring them in overnight (still keeping them in a similarly cool and dark area) so that predators don’t find easy prey in them. Bumble bees (and especially queen bumble bees) can handle quite low temperatures too; their danger point is around -4°C! Still, they do need shelter from frosts when it’s very cold, and occasionally need our help (a bumble bee is only ever about 45 minutes away from starvation, so if flowers are not abundant, they also risk running out of energy). It’s kind of you to care about your bees there! 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Correction, I think it's a red-tailed black bumblebee actually...
Leave a Reply to Marian
Hello,
Firstly, thank you for your work and sharing your knowledge and advocating for the bees! I’ve found your website to be very informative so far.
I found what I believe is a male carpenter bee struggling about 8 hours ago. He was on the ground and part of one his middle legs was missing and one of his smaller wings is missing. He can’t fly though he tried and can’t walk very well- unbalanced and weak on one side. I put him in a little enclosure and tried to give him a little sugar water on a paper towel, on a qtip, in a flower, and in a droplet in front of him but he hasn’t taken any.
He has seemed to show a little interest in some of the flowers I gave him that had other bees congregated around it, but didn’t seem able to get his little tongue into the flowers. He also likes to crawl around on my hand. I have him in an enclosure with sticks, a toilet paper roll, leaves, and flowers. He’s much weaker now and I worry that he’s not getting enough energy due to lack of sugar water interest. I also presume he’s sick or experienced an injury causing his current state.
I hope he will pull through as Daniel’s carpenter bee did for a few months in the story I read. Is there anything else I can be doing to keep my little bee friend comfortable and nourished?
With gratitude,
Therese
Leave a Reply to Terri
I am so sorry that I haven’t been able to reply sooner, and I’m even more sorry to hear about your bee friend. It sounds as though he was attacked by something (a bird, perhaps)? It’s so kind of you to provide a safe place for your him, and to try to help him recuperate as best he can, given the situation. I remember Daniel soaking a piece of watermelon in sugar water (which you’ll have read about), and to my surprise that worked well for his bee. Touching the tip of an antenna with sugar water can also sometimes help. But if he’s not responding at all when his tongue is near sugar water, chances are he’s choosing not to feed, owing to the extent of his injuries and how he feels as a result. Do let me know if he’s still with you 💛🐝
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It’s 9pm and I found a bee by my pool and it was walking around and wiggling its butt and back leg. If I find a bee crawling around should i move it?
Leave a Reply to Lauren
If you find a bee walking around late at night near a pool, it can be a good idea to move the bee a short distance away, to help avoid them falling into the water. Butt and leg wiggling is perfectly normal!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a male carpenter bee on my garage floor three days ago. He cannot fly, doesn't move around a lot, and isn't interested in sugar water. I am guessing he is nearing the end of his life. He has been living on smooth hydrangea flowers that I cut from my neighbor's bush. Unfortunately, a storm last night blew all of the flowers off their hydrangea bush. I would purchase cut flowers from the florist, but I am concerned about high pesticide levels. Any ideas on how to provide the bee with a safe source of pollen?
Leave a Reply to Sarah
I apologize for my late reply, which almost certainly is too late to be helpful. I agree that it sounds like your bee was injured and nearing the end of his life (only if there’s no obvious injury, is it a good idea to move a bee into direct sunlight for awhile to see if they improve with warmth). As for finding other bee-friendly plants, I would avoid florists for sure, owing to likely pesticide exposure. Also cut flowers have no nectar once they’re cut (the hydrangea flowers you cut would have kept their nectar for some number of hours after cutting). Ideally, source bee-friendly plants from another neighboring garden or a garden center that specifically sells pesticide-free bee-friendly flowering plants. Sometimes soaking something in sugar water (a q-tip, a paper towel, or even a piece watermelon) can help encourage feeding. Nectar is the primary energy source for adult bees (pollen is mostly collected for their larvae as protein). But if you ever were to wish to source safe pollen, I’d contact a local beekeeper. Pollen is also sold in health food stores, but any pollen that’s not fresh (or frozen) loses so much nutritional benefit that it’s not suitable for bees any longer.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Suite à un essaimage, un apiculteur est venu chez moi, à coupé la branche avec l essaim et a laissé une poignée d abeilles Elles sont depuis 8 jours sur le tronc d un petit pêcher, comment les aider, je n'ai pas de ruche,j habite en ville, j'ai mis de l eau à côté mais là les températures baissent, je ne voudrais pas qu elles meurent, merci d'avance
Leave a Reply to Viviane
My apologies for replying too late for my response to be useful, though I sadly don’t think there would have been a way to help these bees in any case. It’s important for honey bees to swarm together, since each worker depends upon the queen bee within their colony. So the beekeeper should have ensured he collected all the bees.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
There are ground bees in a nearby school yard, and read somewhere scientists are asking ‘citizen scientists’ to help with data, in regard to the bees disappearing due to habitat loss.
Is this true, and how can anyone of us help?
Leave a Reply to Sile
I apologize for my late reply. Ground bees are lovely to see around this time of year! And if you have not already found some resources, here is a link to citizen science projects (with a couple of these being specific to ground nesting observations): https://savebees.org/resources/#main=.citsci&geo=.us
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise,
This is not a question but just a thanks. We had a little Bee who wouldn’t fly after being offered food. It was quite cold here and there was no sun, so we followed your advice and brought her into the house where she warmed up instantly and just flew away. It was awesome!
Leave a Reply to Lynne
I Found an unmoving honey bee in my sisters car. It’s been very hot here so I assumed it was dead from the heat. When putting it in a small container for my science teacher (she’s on a lookout for animals to show in class) it moved its legs slightly. I’ve been feeding it sugar water but she was completely unmoving so I had to put a droplet like, right next to her face. Is it possible for a bee to get heatstroke or something of the sort? Also, I’m not sure where she If from, how do I release her without knowing?
Leave a Reply to Finley
I really apologize for replying so much later than is helpful. Yes, a bee can be overheated, though honey bees are pretty good with hot temperatures (they keep their hives around 95°). But the interior of a car gets so much hotter, so I’d imagine that she was very near the end of her life already when you found her. And yes, it would be hard to release a honey bee without knowing where she’s from, since she’d wish to return to her own hive. It’s kind of you to have cared 💛🐝
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a large bumblebee drowning in a metal barrel. I fished it out and placed it in a flower pot and gave some sugar water. It didn’t the night under the paper towel but its wings are still wet. It was colder last night and no sun today. I’ve placed her in a shoebox with holes, sugar water, rosemary and other flowering plants that they were on. I have them inside where it’s warm. I have not handled her - she crawls on the paper towel. What next? Will she eventually dry off or did she get too cold last night?
