Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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.
While honey bees are known for their specialized dances, such as the waggle dance which recruit other bees to the precise location of the food source, [1] bumblebees are not capable of transmitting this type of detailed information. Instead, the nest serves as a hub where bees receive information about the foraging bouts of her conspecifics. [2]
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.
Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are currently considered a clade, called Anthophila. [1]
Hibernating queen bumble bees are parasitized by a nematode worm, Sphaerularia bombi. This parasite does not reduce life span, but instead causes the sterilization of the queen. It has been observed that affected queens forage two to three weeks later than those that are unaffected. [6] Parasitic microorganisms also use bees as their host.
Nuptial flight is an important phase in the reproduction of most ant, termite, and some bee species. [1] It is also observed in some fly species, such as Rhamphomyia longicauda. During the flight, virgin queens mate with males and then land to start a new colony, or, in the case of honey bees, continue the succession of an existing hived colony.
The researchers designed an experimental arena where 45 bumble bees were given the option of either walking through an unobstructed path to get a treat or going into the areas with wooden balls.
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".