mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) (05/27/91)
There's a big honeysuckle plant in front of my house, and the bumblebees love it, presumably because the flowers are too deep to be serviced by honeybees. I've noticed what appears to be territorial behavior on the part of the bumblebees. For example, I've seen one bumblebee chase after and harass another bumblebee. I've also noticed bumblebees just sort of hanging around -- not drinking nectar, just hovering and inspecting the plant, possibly looking for interlopers. Are bumblebees territorial, or am I mistaking some other behavior, such as mating, for what I see?