Edit: interestingly, I see a lot of honeybees and some wasps foraging, both on the leaves and flowers of the tilia, but it’s only the bumblebees that lie dead on the ground.

Every summer, there are dozens of bumblebees either dead or dying beneath tilia trees (linden/lime/basswood).

Why?

My father once told me (some 20 years ago?) that they die from “overeating”. With all due respect to his linden tea (thanks dad🩷🩵🤍), this sounds like folklore…