I saw a large bumble bee covered with mites or parasites. What are they and do they harm the bee?
In early spring, queen bumble bees are often seen with large numbers of mites (Parasitellus fucorum). These mites live on the queen when she hibernates over winter and stay with her until she founds her new nest in spring. Here they scavenge on food debris, bee faeces and possibly stored pollen. Some mites drop off the queen when she is foraging on a flower to wait for another bumble bee to hitch a ride to a nest. The mite does not actually feed on the bee itself, and so apart from the extra load carried by the bee, it does no harm. Bumble bees are parasitized by other mites that suck their haemolymph (blood) and nematode worms that do harm the bees.
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