Leave a Reply to Amy Shuster
I’m so sorry to replying so much later than is helpful. In case you find other bees in the future (especially large bumble bees), the answer is that it can take quite awhile (hours or even a couple of days, depending on how wet/cold they were and how warm/sunny it is) for them to dry fully and be energized ready to fly again. Bees will eventually dry off once they warm up enough, but they may need an energy boost in the meantime (which you provided with the sugar water and flowering plants). Occasionally, if bees have been immersed in water for too long, they may be unable to pull through, but it sounds like you gave her all the best chances 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a carpenter bee on my step yesterday at 6pm. I took it home and gave it sugar water. It had some but I had to hold it next to the bee's face. It has been warm and had more sugar water today. It moves its legs a bit but has not moved that much at all. Is there anything else I can do? I don't want this buddy to die.
Thank you
Olta
Leave a Reply to Olta
Does your bee respond to direct sunlight? Or maybe it’s not been sunny? Typically bees are lethargic when they’re cold, but if they’re indoors in a warm room they should become more active, unless they’re wet from rain (bees take awhile to dry out). Do you see any visible damage? Has your bee tried cleaning itself? Your weather forecast looks nice and warm tomorrow. I hope that once your bee is well warmed, it’ll perk up.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Unfortunately the bee did not make it =( I can't tell if there was any damage to the bee.. but this morning when I checked on the bee I saw that it passed.
Leave a Reply to Olta
It appears I have a carpenter bee. Should I assume that what would help a bumble recover would also help a carpenter bee recover?
It's 48° and 7:34 pm currently. So too cold for it to go out. Also, how do I know whether it's a male or female and how might that effect my care of it?
Thank you for your help!!
Leave a Reply to Sarah
Sorry for my late reply, though I'm guessing you still have your bee? Male carpenter bees in your part of the country have a distinctive large, light yellow patch on their faces, whereas females do not. Though either way, their care is the same. And yes, the same things that help bumble bees recover will also help carpenter bees recover. Your weather forecast looks pretty good from a bee's perspective for this time of year, so I'd imagine that once it's sunny and warmer, your bee will fly off when released (if he or she hasn't already). Make sure to release your bee near to where you found him or her, as that's important whether bumble or carpenter 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
i rescsued a beee and right now its in a box and its desperate to go out but its night time
Leave a Reply to icy
Move your bee’s enclosure somewhere cool (even cold), it’ll slow your bee down so that your bee will realize it’s not time to go out. It may take some several minutes but it’ll definitely calm them down soon.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Should I keep the bee I saved over night or should I let it go
Leave a Reply to RatGirl
I don't know what your weather forecast is like, but definitely good to try your bee outdoors once it's at least in the mid-50s, near to where you found them. It may take your bee a little time to warm up and fly off, but they'll for sure want to be on their way once the weather is decent and there are flowers for them!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi! I live on the east coast in central Pennsylvania. Last Monday, was a terribly wet and chilly day. I found a bee lying on its back. After reading some info on your site, I went back to pick it up and brought it inside. I followed your tips, revived the bee, now named Tuna. The bee is doing great, and I have been eagerly awaiting an improvement in the weather to set him or her free. While the daytime temps are hovering between 50-74 degress, the night time temps are anywhere frm 36-57 degrees, with the highest night time temperature taking place a week from today (Monday, 4/14/2025). Additionally, any advice on making a comfortable habitat for Tuna would be welcome. He or she is currently living in a shallow, clear plastic dish with a paper plate taped over the top, holes punched in it to allow oxygen flow and sugar-water soaked cotton-tipped sticks for feeding. Thank you so much for your time, help, and all that you do to help novices like me!
Leave a Reply to Mary
That's great to hear that Tuna is doing well with your help (she'll almost certainly be a "she" at this time of year, definitely if she's a large fluffy bumble bee)! I just took a look at your general weather forecast. You're right that the highs and lows are all over the place! It looks like your nighttime lows should improve this Thursday, after possible snow flurries the day before. I'd suggest waiting until lows are above 40°F before releasing her, but I'd also be guided by her behavior (I'd imagine she'll be eager in a way to begin her life outdoors foraging and nesting, once the weather improves)! Bees can handle occasional freezing temperatures, but only if they find adequate shelter to protect them from frost. Similarly, they can handle rain so long as they're able to find shelter first. When they're really cold though, they can't move at all, which is one of the biggest dangers they face in uncertain weather. Since she's doing so well with you, I'd aim to try her outdoors Thursday or Friday (unless your forecast changes), since it looks like more favorable bee weather from that point on. In terms of what to add to her environment, anything natural such as leaves, twigs, small rocks, that sort of thing (probably not cut flowers, since they lose their nectar so fast once cut). Just basically natural objects of interest for her to clamber over or under (bees don't usually try to fly until they're well-warmed up). It's so good of you to have rescued your poor bee and revived her (it's never a good sign when they're on their backs)! 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi! I found a bumblebee on the road, it looked tired but moved her legs a little when I tried to scoop her. I took her inside my house and gave her sugar-water but she didn’t drink any. Still, when I touched her it would move a little. I put her in a shoebox to warm up. Anything else I can do? Or do I just wait a night for it to hopefully recover? Thank you!
Leave a Reply to AnnaF
She’ll be fine tonight, just place her enclosure somewhere cool tonight (low 50s or similar). Tomorrow once it begins to warm up, I’d take her outdoors to warm up naturally, near to where you found her and ideally also near some bee-friendly flowers. You might try her with a drop of sugar-water again tomorrow as she’s warming up, though she may prefer flowers if some are nearby and you gently move her onto one!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bumble boy in a cold puddle today. It's spring but it's cold. There's no other bees around and ita so rainy I scooped him up and breathed on him and he responded
I'm going to try to keep him tonight and bring him back tomorrow or when the weather improves but he's just so tired!
Hoping to help him on his way!
Leave a Reply to Katie
Sounds like a good plan! Your weather forecast is kind of iffy, but Sunday looks like it might be a good day to try releasing your bee. Do let your bee be your guide, sometimes they really wish to get going once they warm up a bit. But if it's cold and rainy, some time to dry off and warm up with you should help! Just make sure to keep your bee's enclosure somewhere cool at night, so your bee doesn't think it's time to go too soon. There's some information on my 1st Aid page here, sharing thoughts on keeping bees in temporary habitats. Lows above 40°F and highs above 50°F should be fine for your bee outdoors, so long as there are some decent breaks in the rain (and ideally some sunlight too). The closer to 55°F (or higher), the better!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Sadly bumble passed away over night 😞
Tried all but sadly wasn't enough.
