pretty in pink blooms

I'm sorry if I sound like an ignoramus, but I'm anxious to learn these things - how do you KNOW she's a queen bee and not just a solitary one?

That's ok.....she was huge and hairy like a bumblebee with the yellow and black stripes and was out in the hot weather we had in spring. Solitary bees are small and can fit in small tubes to nest like a bamboo cane for instance. I have put up bee houses in the garden for solitary bees which have small tubes in to nest.

There are so many different types of bee, I don't know how anyone can tell. Tell me about bumble bees - are they not solitary?

Yes there are lots and I gained an interest last year in them. The solitary bees are Mason bees and they use individual tubes like a cane or drill holes in walls to lay there eggs in the Summer. They are fairly small bees about the size of a house fly and they do not swarm or sting. Honeybees do swarm and are a bit bigger than Mason bees and are usually brownish looking . Bumblebees have so many different types but are hairy bless them and the Queen emerges in early Spring (and she is big) and she tries to find a nest site and then later on the smaller bumblebees appear. Then in late August onwards the queen will look to hibernate over winter again. Bumblebees have smallish nests which are harmless to humans unless provoked, and they are only in the garden for a few months. Sadly the male bees are not allowed back in the nest at night and have to sleep from flowers or leaves and if it rains or gets chilly they can fall onto the ground. I always keep a look out and try to put a bit of shelter over them if its raining or windy in the summer. Hope this helps.