Egg Laying by Bumble Bee Queens at the Beginning of Colony Development

Unlike honeybee colonies, those of bumble bees do not survive from one season to the next. Bumble bee queens reared during the summer months, after mating, enter hibernation; in the following year, those that successfully survive the winter will attempt to establish colonies of their own. This paper gives a brief survey of the pre-social stage of the existence of queen bumble bees from the time of their leaving the mother colony until their own colonies are established in the following year. It includes an account of the initial egg laying in bumble bee colonies, principally with reference to two common British species, Bombus agrorum and Bombus hortorum