The bee (on Comfrey) in your photo is commonly known as bumblebee and is one of several solitary species I believe. As such it is not threatened by the problems faced by colonies of honey bees. Of course that doesn't mean it is immune to pesticides and parasites. These solitary insects lay a series of single eggs and a food store for the grub stage, after hatching the grubs consume the food then pupate, in the pupae stage they survive the winter to then restart their life cycle. Honey bees, living in large colonies, like humans in cities, succumb to parasites and pollution by insecticides so that contagion can spread throughout the colony. In my youth (long long ago) I kept honeybees. Mike Cleverley (4/June/2012)
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