Queen bumble bees initiate their colony’s life cycle from a solitary beginning. A common question is whether they leave the nest and when. Understanding the queen’s movements provides insight into her evolving role and the annual cycle of these social insects. Her presence in or absence from the nest changes throughout the season, reflecting her evolving role.
The Queen Bumble Bee’s Nesting Journey
Each spring, a queen bumble bee emerges from her winter hibernation, often having spent months tucked away in the soil or under moss. Her first task is to find nectar to replenish energy and pollen to activate her ovaries. After this feeding period, she searches for a suitable nesting site, typically an abandoned rodent burrow, a cavity in the ground, or dense vegetation.
Once a site is chosen, the queen constructs a small chamber, often lining it with materials like dry grass or old moss. She creates wax pots to store nectar and a pollen mound for her first batch of eggs. During this solitary founding phase, the queen is responsible for incubating her eggs and foraging for herself and her developing larvae. She makes frequent, short foraging trips to sustain the nascent colony.
Temporary Absences and Permanent Departure
The queen’s behavior changes when her first brood of worker bees emerges. These new workers gradually assume foraging duties, collecting nectar and pollen for the growing colony. The original queen primarily remains within the nest, focusing on laying more eggs. She may occasionally leave the nest for brief foraging trips if worker numbers are low or for waste disposal, but these instances become less frequent.
The original queen does not typically leave the established nest permanently to start a new one. Her role becomes primarily reproductive, and she continues to lay eggs throughout the summer. Later in the season, the colony produces new queens and males. These new queens, her daughters, leave the natal nest to mate and then disperse to hibernate, ensuring the continuation of the species.
The End of a Bumble Bee Colony
Bumble bee colonies are annual, lasting for only one season. As autumn approaches, the colony naturally declines. Worker production ceases, and remaining workers gradually die off. The original queen, having completed her reproductive cycle, perishes within or near the nest, usually before winter arrives.
Males, after mating with new queens, die. The original nest becomes abandoned and is not reused by a queen the following year. Only newly mated queens survive the winter, hibernating individually. They emerge in spring to start their own colonies, perpetuating the cycle.