The wife has made a little grave stone
Leave a Reply to Patricia
I'm worried about this bumblebee we found. It's getting to sunset so brought it in and tried giving it some sugar water. It did seem to get better but gone sluggish again. It's moving it's legs now and then but doesn't seem to use it's tongue much? Its mainly just waving its "hand" at the moment. We got no idea what we're doing and just want to try and help it. Considering as you wrote to keep it over night
Leave a Reply to Patricia
It is moving all legs when touching it's belly with a qtip (when giving it sugar water)
Leave a Reply to Patricia
Your bumble bee is probably simply cold, and that explains her sluggishness. If by waving her "hand" you mean raising a middle leg, that's bumble bee language for feeling as though something is too close, within their own little space (they use the gesture with one another to mean "back off" a bit)! Since it's late where you are, I'd keep her overnight somewhere cool, and not worry too much about her being sluggish since it's night time anyway. In the morning, hopefully you'll have some sun in which she can "bathe" in the warm rays. It can take them several hours to warm up fully! You might try her again with the sugar-water mix in the morning.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It also looks like its now trying to clean its backside with back legs?
Really seen improvement having it in a hand. My wife has sat with it in her hand for over an hour now 😁
Leave a Reply to Patricia
Yea it does seem to get better when in a hand. Wiggling the butt a little bit. Made it a ventilated box with grass, a rock, twigs and flowers (yes ik they're pointless but still) for overnight. Waving hand as the top bit of front leg "waving". But yea cleaned it off as mention in a past post with some lukewarm water since it fell into some sugar water. But yea it's not really clinging on or walking but just laying, moving it's legs and sometimes it's bum.
Leave a Reply to Patricia
Hello,
I found a honeybee in my room yesterday that was being terrorized by my cat. Its wings were fine and he was walking around (albeit clumsily and slowly). Also I'm not sure if it's a male or a female.
But I gave it some sugar water and moved it to a safe place before realizing that he may be cold.
We took him inside last night into a small terrarium with flowers and other outside items and while he was buzzing a bit this morning it is still quite sluggish staying stuck in a flower. I gave it small drops of sugar water and saturated a paper towel as well.
Is he resting or missing something else?
Leave a Reply to Sophie
Do you have sunny weather today? Typically, bees continue to be sluggish if they are feeling too cold. Honey bees in particular really love to be quite warm before they're very active, and they love bathing in the sunlight in order to warm up. So if you have some sun today, try putting the terrarium open to the air in direct sunlight outdoors. If you don't have sun, try warming up your bee well indoors by putting the terrarium in the warmest room in the house and waiting awhile. Buzzing is already a good sign this morning! Oh, and if it's a honey bee, she's definitely female at this time of year.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a lethargic bumblebee in my house, no idea how long they were trapped inside. I let them out on a cold rainy day and went about my usual business. Several hours later I went to the spot outside and saw the bee still there, not moving. I brought them back in and made a little habitat, gave sugar water, some leaves and some paper egg carton for some contoured terrain. After some time they've been revived, slowly at first but eventually buzzing around and very active. So it's been very cold here, 50's in the day and low 40's at night. I've had the bee now for 3 nights, going into the 4th day, I very much want to let them go but I worry about their chances. Is it better to let it go or should I keep it in captivity until it's warmer? The weather won't improve into the 60's for another 3 days. Keep it inside and warm or let it go in the warmest part of the afternoon? Thanks!
Leave a Reply to fmbb1974
OK, duh, I should have read the other posts, they are so similar. The next few nights the forecast says the lows will stay in the 40's. Not great but I think putting the habitat open outside when it's warmest is the way to go. If they fly away then I'll leave it to nature. If not then back inside to wait and try again tomorrow.
Leave a Reply to fmbb1974
Yes, it's the time of year for cold wet bumble bees! I'd do as you've written, put the habitat open outside in the warmest part of the day tomorrow. If you do end up with your bumble bee for another night, just keep the habitat somewhere cool so that your bee quiets down naturally for the night 🐝💛
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
We have a large bumble bee in our garden that looks like it needs help. It is only walking. May be missing a wing
Leave a Reply to Kay
I apologize for my late reply. Is your bee still around? Sometimes, in early spring, walking is the best bees can do (especially for recently emerged bumble bee queens). They may not be able to get lift off simply owing to being too cold, rather than it being an issue with their wings. That said, if you do see a missing wing, that's very sad news for your bee. Other than taking care of them for their natural lives, there's no way to repair wing damage, so I hope that's not the case.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I rescued a bee from the rain this morning and it’s cold, I put her inside in a container on a paper towel with a little bit of sugar water. One of her antennas is moving so I think she’s resting. Is there anything else I need to do?
Leave a Reply to Joanne
It looks like your weather will be improving over the week, though the next two days (even if sunny) have lows below freezing, which isn't great from a bee's perspective. Naturally, she'd try hiding out somewhere dry and frost-free until the weather improves. You might hold onto her until lows are above freezing and highs are nearer to 50°F. If you do choose to keep her for a few nights, make sure her ventilated enclosure is somewhere cool and dark at night. Place some natural objects in with her to give her places to cozy up. If you leave sugar-water in her enclosure, make sure she won't fall into it accidentally (a small bit of paper towel in a tiny dish will allow her to drink more safely). If she gets very active during the day, she may wish to take her chances outdoors. Though she'll slow down again if she's placed in a cooler location for awhile. Bees don't do well flying in the rain, but they can handle intermittent showers well enough, and in a couple of days it looks like you'll have warmer (if rainy) weather, so you could try setting her outdoors near where you found her around Wednesday, to see if she decides to fly off. Otherwise it looks as though you'll have better weather on Sunday, so that she can bask in the sun to warm up. Once she's warm enough, she should fly off!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a struggling honey bee yesterday and followed the instructions here to see if I could help it. She seemed to be struggling and kept falling, not really flying. (It was 47degrees.) She didn't drink when I gave her a sugar/water solution. So I grabbed a large mason jar with a sprouting lid and brought her inside. She must have been cold because after a few moments she was flying and buzzing. It's been cold and rainy over here and I'm concerned about letting her go when it's still cold. It's been half a day. (I found her last evening while I was in the yard.) How long can I safely keep her indoors (in a 64 oz jar turned sideways) and how warm should it be outside before letting her go?
Leave a Reply to Dannis
I believe I found my answer by reading others questions. I can keep her for a week and release her when the temperature reaches around 54 degrees, right? Also, what happens if she did fall in the sugar water when I first attempted to feed her?
