Springtime in a European woodland: Bumblebees vs. mice
Watch a queen bee searching for a nest site force a mouse out of its hole.
Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz
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• Oct. 18, 2026, 3:00 AM ET (Earth.com)
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• Oct. 17, 2026, 3:53 PM ET (The Guardian)
Transcript
Early-flowering wood anenomes signal the arrival of spring to the European woodland. A queen bumblebee is looking for a nest site. She’s found an apparently suitable mouse hole. But the owner is at home. This doesn't seem to trouble the bee. But the wood mouse is unwilling to make way for the intruder. It is, after all, many times the size of the imposter. Finally the queen bee pulls out her poisonous sting and the mouse needs little more persuasion.
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