Recently I saw a male Bombus pratorum mating with a female Bombus lapidarius. This was on the ground on top of a squashed fig. Is this common? I presume nothing will result. I know honeybees mate many times on the wing but do bumblebees have multiple matings?
Wed, 07/08/2013 - 17:58
#1
Cross-mating
I wonder if your male pratorum might have been the similarly marked male of B. lapidarius? If so... that would explain the behaviour