Leave a Reply to Dannis
Honey bees are a little less cold-tolerant than bumble bees, so yes I'd wait until it's closer to 55°F before trying her outdoors. Though if you've sunny weather, she may warm up sufficiently by simply basking, even if it's a bit colder that day. Honey bees are such social creatures that it'd be good to give her the opportunity to get back to her hive sooner. One possibility is to warm her up well first on a sunnier day, then release her at the warmest part of the day, very close to where you found her. If she's fallen in sugar-water, she'll typically be able to clean that off herself once she's warmed up and become active. Though if her wings seem stuck together such that she can't fly as well, then that becomes an issue, but it sounds like that's not the case (though if it were the case, dropping the tiniest bit of slightly cooler than lukewarm water on her wings can help loosen that up, such that she can they clean herself up the rest of the way... but typically, it's better for them to clean themselves up whenever they're able to do so).
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi. Tommorow we have +15' C, and now we have -2'C. And in my window fly bumblbee. A get it sugar and water, but we will have this terrible -2'C next week . How can I help the bumblebee for a whole week? Now he is in a glass jar with sugars water. And there is snow outside.
Leave a Reply to Hhh
That's quite a swing in temperatures! I'm guessing this is a particularly large bumble bee? I say that because your bee is likely to be a young bumble bee queen emerging from hibernation, given the time of year. She may have thought it was early spring when it warmed up, only to realize it's now below freezing and snowy. I think naturally she wouldn't make it, having emerged from hibernation too early. But you may be able to keep her alive indoors, so long as you keep her enclosure in a relatively cool spot that approximates outdoor temperatures, not dropping below maybe +5°C or so. If you keep her enclosure somewhere that's too warm, she'll become very active and want to fly in search of flowers. But she won't need much sugar-water if she's not expending energy, so keeping her somewhere cool (that's not freezing) will naturally keep her in a waiting attitude for better weather. Put some natural objects in the jar or box, things like twigs and leaves that she can crawl on and under. If you leave sugar-water in there, make sure that it's not easy for her to fall into it and get sticky accidentally (a piece of paper towel in a tiny bottle-cap type dish would work, then she can still drink from that if she needs). Keep her in a darker cooler spot at night, and a brighter but still cool spot during the day, this way she won't get confused but will continue to conserve her energy, thinking that she's waiting for a sunnier day. With you, she'll be safe and protected for the week. Let me know if I can help any further!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Help ! I have a new bee friend called Tobee who I found out side my home and he was soo weak, I brought him in and gave him sugar water and a flower and a safe warm dry place to rest but he's still not improving... I don't know what else to do, it's been 24 hours and I don't know how else to help him but he's still alive and I'm still hoping! Any advice on how to help my lil guy is much appreciated!
Leave a Reply to Hayley
That's such a cute bee name! Does your bee happen to be a particularly large, fluffy bumble bee? I'm not sure what part of the country you're in, but looking at the general weather forecast over there, it looks on the colder side, but at least with upcoming sunny days. Are there any early spring flowers in the area? Did Tobee not perk up once warmed up in the daytime indoors? Usually bees become much more active as they warm up, but if they're very cold (or especially if they're also wet), it can be some hours before they become more lively. It'd be good to know how Tobee responds to basking in direct sunlight, but it may be a day or two yet before that's possible. I'd continue to keep Tobee in a cool, dry, safe place at night. During the day, offer a little sugar water from time to time (though Tobee may not need much, if not moving around much). On the first day of more sun, I'd take Tobee outdoors in the morning, into direct sunlight (offering more sugar-water too). So long as daytime temperatures are close to 12° C and there's direct sunlight, I'd hope Tobee would feel energized enough (given some hours in the sun, plus more sugar-water if desired) to fly off. Nighttime temperatures as low as 4°C should be fine too. If Tobee still seems lethargic even when in sunlight and fed, then there may be something else amiss, but I hope warmth and sun revive your bee friend soon!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi thanks so much for replying! More information here, Donegal, ireland is where I am ! It's sunny but not overly warm but it is windy ! I took Tobee out for sunlight and the wind nearly blew him away so I have him back inside as he seems so fragile :( he's actually small compared to other bees I've seen around and I've placed dandelions beside him as well as the suger water so he has both close by... I can keep him inside until he gets better or stronger as I'm unsure if he's strong enough be outside with the wind at the minute, hoping he'll perk up soon, I'm already so attached to my new lil friend x
Leave a Reply to Hayley
Aww, I hope Tobee perks up too! Looking at your forecast, it'll be windy through Sunday, before letting up. You're right in thinking that windy conditions are not at all helpful for a bee that's struggling (bees already find strong winds difficult). Is Tobee a small fluffy round-ish bee then (like a bumble bee worker), or thinner, longer, and less fluffy (like a honey bee)? Although Tobee might be another kind of bee too! You should be able to keep Tobee sheltered through the weekend, so long as you keep the enclosure somewhere cool and dark at night. Dandelions are good bee flowers, though like all flowers, once they're cut, they'll lose their nectar over time. I've sometimes placed a few drops of sugar-water directly on the cut flower, since that seems a more natural place to find food. I hope Tobee begins to be more active in the daytime, with indoor warmth. The first behaviors one typically sees for a recovering, warming bee are cleaning behaviors, followed by 'test buzzes' of their wings.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi, thanks for such an informative site!
A couple days ago I found a large bumble bee inside my house, at the window. I'm not sure how it got in. It couldn't really lift itself up when it tried to fly, so I put it in a container and gave it some sugar water, which I've seen it drink. Two days later, it seems to have more energy (is able to fly, and sometimes tries to get out of the container). I'd like to let it go outside but I'm afraid it won't survive... I'm hesitant because it is still pretty cold here (below 0 degrees C, snowstorm coming on Wed). I don't know how long it will be until we have steady, above zero temperatures. If I let it go on a sunny warmish day, is it possible it'll be able to go back into hibernation? Thanks!
