www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I was surprised to see a bumblebee flying around on Sunday (4th December), after a frosty night. It was visiting a Choisya flower in my garden. Is it unusual to see them so late?

I also saw one myself on Saturday but having been a mild night, and 13c and sunny in the day where I was, perhaps not so surprising. I was hoping for a Red Admiral but alas no joy.

I recall the very mild winter of 2005/6 I think, that I was seeing bumblebees quite regularly in December/January including one on New Years Day

Bumble bees can regulate their own body temperatures, so can fly in conditions as low as 10 degrees C. They just need an energy source in order to stay active. This can either be energy stored within their own bodies or a source of nectar. More details can be found here: http://www.bumblebee.org/bodyTempReg.htm

Vince

Wow! Thanks for the link Vince. Amazing stuff.

Increasing numbers of bumblebees are flying in winter - BWARS have been studying this, see http://www.bwars.com/winter_bumblebees.htm. It seems it is not so much warming temperatures as an increase in the amount of winter-flowering nectar sources available in gardens that is causing this.