Bumble Bees

After this year's prolonged winter it's interesting to see the insects start to emerge and to assess how they have fared over those cold months. One casualty appears to be the Seven Spot Ladybird, I've only found one or two in my garden over the last few weeks compared to literally dozens in recent years. Thankfully bee numbers appear to be healthy, the flowering currant bush in my garden is being visited by lots of bumble bees and I'm now seeing quite a few different miner bees as well.

Here are a couple of springtime images of a White-Tailed Bumble Bee (Bombus lucorum) feeding on the flowering currant.

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