Leave a Reply to Syd-bee
Your weather forecast looks very cold, even for queen bumble bees who are accustomed to cold snaps in early spring. Though the really dangerous temperatures for bumble bees are around -4° C. As far as I know, they don't go back into hibernation once they've emerged. They will take shelter inside flowers to avoid rain/snow, or under leaf litter or logs to avoid frost. If it is sunny and warmish, I'd definitely try her outdoors in direct sunlight (so that she'll warm up more quickly). This way she can choose to leave if she'd like. Even if she doesn't go back into hibernation, she'll be free to find her own chosen spot in which hopefully to wait out the weather. In the meantime, I'd keep her enclosure in a cool place indoors day and night, so that she continues to sense that the weather is not yet good enough to be active outdoors. She'll move slowly when she's cold, and she won't need sugar-water often if she's expending little energy. Ideally your outdoor high temperatures would be closer to 10° C for her, with lows closer to 4° C.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi, i have found a honey bee drowning in water this evening, it was completely limp, but after some time observing, I saw a few breaths, so I have bought her in and warmed her up and fed her, now she is quite active. It is a dry night, but it is dark now, and I'm not sure whether I should keep her in over night, seemingly against her will, or let her go outside in the dark? Can she survive if the temp is down to around 7°c? Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
Leave a Reply to Jordan
I really apologize for replying late. I think either way she'd be alright. Bees don't usually fly at night, but it depends on the bee, and a dry night is better for sure. 7° C is definitely right on the edge of a honey bee's temperature tolerance, but it'd likely be alright for a short-ish flight, if the bee was well-warmed and energized first. If you kept her overnight, I think she'd be fine too, likely flying off once it warmed the following morning. She'd just need to be kept somewhere cool and dark at night, so as not to keep wishing to fly off.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi! Long story short, I’ve taken a male carpenter bee in. We’ve named him Waldo. I found him extremely lethargic on my porch a few nights ago. The temperature had dropped and it was raining. He’s been staying in my garage at night in a makeshift habitat. We’ve left him outside everyday after dosing him with sugar water and dandelions. He buzzes around and flutters his wings but never flies off. Every sundown I check where we left him and he’s hidden himself under a leaf again and won’t move at all so I bring him back into the garage for the night and repeat the next day. I don’t know what to do with him at this point. I don’t want to hurt his chances of a natural life but the weather won’t warm up for a few more days. I finally heard one other carpenter bee out today and thought he might join him by flying away but he didn’t. Any advice you might have, we’d appreciate! I read Daniel’s story about Buzz Buzz and found it quite helpful! Thank you!
Leave a Reply to Madeline
Update: Despite our best effort, Waldo has passed on.
Leave a Reply to Madeline
Hello! So I found a carpenter bee on my walk home from the store today. She (no white spot on the head) was curled up a bit with her legs spread out, seemed a bit ditzy as if she had hit something. But she was moving around with no visible injuries or damage to her wings or anything. I picked her up and brought her home (7pm about) gave her some sugar water which she drank happily, slowly cleaned herself, and then napped on my hand for about an hour before I put her in a small box with some grass and a couple of twigs. There's sugar water in a bowl for her but she doesn't move much at all, and if she does it's very slow and lethargic. I'm worried maybe something's wrong with her but I also know bees are diurnal and I found her later in the day so I'm hoping she's just tired. She's a common eastern carpenter bee so I'm not sure if you'd know anything about her or how to care for her better if at all.. I just wanna help her get better if I can so I can release her back to the world if possible.
Any advice, information, or tips would be greatly appreciated. 🥺
Leave a Reply to Ray
Hello! Small update this morning: I opened her box to find her hanging from the lid. I offered her some sugar water and she didn't want any, she's been crawling/sitting on my hand for an hour or so now. She responds to heat and perks up a bit when I blow some heat on her, but she's still very lethargic and seemingly disoriented, won't eat really. I don't believe there's any flowers out yet for pollen either. I have some pictures/videos if you'd like them as well.
Leave a Reply to Ray
I just looked at what I think is close to your weather forecast, and today definitely looks like a day to keep your bee indoors in her enclosure (and tomorrow isn't ideal for releasing her either). It looks like your weather will warm up significantly over the coming days though, before dropping down again (a little rain isn't too much to handle for bees, but they do need to find shelter for any serious downpours). Typically bees are lethargic simply because they're cold. She'll enjoy sitting and crawling on your hand in part because she'll feel warmer. A cold bee often takes several hours to warm up too, especially without direct sunlight for basking. I think once your weather warms up, she should perk up. I would take her back to the place you found her before releasing her, as they do go home at night (to their own familiar tunnels inside wood). It is a little concerning if there are no flowers about yet, but perhaps there are a few early-flowering plants soon to come, as your weather warms? In terms of caring for her in the meantime, I recently wrote up the story of a fellow who took care of a wingless carpenter bee long-term, and he found that his bee really liked a moistened paper towel soaked in sugar-water (and even watermelon chunks soaking in sugar-water). Here's that write-up I did here, in case it's helpful for tips while you and she await warmer days (and feel free to reply with pictures and short videos if you'd like!): https://savebees.org/thoughts/wingless-carpenter-bee
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I have what I think is a bumble bee, she has list antenna and maybe part of her mouth, she isn’t buzzing. She’s friendly and has chirped up in the warm, I’ve given her sugar water, and some stones in a little dish in case she’d like a drink and keeping her warm, is their anything else I can do.
Leave a Reply to Nikki
Sounds like you've given her a good place to wait out your wet weather. Make sure that her enclosure is somewhere cool at night, mirroring outdoor temperatures. Looking at your weather forecast, your daytime highs look pretty good bee-wise, though I don't know how much rain you're getting. I'm guessing she's a particularly large bumble bee (a queen recently emerged from hibernation). Queen bumble bees are better able to handle early spring weather, since that's when they emerge naturally. Hopefully you have some bee-friendly flowers nearby, perhaps early-flowering bulbs? I would set her enclosure outdoors tomorrow, and if there are any moments of sunlight in between rain showers, definitely put her where she can bask in the sun rays. That'll help her get buzzing more quickly! Alternatively, in the morning tomorrow, you could bring her into a warm room first before setting her outdoors.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
We have about 12 bees that suddenly showed up in our screened in porch. I was advised that they would leave once they warmed up but they’re still there and don’t seem to be doing well. I tried giving the ones I could reach a sugar/water mixture that they did drink. There’s no door or window to leave open and I don’t want them to die. The temperature is going to drop to about 50° overnight. Is there anything I can do?
Leave a Reply to Stacey
Are they all similar looking bees, perhaps honey bees? Honey bees are noticeably striped, without too much fluff on their bodies (compared to large fluffy bees like bumble bees). I'm just guessing they're honey bees owing to how many you have, but whatever kind of bee it is, they'll definitely need a way to get out (they may not be able to find the spot where they got into your screen porch). 50 degrees tonight should be fine for them survival-wise, but it's not warm enough to fly without sunlight on them too. Hopefully it'll be warmer and sunnier tomorrow? Maybe you could trap them under a glass (sliding cardboard beneath them), and take each bee outdoors that way tomorrow, once it warms up?
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It's 4pm and she has had a small drink of sugar water, but she is not moving. It's going to be a frosty night. What do I do?
