As others have noted, it seemed like the bumblebees really took off around
our house last year as well. Initially, I thought it might be a response to
the loss of the honeybees, a release from competition. I checked this out
with some of the entomologists on the ecology listserve, but no one had
heard of any definitive studies on competition between native bumblebees and
the imported honeybees. I haven't seen many bees at all this summer, but
from what I've read, the extremely cold weather this past winter really
dealt a death blow to many species of insects. It may take a while for the
bumblebees populations to recover.
Liane Cochran-Stafira
University of Chicago
Department of Ecology and Evolution
1101 East 57th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
phone: 312-702-1930
fax: 312-702-9740
e-mail: lcochran@midway.uchicago.edu
>
>Does anyone know exactly how these mites are killing off honney bees?
>Just curious.
>
>Not a single bee went anywhere near my Sarracenia flowers. So much for
>fear of hybridizing.
>
>--Zachary--
>
>