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May 13, 2026
Emerging from hibernation
Emerging from hibernation
In spring, bumble bee queens wake up from hibernation with depleted fat reserves, leaving them with little energy. The first thing a spring queen must do after emerging is find flowers and eat. After replenishing their energy with pollen and nectar from spring flowers, bumble bee queens must find safe, insulated places to create their nests.
A two-spotted bumble bee queen (Bombus bimaculatus) foraging on Virginia Bluebells in early spring.
A common eastern bumble bee queen (Bombus impatiens) investigating leaf litter for a potential nesting site. Photo: Heather Holm
A rusty patched bumble bee queen (Bombus affinis) investigating a log and leaf litter for a place to build her nest. Photo: Sami Dolan
Nest Searching Behavior
Nest Searching Behavior
To find a suitable nesting location, bumble bees fly in a zigzag pattern close to the ground using sight and smell to investigate potential homes. This behavior is often referred to as “nest searching.” Using a combination of sight and smell, queens will investigate potential homes in holes in the ground, underneath logs, or within fallen trees. Bumble bees are particularly interested in abandoned rodent dens because they have already been constructed (since bumble bee queens do not dig their own tunnels) and are filled with insulative material like grass and hair.
Queens may move sporadically through habitat as they investigate potential nesting sites. This zigzag behavior exhibited by the yellow line is called "nest searching."
Nest Establishment
Nest Establishment
When you see large queens with pollen on their hind legs in spring, it is a telltale sign that they have established nests. Once a queen finds a place to nest, she will make a ball by mixing pollen and nectar together and build a pot out of wax to store nectar. The queen will lay eggs into a wax cup on top of the pollen ball and will spend time incubating the eggs and larvae to keep them warm while they develop.
When you see pollen-collecting queens, get ready to see workers in the following weeks. The workers take over foraging responsibilities and the queen will stay in the nest to continue laying eggs.
A red-belted bumble bee queen (Bombus rufocinctus) carrying a pollen load. In the spring, this is sign that she has established a nest.
A common eastern bumble bee queen (Bombus impatiens) with nectar pots and a pollen ball.
Spring queens are vital to healthy bumble bee populations
Spring queens are vital to healthy bumble bee populations
The entire summer population of bumble bees depends on successful nest establishment by spring queens. Despite their importance, there are still many things we don’t know about spring queens.
How long does it take for a queen to find a suitable place to nest after waking up?
How many potential nest sites does she visit before deciding on the right one?
Do different species look for different aspects in a potential nesting site?
While our Nest Quest protocol focuses on established nests, more observations of spring queens can help us learn about when and where they are looking for nests. Sharing photos of spring queens on Bumble Bee Watch or iNaturalist will help fill some of our knowledge gaps during this critical time of a bumble bee queen's life.
It is sometimes difficult to get photos of queens while they are nest searching. It may be helpful to record a video of the bee rather than time photograph. When reviewing the video later, pause and take screenshots of the moments when the queen is most visible.
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