this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2024
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If you see a bee that's just crawling around or sitting and not responding to you getting close it might just be low on energy.
To help the bee, mix as much sugar as you can get to dissolve in a spoonful of water. Once it's well mixed put drops of it in front of the bee where it can reach with it's proboscis. I've found putting the mixture on a leaf and poking that under the bee's face helps too. It might take a bit of persistence, but once it works out what it is it'll drink it's fill. You haven't seen an excited bee 'til you've seen one fly off after that!
It's not particularly nutritious, more akin to an energy drink than a meal, but it'll give them enough of a boost to get to a real flower.
I "rehabilitated" a bee this way a while back (hydration, sugarwater, and a very mild heat source). Beedude was lethargic and spent the night in a container inside.
When I released beedude the next day I saw the coolest thing: it flew up, made several circles in the air, and then flew off with determination. I am not an entomologist but it seemed exactly like what I would expect from something "calibrating its compass"/finding its bearings. Super cool!
Yup, we had a similar thing, but didn't need long to get going again. It first refused the sugar water, then realised and drank a surprising amount all while laying down, then suddenly started waving it's legs around like it had just discovered them, took a couple of false starts and took off. In the air it did exactly what you describe, circling to get it's bearings then heading off. It definitely appeared slightly drunk though.
I like to think it got back to the nest, still slightly wired from a sugar, and desperately tried to tell it's hivemates about this great foraging spot with a waggle dance: "guys, guys you've got to try this new spot, it's got grrreat sugar!" "Where?" "Err, no idea, my head is still buzzing from the good stuff."
Or it was dancing a thank you message to you before taking off.
Yeah I did that for a bee the other day. Took a bit of coaxing but my beeuddy finally drank some and then got stuck in