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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.
Bombus impatiens, the common eastern bumblebee, is the most commonly encountered bumblebee across much of eastern North America. [3] They can be found in the Eastern temperate forest region of the eastern United States , southern Canada , and the eastern Great Plains . [ 4 ]
Honey bees, bumblebees, solitary bees: fruit 4-essential 1-3 temperate Tangerine: Citrus tangerina: Honey bees, bumblebees: fruit 1-little sub-tropical Orange, grapefruit, tangelo: Citrus spp. Honey bees, bumblebees: fruit 1-little sub-tropical Coconut: Cocos nucifera: Honey bees, stingless bees: nut 2-modest tropical Coffee Coffea spp.
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] Honeybee colonies can contain up to 50,000 individuals, whereas bumblebee colonies usually only contain a few hundred. [1]
Furthermore, bumble bees are predated on by birds for food. Foragers are frequently predated by invertebrates. Crab spiders and cryptically colored ambush bugs ambush bees at flowers to catch them. Robber flies resemble bumble bees and clasp the bumble bees, insert them with enzymes, then eat their internal organs.
Nectar robbers vary greatly in species diversity and include species of carpenter bees, bumblebees, stingless Trigona bees, solitary bees, wasps, ants, hummingbirds, and some passerine birds, including flowerpiercers. [1] Nectar-robbing mammals include the fruit bat [2] and Swinhoe's striped squirrel, which rob nectar from the ginger plant. [3]
They usually visit consecutive flowers in one direction and do not return to previous flowers. They tend to go to areas that are rich in resources and usually do not visit these areas again once the bees deplete the resources. [10] Instead, it has been found that B. terricola expend energy to fly to new locations of food sources.
Several fly species are Batesian mimics of bumble bees, including robber flies, flower flies, deer bot flies, and bee flies. Some species of beetles, moths, sawflies and even other bees will mimic bumble bees. Additionally, the bumble flower beetle does not mimic the bumble bee's coloration but its buzzing flight sound. [8]