I happened upon a dead bee on a goldenrod blossom the other evening while taking a walk with Tucker. It's rare that I see a dead bee in the field even though 800 - 1200 bees per colony die each day during summer.
More emerge than die every day during the season buildup, and that's how our colonies grow. But now with diminishing resources and winter on its way, our queens will decrease egg laying and the colony populations will start dwindling to winter size.
I could see her proboscis extended into the blossom, so she was apparently collecting nectar at the time of her death. Her wings look to be in pristine shape (no ragged edges) so she's not an old forager.
It's a bit disconcerting to see a young forager dead while gathering nectar, but I know that there are no pesticides being applied anywhere near this area. The cause of her death is unknown.
Gerard
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