bumblebees

An Irish-based bee expert shared a daily fact noting that bumblebees take anywhere from 20 to 35 days to develop from egg to adult, depending on species and conditions. Half of that time is spent as a feeding larva and half as a pupa inside a cocoon. The fact is part of a regular daily series sharing basic bee knowledge, drawing attention to pollinators and biodiversity.

Researchers filmed bumblebees landing on a flower model sliding sideways twice a second, capturing 48 landings with three high-speed cameras and rebuilding them in three dimensions. The bees banked to match the platform's motion, lagging slightly behind it, and mathematical models were used to explain the manoeuvre.

A bee educator's daily fact series notes that the first brood of female worker bumblebees produced in spring often emerges small, because developing larvae depend entirely on the queen for food. Later broods grow larger since a workforce of established workers helps nurse them, a detail resonating with nature and pollinator enthusiasts as spring colonies get going.

A designer is promoting Transformers-themed stickers on the print-on-demand store TeePublic, leaning on classic and retro branding around characters like Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee. The designs draw on the Autobots and Decepticons factions from the long-running franchise spanning movies, TV and comics.