Bumble bees are doing the strangest thing on the ginger lilies. They will rest for hours in a catatonic state on the flowers. I wrote earlier in the Summer about this behavior on passionflowers.
They don’t move when you touch them and don’t hold their wings up in the normal manner when they feel threatened.
The temperature is in the low 70s so I know it is not too cold for them to fly.
Bumble bees do have a different life cycle than the introduced European honeybee. Only the queens survive the Winter and hibernate in protected locations.
Maybe these are worker bees who are dying? Maybe they are young queens who are looking for drones to mate with before beginning the Winter hibernation? I will have to do some additional research!
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Arthur in the Garden! 