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A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera (e.g., Calyptapis) are known from fossils.
Jun 7, 2024 · Learn about bumblebee, a genus of over 250 species of large bees that are social and nest in the ground. Find out how they pollinate plants, defend their nests, and face threats from parasites and climate change.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Unlike most native bees, but like honey bees, bumble bees are social insects that live in colonies. The vast majority of our native bees are solitary and don’t form hives or have queens.
- Except for new queens, which hibernate during winter, bumble bee colonies die in late fall. Queens overwinter in small holes just beneath or on the ground’s surface, emerging in spring to create new colonies they begin by laying eggs.
- Bumble bees are important pollinators of our food plants. Bumble bees pollinate plants out in nature, helping to keep our ecosystems healthy, but they are also commercially valuable as pollinators of many crops.
- Bumble bees’ wings beat 130 or more times per second. That ability, combined with their large size, enables the bees to perform a unique service, “buzz pollination” (vibrating flowers until they release pollen), that helps plants produce more fruit.
- Bumblebees Belong to a Genus of 265 Species. The IUCN SSC Bumblebee Specialist Group recognizes 265 species of bumblebees in the world, but the conservation status of many of them remains unknown.
- They Do Not Produce Honey. Honeybees collect honey to survive through the winter, but bumblebees don’t need to prepare for the cold because they die in the fall.
- They Can Detect the Nutritional Quality of Pollen. Along with nectar, bumblebees also collect the pollen made by flowers. In 2016, researchers at Penn State found that bumblebees can actually detect the nutritional quality of pollen, an ability that helps them choose the best plant species and optimize their diets.
- They Beat Their Wings 200 Times per Second. Bumblebee wings move faster than the human eye can detect, so scientists use high-speed cameras and computer vision techniques to analyze their wingbeats.
Learn about bumblebees, furry insects that pollinate many plants and crops. Find out how they live, communicate, and face extinction risks from climate change and other factors.
Learn about bumble bees, their characteristics, diet, pollination and conservation status. Bumble bees are large, hairy bees that live in colonies and are close relatives of honey bees.
Jan 14, 2017 · Bumblebees are large, fuzzy insects with short, stubby wings. They are larger than honeybees, but they don't produce as much honey. However, they are very important pollinators. Without them,...
