After being brought home to a bed of flowers, the insect, named Phoebee, defied expectations and reached a 100-day milestone on October 24. McArthur documented how the bee spends hours extracting nectar and grooming itself similarly to a cat. Andy Benson from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust identified Phoebee as an unmated buff-tailed bumblebee queen whose long-term future remains uncertain.
Key points
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust identified the insect as an unmated buff-tailed bumblebe…: The Bumblebee Conservation Trust identified the insect as an unmated buff-tailed bumblebee queen with an uncertain future.
Environmental data shows that a third of British wild bees and hoverflies are currently s…: Environmental data shows that a third of British wild bees and hoverflies are currently suffering population declines.
Individuals can directly assist struggling pollinators by planting flowers in gardens, ba…: Individuals can directly assist struggling pollinators by planting flowers in gardens, balcony boxes, or soil patches.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
We hear rescue stories every day. A dog pulled from a flooded ditch. A cat coaxed out from behind a fridge. But how often have you heard about a bumblebee with a broken wing?
Gilly McArthur found one lying in the sun beside a road. She took it home, made it a bed of flowers and expected it wouldn’t last the day. Instead, the bumblebee now climbs McArthur’s arm, works her way around the back of her neck and disappears into her hair. The woman named the queen bee ‘Phoebee’, and strangers from around the world are obsessed with her.
“I couldn’t leave her by the roadside. So I brought her home and made her a bed of flowers. I thought she’d be dead in a day or so,” McArthur told The Guardian, describing the extraordinary rescue. Contrary to McArthur’s fears, Phoebee survived and also became an internet celebrity.
An unexpected travel partner
McArthur was due to leave on a week-long sailing trip shortly after the rescue. She couldn’t leave the bee behind, so she brought Phoebee along. The woman…
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