Leave a Reply to Chris
It's good to hear that your bee has had a small drink of sugar water. Her lack of movement is most likely simply owing to her being cold. I'd be inclined to keep her overnight in a ventilated enclosure placed in a safely frost-free but cool area overnight (a garage or other unheated outdoor structure, if one is available). If you'd like to read more, I've written up ideas for this situation here: https://savebees.org/how-to-help-revive-a-cold-or-wet-bee/#overnight
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi Elise,
I have a Queen Bumble Bee that hasn’t moved much since I rescued it from outside where I live, about 90 minutes ago. I gave it sugar water which at first it fell into on its back. It did drink it for a few minutes but still hasn’t moved much. Do I need to wash the sugar water off it’s back/wings?
Kind regards,
Phil
Leave a Reply to Phil
My apologies for not replying in good time, I wish I'd been able to do so. How is your bee today, if she is still with you? So long as she's warm enough, she'll be able to clean any sugar-water residue from her back and wings herself. However, if the sugar-water dries on her, it can make it hard for her to clean off, and in those cases, gently using a dropper of lukewarm water to give her as small of a "bath" as possible can help rinse any sticky residue from her. The main downside of the water is that it'll take her quite a bit longer to warm up and dry off afterwards. Also, bees breathe through holes in the sides of their body (that's why being immersed in water is so dangerous for them), so make sure it's just one drop at a time if you do think it necessary. Her wings would be of most concern, in terms of those moving freely. It looks like you have near-freezing nighttime temperatures with partial sun over the next week, with temperatures generally warming before a period of possible rain. I'd try putting her out in the sunlight as soon as it's possible to do so, since as she warms up, she'll become much more active and able to clean herself up more fully, and it's always good to give bees a choice as to when they leave. Wednesday and Thursday look like much better bee weather (bumble bee queens can take relatively low temperatures). Over the next few days though, she'd probably not be warm enough to move much, unless she was in direct sunlight. You might consider keeping her for several nights in a frost-free, cool-ish outdoor place (so as not to throw off her sense of the season, or cause her to use up energy thinking it's warm enough to forage) until the weather warms in a few more days.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
It’s unseasonably warm and there are no flowers blooming yet. What can I do to help them?
Leave a Reply to Diane
This is a hard question to answer. Ideally there'd be some plentiful early-blooming spring bulbs such as irises, snowdrops, and the like to help bees make it through unseasonably warm snaps early in spring. If there are no such flowers there, you might try purchasing some at a nursery and scattering them as widely as possible. For the future (next year), it's good to try to plant (and encourage others to plant) flowering plants that are native to your area and that have either very early or very late blooming times. The longer we can extend the flowering season, the better for bees, particularly when weather patterns are becomings more unpredictable. Since bees get a variety of added micro-nutrients from flower nectar, it's not possible to set up "bee feeders" with sugar-water to help them out (even though sugar-water is helpful in emergencies, if an individual bee runs out of energy). It's very kind of you to care and try to help them!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bee (not sure what kind) clinging to my patio wall. It was about 50 degrees and raining. I figured he was too wet/cold to fly home so I picked him up with some paper and moved him under the covered portion of my patio so he could dry off. There wasn’t any sun and as I said it was still really cold so I got some room temperature water and mixed a bit of sugar which he seemed to like. He perked up a bit and I continued to check on him every 20 or so minutes for the next couple of hours, leaving more drops of sugar water, but he still wasn’t moving much, so I put some leaves from my plants in a shoe box (after drying them off) and cut a small hole in the side so he could get out if he wanted. He stayed in it for the next few hours and still hasn’t left. Once the sun set I noticed he was moving less and less as the temperature dropped and it’s still raining. I was worried about the temperature, so I sealed the door i had made and poked small holes in the lid for air and brought him inside where it’s warmer. I live in an apartment so I don’t have a utility room or anything so he’s just in my living room. I gave him more sugar water just to make sure he has plenty. It’s now after 8 PM. I’m not sure if he’s injured or not and I haven’t heard any buzzing. Is there anything else I should be doing? When I check on him he’s just sitting there licking the leaf he’s on haha but he isn’t moving a ton.
Leave a Reply to Ashley
Is your bee still with you? I've been traveling, so I apologize for replying late! As temperatures cool, bees naturally move around less, so it's not surprising that your bee seemed less perky after the sun set. The only reason to be careful keeping bees warm indoors overnight is that they may get very active being warmer, but it sounds like your bee wouldn't have tried to fly in their enclosure. If you haven't already tried, I would try putting your bee out in direct sun tomorrow if you have any, since that warms them up the fastest. One of the first things bees do as they warm up is to clean themselves thoroughly. If you watch them closely while they do this, you can more easily spot injuries to things like wings and legs. Most likely, your bee simply got caught out in the cold unexpectedly, and tried clinging to your wall hoping that it'd provide shelter enough until the sun hit the next day. A little sugar-water energy and warm sun typically does the trick, but depending on the bee, it may need to be at least 55° F (with sun) before they're able to be active and fly.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I saw a a fluffy bumble bee land near my garden window on the wall bit, I tried to offer a leaf with water but as the leaf got close it fly away.
Then Iv found in on the floor near garden door porch bit not moveing and legs curled tucked in, looks newly dead? Iv picked it up and with my hair strand let a tiny drop of sugar water touch its mouth, still no movement, iv keeped nearvwindow seal in sun, suns gone and iv put in tissue paper and innmy hand to see if my body heat warmth revives it, still no movement but i dont want to give up,
Another flying bee has passed my window
Leave a Reply to Ess
I am so sorry I didn't reply sooner, I've been traveling. I'm afraid that when bees curl and tuck their legs under them all together, it's a sign that they have passed.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi, i found a bee on a cold pavement stone today, seemed dead at first but i breathed on it and it started walking toward me so i guessed it was cold. i tried moving it with a leaf to a flower bed and giving it sugar water but its not really moving much. it did do a little shiver or shake once. i left sugar water near it but tonight it will be about 5C so im wondering if its best to bring it in the house at 22C or leave it outside for the night? thanks
Leave a Reply to jus
i left it in a box over night outside and i kept an eye on it but it didnt move much when i released it so i moved it again to some sunlight and it finally climbed onto a flower . its slow and possibly damaged from the garden being cut by my parents so i guess ill just keep an eye on it. more rain is on its way but i feel like i should just let it be since it is able to crawl. let me know if i should intervene anymore. thanks
Leave a Reply to jus
I apologize for replying so late (I've been traveling). It sounds like you did the right thing, and I hope your bee was simply cold (more likely) rather than injured. Whenever sunlight hits them, bees warm up and are more able to move around and fly. In early spring during cold snaps, bees tend to choose spots in or around flowers (or even leaf litter) for shelter. It's good that your bee climbed onto a flower (which offers sheltering bees a good energy source as they slowly warm up). 5° C is too cold for a bee to move much, but not life-threatening. A warm house at 22° C would be rather confusing to a bee in early spring!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Have found. Bee . Very slow moving. Wings buzzing but no flying. Have put it in a plastic container with flowers in our garden with obviously no lid to clear box. Will this help?? No flowers around sadly. All leaves mainly.
