Just seen a Bumble Bee mating

Right on the drive as I walked out to post a letter.

I was going back to take a picture but when I got there they were gone.

I didn’t realise how small the male Bumble bee is.

They were not flying they were on the tarmac

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Lucky you…a great find.
Yes, Bumbles almost invariably mate on the ground or resting on vegetation.
Mating may take over an hour while the male produces a seal in the female bumble to prevent her being mated again. Male bumbles, unlike honey bees don’t die after mating and are free to do it all again.
The nest has matured and the queen you saw will feed herself up and hibernate this winter to start her own nest next Spring. The male will die when forage gets scarce and the weather cold.

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