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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.
Bumblebee nest with full visible honey pots. A bumblebee nest differs in size and structure from that of a honeybee. Bumblebee nests are smaller and contain far fewer individuals which is mostly due to differences in the method of colony reproduction. [1]
Western bumble bees are generalist foragers. [8] Because they do not depend on any one flower type, they are considered to be excellent pollinators. bumble bees are also able to fly in cooler temperatures and lower flight levels than many other bees. [9] Additionally, bumble bees perform "buzz pollination".
Like in most social bees, there are three main social caste divisions in B. terrestris. This ensures a division of labor and efficient colony functioning. Queens become the main female individual to reproduce in a future colony. There is only one per colony. Her sole responsibility is to lay eggs after she founds a nest.
The queen's primary role is to reproduce and ensure the colony has a steady supply of new workers. The worker bumblebees are responsible for most of the other chores, such as foraging, nest maintenance, and tending to the larvae. Younger workers typically start life as a worker where most of their time is devoted to working in the nest.
This is evolutionarily beneficial since the female is the sex which takes over host species and allows Bombus vestalis to reproduce. In fact, many of the male bees which are hatched in a nest that has been taken over by Bombus vestalis are a result of host workers who were able to successfully lay eggs despite the aggression of the invaders.
Bumble bees – just like humans and dogs – like to play with balls, UK scientists have found. Researchers have, for the first time, observed insects interacting with inanimate objects as a form ...
The male bees' genetic makeup is therefore entirely derived from the mother, while the genetic makeup of the female worker bees is half derived from the mother, and half from the father. [12] Thus, if a queen bee mates with only one drone, any two of her daughters will share, on average, 3 ⁄ 4 of their genes.