Leave a Reply to Jake and Harry
I am so sorry for replying late (I've been traveling). I don't know if it was a large fuzzy bee (like a bumble bee), but if it was, it would have been a queen emerging early-ish from hibernation (before the flowers are blooming). Bumble bees can wait for some number of days conserving their energy, so long as early blooming flowers are not too far behind, and so long as they shelter in a frost-free area. Sugar-water can help tide them over in such cases, though it depends on how much energy they had to begin with, whether they need it. Buzzing wings are a good sign of energy! As soon as the sun hits them (even on cold days), they're able to begin moving more. I hope your bee was able to fly off.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Today I rescued a little bee from drowning it wasn't moving at all but I scooped it up with a large Ivy leaf. . Carrying it over to a Lavender bush where I placed it gently after 1 hr it started to move a little.. so I trued to give it a little syrup but it moved away from it indicating it wasn't interested ..
I observed it for about 2 hours.. gently picking it up if it happened to slip off the lavender leaf ..
As it was getting dark I had to leave it very concerned ..
My question to you is :
If I gathered it up and placed it on a bed of lavender soft leaves in a match box and took it inside for the night ..
Would this be okay or would it suffocate the little bee..
Thank you - the bee nurse ..
Leave a Reply to Lynnie
I apologize for replying late (I've been traveling). It's so good of you to have rescued your bee from drowning! To your question, I think a match box would be too small for most bees (though there are some very tiny bees out there in the world who wouldn't mind it). A shoe box is better for housing bees overnight in a frost- and predator-free spot, until they're more active again.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi there!
I found a bumble bee outside in the freezing cold on its back. I just had a feeling he was still alive so I brought him inside and he began to move. His back right leg seems to not be functioning properly and he keeps falling on his back. I have tried to feed him sugar water but he won't go for it. Just keeps moving around trying to get out. Is there anything I can do?
Thanks!
Leave a Reply to Hanny
I just took a look at your weather forecast... those are some swings in temperature, my goodness! Not a good time for what I'm guessing is a large-ish bumble bee emerging early from hibernation. There are two possible approaches to take. One is to try to get your bee back into hibernation, and the second is to house your bee (in an enclosure in a cool, frost-free area that keeps daytime/nighttime temperatures/light rhythms) until the weather is consistently better. But first off, your bee sounds in trouble if he or she keeps falling over, so let's start there. Move your bee's enclosure into a warmer room. Yes, this will disrupt their natural cycles, but since they're in trouble, it's worth it in this case. See if warmth helps your bee start to stay on their feet, ideally beginning grooming. I'm hopeful that your bee's leg issues are owing simply to being cold. If your bee is then able to stay on its feet after warming up well indoors (starting to be more active), I would again try offering just a drop or two of sugar-water (perhaps touched briefly to an antenna first, so the bee recognizes it as a food source). If your bee still can't stay on its feet, try taking some close-up photos or short videos and reply to this email so I can take a closer look!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a large bumblebee in the grass at the park, worried that she would be trodden on I put her on a leaf on a shrub. She was still there the following day and so brought her home, put her in an open container in the lean to against the shed with some leaves and hebe flowers . She made no attempt to fly so I gave her some sugar water. She was walking around my hand, that was almost two weeks ago and she has made no attempt to fly off, what do I do, it’s lovely seeing her every day but she isn’t moving around as much but still moves when she is on my hand?
Leave a Reply to Lesley
It sounds as though you've found a young queen bee who's awoken early from her winter hibernation.Good to hear there are some early-flowering bee-friendly plants in the area, hebe would be a good flower source for her. I'm not surprised that she hasn't flown off though, as especially large bees like her need a lot of energy to get going. Is she able to walk easily to the hebe flowers from her spot against the shed? Cut flowers lose their nectar fairly fast. It looks like you won't get sun until the weekend, and it'll bring even colder weather, so I'm not sure she'll have energy for much walking anyway, without the sun to warm her first. Have you seen other similar bees flying lately? The other option is to try to get her back into hibernation, something I just described to someone else, so I'll include that here: if you have any easily dig-able (for a bee), loose-draining soil, with leaf litter above it (protecting from frost), ideally on a small mound or hillock (so that water doesn't pool) that is also north-facing (they choose north-facing so as to try to avoid awaking too early); these are the types of spots that bumble bee queens seek out naturally for hibernation. Though with the rain coming, she won't get far if ideal soil conditions like that are being drenched in rain. In which case, I'd keep her in a sheltered outdoor enclosure that will not freeze (and where there aren't ants or mice or such), checking on her from time to time and offering sugar-water, until the weather conditions are better. Naturally, if bees get caught out in weather conditions like these, they will try to find a place to wait out the rain and cold safely (inside closed flowers, underneath flowers or under logs or leaf litter). As soon as there's sun, I'd try placing her enclosure open to the warm rays, close by some bee-friendly flowers.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
I found a bee upside down on my patio this morning in the fog and frost . I thought it was dead at first, when I went to pick it up a leg moved. I've brought it indoors this morning and it's had some sugar water and is more alert. Currently got it in a well ventilated box on my kitchen. Not sure what to do with it next, as its February it's very cold out there. If anyone can suggest what to do to keep it safe it'd be appreciated
Leave a Reply to Carol
Am I right in thinking this is a large, fuzzy bumble bee? If so, she'll be a young queen, awoken to early from her winter hibernation. Perhaps her spot underground received some unusual warmth lately, prompting her to emerge early. She probably used up much of her last stored energy out and about, before ending up on your patio, so it's good you've replenished that energy for her. I'm guessing that it's still too early there for the spring-flowering bulbs such as crocus? I think, given your weather forecast—and assuming the spring-flowering bulbs are still some time away—I'd be tempted to try to get her to go back into hibernation. If you have any easily dig-able (for a bee), loose-draining soil, with leaf litter above it (protecting from frost), ideally on a small mound or hillock (so that water doesn't pool) that is also north-facing (they choose north-facing so as to try to avoid awaking too early); these are the types of spots that bumble bee queens seek out naturally for hibernation. If it's possible, I'd keep an eye out for her in the following days, as given your cold temperatures, she won't be able to go far. Tonight I'd place her enclosure somewhere cool but sheltered from frost and rain, and then tomorrow—ideally if there's a little sun (and before the rain that's forecast)—try gently setting her out in a sheltered outdoor area, hopefully with soil conditions similar to what I described, and then check on her again in a few hours, later on in the day.
