Bombus pratorum: early bumblebee and acrobat

Early bumblebee on borage

I have been observing the bees on the section of our field that we planted with borage and notices something amazing in the behaviour of this small bumblebee; most bees are quite nimble but the early bumblebee is particularly comfortable turning upside down to get into flowers that point downwards - as you can see in this picture.

When you see other bees on borage they tend to pick the more upward-facing flowers and carefully keep themselves semi-upright while reaching for the nectar. But the earlys just flip over.

Borage is one of the best plants for bees and we sell borage plug plants if you want to add a boost to your garden