Winter active bumblebee

This was a very surprising finding in Northumberland on the last day of November (and 7℃), a foraging bumblebee.  It is a queen buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) collecting pollen and nectar from ivy flowers.  The photos aren't as sharp as I would like but they were taken in shade with a 960mm lens(!) at ISO 4000.

Winter active bumblebees have been observed in the southern part of the country in recent years but I didn't expect to find one this far north.  BWARS, the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society, is running a recording programme to learn more about this behaviour.  All, or almost all, records relate to Bombus terrestris and this map show where sightings have been made.

The BWARS information sheet says that queens start nesting in October and raise workers in November, remaining active throughout the winter.  New males and queens are produced in February.