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
First off, my daughter is also named Elise! Second, it is super cold here right now. I found 1 bee in my bathroom this morning. He didn’t look good. Not sure if I accidentally stepped on him when I walked in the bathroom, but I feel so sad about it. Then about an hour ago I found 2 more in my bathroom and they looked way stronger, so I gave them sugar water and some flowers in a container under my grow light. Not sure what to do now! Help! Lol
Leave a Reply to Larissa
If the stronger bees are buzzing around now, I’d probably let them back out. Odd that they’re suddenly appearing! Are they thinner striped bees (honey bees) or fluffy large bees (bumble bees)? Either way, if they’re very warm and look ready-to-fly, they might well have enough energy to get back to wherever they came from at this point. Let me know if you see any more, and what kind of bee you think they might be!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
a beautiful bumblebee entered my house and I need to keep her more than three days because of our current weather. -9 to -35
Honestly, I don’t even know how she got in my apartment!
Any advice?
Leave a Reply to Babs
She has been eating and drinking. I saw her wings fluttering, but I don’t know if she can fly. This is day two but I am worried since I am not a expert.
Leave a Reply to Babs
Apologies for my late reply. Good to hear your bee has been drinking the sugar-water mix! Hopefully you've been keeping her in a relatively cool area, so that she doesn't get too confused about the difference between being indoors and out. As she warms up, you definitely may see her 'buzzing up' her wings without flying, that's normal behavior. It helps bees warm up, and also large bumble bees take quite a bit of buzzing before they're airborne. If she does start to buzz around her enclosure, definitely move her to a cooler spot. And keep her area dark as well as cool at night, mirroring the natural rhythms outdoors. The key to keeping her safe and healthy indoors over a period of days is mainly ensuring she doesn't warm up so much that she thinks it's time to go. It's also good to provide natural objects of interest in her enclosure. Your temperatures are super-cold though! Typically the earliest bumble bees shouldn't be emerging from hibernation until temperatures get above freezing with more sun. I wonder if she was awoken early as a result of her accidentally having chosen a spot to hibernate that warmed up early? Typically, in fall, young bumble bee queens choose northerly-facing spots to burrow into underground so that even if it's sunny early in the following year, they don't awaken too early accidentally, while there aren't any plants flowering. I don't think she'll be able to do well outdoors until your lows are above freezing, and until there are at least some bee-friendly early blooms. There are a number of tips I've included on my main 1st Aid page for keeping your bee overnight (which can be helpful even with a more extended bee stay indoors), but do feel free to reply with pics or further questions too: https://savebees.org/how-to-help-revive-a-cold-or-wet-bee/#overnight
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
We found a very drenched bumble bee under a flower, in a rainstorm, towards evening. Went through your checklist - a safe box, sugar water, she drank a bunch, dried her out under the lamp, but she’s still wet and lifeless. What more can we do overnight? Thanks xo
Leave a Reply to Judith
Apologies for replying later than might be helpful, I'm in a completely different time zone on the west coast of the U.S. To me, it sounds like she needs more time and warmth, especially if she's still wet as you mentioned. She won't really be able to get going again until she's dried off fully, which takes quite awhile at room temperature indoors (faster in direct sunlight). I'd imagine that this morning, she'll be in much the same state as you left her in. So long as she's still on her feet, but otherwise unmoving, I'd place her enclosure somewhere warm indoors to speed up the drying process (though I'd also keep a pretty good eye on her during that time). If it's sunny today, definitely put her outdoors in full sun near where you found her. Good that she at least drank plenty of sugar-water mix, so we know she's not starving now, and if she's not moving much, she won't be expending much energy currently either. It can be surprising to see just how much bees are affected by warmth... they can go from a seemingly lifeless state back to one of buzzing activity, simply by warming up. It can take several hours even in full sun though, especially after being drenched. Let me know if she continues to have trouble after she's well-warmed up!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog
Hi there, great website, I wonder if you could offer some advice. I found a big bee (around 20-30mm) on the floor in my back garden by the door, it wasn't moving and was quite wet. It has recently been freezing over night here, todays high was around 5c.
We took her inside and put her in a small open box with some sugar water, I don't think she drank any of it, maybe the tiniest bit, but she did warm up and dry her self then move around quite a bit, eventually was buzzing and trying to fly but unable to. Her wings look ok and not damaged.
That was around 12 mid day, I put her in a different box with a lid and cut a small hole on one side so that she could leave if she wished, I put some leaves and small twigs in the box then put her outside by a tree in the garden. I don't have any flowers in the garden and the tree has no leaves on it at this time of year. When I put her outside she was on one of the inside walls of the box, I've just checked on her about 3.5 hours later and she is still in the exact same place and doesn't look like she has moved at all.
It shouldn't freeze tonight the weather report says low of 3c over night and high of 8c tomorrow.
I'm not sure if I should bring her back in for the night or leave her out side?
Thank you for any advice.
Leave a Reply to Benjamin
It sounds like you've found a queen bumble bee who has emerged from her winter hibernation a little too early. I'm guessing you see no pollen collected on her hing legs? I'd be tempted to leave her box outside tonight since it's not going to freeze, and it's good to keep her in sync with the outdoor climate. Bumble bees that emerge early are still usually fine outdoors, even with cold snaps that include freezing temperatures... they just don't move much at all (as you've seen) when they're too cold. Your forecast looks as though you'll have overcast but slightly warmer weather next, followed by sunny and cooler weather (and then showers again later next week). Tomorrow I'd probably bring her indoors briefly in the morning to warm her up, and then set her back outdoors (in a fully open box) once the day is getting warmer (ideally in direct sunlight, but you may not get any of that). She may well need some energy soon too (in the form of flowers or sugar-water mix), depending on how much energy she's expended. Buzzing and trying to fly is relatively common in perfectly healthy queen bumble bees when they're cold... the buzzing itself helps them warm up, and I've often seen them trying to fly before they're fully able to do so (typically falling off flowers or plants in such cases, unharmed). If you know of any early-flowering bee-friendly plants in the area, I'd be tempted to take her to those tomorrow, after warming her up. Alternatively, I'd mix up a little sugar-water and touch a drop to her antennae, and place a single drop right in front of her, to ensure she has the option of an energy source (touching sugar water to antennae often helps them realize there's food on offer). She will need to find some seasonally early flowers soon though, so if you happen to know of any in the area, that'll help her out if you can take her there (my only caveat being if she already has pollen collected on her hind legs; if so, she has already tried to establish a new colony somewhere, and so she'd lose her bearings if taken to another location). Let me know if you have any more questions!
Leave a Reply to Elise Fog