Wet Bumblebee III

Day four.  This morning the rain had stopped at last, but the sky was dark and low. The wee bumblebee was still on the same onion flower, completely drenched. I decided to intervene. I picked the flower (yes, I know I don’t pick the flowers, but this was a special case!) and took it into the warm kitchen.

After half an hour or so the bee began to make very slow movements. Then, as her fur dried, she started to preen herself. The process was fascinating, involving all sorts of contortionist moves.

Before she was ready to fly away I returned the flower to the garden. The cool air caused her to seize up again, but not for long. She continued preening. I returned about every five minutes to check on her. She was getting more and more lively, and while I wasn’t there she flew away. I hope she didn’t get into trouble for being away for so long.

While she was still on the flower a bluebottle came along. Compare the sizes. Given that the queens of this species are about 2.5cm long you can see how tiny this worker is.

Wet Bumblebee I

Wet Bumblebee II