Fiona Presly, from Scotland, had a very unexpected encounter last year. While she was in her garden, she discovered a queen bee in the sun. The insect seemed lost, and Fiona, worried about her getting stepped on, decided to place her on a flower, as The Dodo reports.
Source: Fiona Presly
But when she took the bee in her hand, Fiona noticed something quite strange. The bee didn't have any wings. Eager to help her as best as possible, Fiona then gave the animal some sweet water, put her on some flowering heather, and then did not think about her for a few hours.But when she came back, the bee was still there.
Source: Fiona Presly
Fiona then decided to take her inside that night as a heavy storm was on the horizon.
I took her inside that night, kept her warm and fed her more. I thought I would put her out the next day, but the weather was bad then too. So I kept her inside.
Source: Fiona Presly
Presly contacted theBumblebee Conservation Trustfor help andcame to learn that the bee likely had a virus known to cause problems in wing development. The queen's chances of survival in the wild were slim without the ability to fly.
Source: Fiona Presly
Seeing that the bee was otherwise healthy, Presly decided to do everything within her power to help her. She made a mini garden for her with her own private floral buffet.She continued to bring him regular sugar water and shelters him when the weather was threatening.
Source: Fiona Presly
Eventually, each time Presly would drop by the enclosed garden, something unexpected began happening — Bee would eagerly emerge from the foliage to greet her. Presly said:
She'd walk toward me and crawl on my hand. She seemed so happy to see me. It made me stop and think — there’s something going on here.
Source: Fiona Presly
Fiona carried on to say:
I think she thrived on company, even from another species. They are naturally sociable creatures. That would be in their instinct.
Normally, a queen bumblebee would spend the spring and summer building a nest, mating and starting a colony — finally dying at the approach of autumn.
Under Presly's care, she had outlived them all. But her time eventually ran out.
Source : Fiona Presly
Five months after being rescued, the queen bee fell asleep in Presly's hand and never awoke.
I was sad when she died, but I knew it was going to happen. She was already older than she should have been. It had been very special to stay with a wee creature, like Bee. The fact that she lived more than just a few weeks amazed me. That was rewarding in itself.
Source: Fiona Presly
Fiona buried her body in the garden, along with her favorite flower. The time spent with the bee changed the ways she saw insects. She said:
Now I view all insects in a different light. It’s changed my perception of what insects are like. I think there’s an awful lot we don’t know.
H/t: The Dodo