Not a swift matter but remarkable enough to warrant a mention. Today, Fiona found large numbers of dead and dying white tailed bumble bees (bombus lucorum) on the driveway and in the grass under the two lime trees in the garden. The picture shows roughly fifty, a fraction of the number which have died in the whole area under these trees. We have never seen anything like it and could probably have filled a two gallon bucket with them.

According to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, this is a common thing but only with lime trees. The lime tree nectar has a very low sugar content but contains an addictive metabolite which causes bees to keep feeding, even though they are not getting energy from the nectar. Resulting in the bees eventually falling to the ground without enough energy to fly and they starve to death.

Just now the trees are alive with feeding bumblebees and it is said that strong healthy bumblebees are less likely to succumb. These bees were infested with bumblebee mites which feed on stuff attaching to the bumblebee, rather than the bumblebee itself but they can probably impede flight if there are sufficient numbers.

These dead bumblebees have been preyed upon as some have been eaten out and many have had the sting removed.