Скачать или смотреть I really dig Bumble bees!..why this behaviour?

Why Do Bumble Bees Dig?
There are several reasons why bumble bees might dig into the ground. Either they are parasitized, (and parasitization is very common in the insect world) or creating a small hole, usually in which to hibernate, or make a nest.
A common parasite is the Conopid fly, which looks like a very small wasp. However it should be emphasized that the Conopid is a diptera (fly) not hymenoptera (wasps, bees…)
Certain species of Conopid fly parasitization affect bumble bee workers’ behaviour, less so queen bumble bees.
Female Conopid flies can attack bumble bees when airborne, or whilst they are foraging on flowers, and eggs are deposited into the body of the bee where they grow and develop.
Before dying (after behavioural changes), a host bumble bee often digs into soil (up to 10 cm), where the Conopid flies are able to hibernate then to remerge in the following year.
The bumble bee workers (or sometimes early emerging queens) might also be parasitized by female nematodes (which live and mate in healthy soil) during winter hibernation.

The mini film was taken on a walk around Fox's Field with Anita Roy who spotted the wee busy body!