Bumble Bees are the only truly social bees that are native to North America. Bumble Bees live in colonies, but their colonies do not overwinter, and they therefore do not store as much honey in their nests as European Honey Bees. Queen Bumble Bees hibernate through the winter and start new nests in the spring.
Bumble Bees are one of many types of bees native to North America. The well-known Honey Bee is not native to this continent; it was imported from Europe. Other bees native to North America include Miner Bees, Mason Bees, and Carpenter Bees. Each have their own special characteristics and provide their own unique benefits.
Bumble Bees can easily be confused with Carpenter Bees and Mason Bees. Carpenter Bees tend to be larger than Bumble Bees and Mason Bees tend to be smaller. Sizes may vary, however, so you have to look at a few other details to know what type of bee you are observing. Carpenter Bees have larger heads than Bumble Bees, but this is one of the harder differences to see. More noticeably, Carpenter Bees are shiny, black, and almost hairless on the top side of their abdomen. Bumble Bees are almost fully clothed in hairs on the top side of their abdomen. Bumblebees (as well as Honey Bees and Orchid Bees) have corpicula, or pollen baskets. These are places specialized to carry pollen on their hind legs. Bumble Bees therefore carry pollen in large orange or yellow wet balls on their back legs, and these can be very noticeable after a bee has collected a lot of pollen. Carpenter Bees and Mason Bees do not have these. Carpenter Bees carry pollen in scopa, or specialized hairs, on their hind legs or underside of their abdomens. Therefore you may still see pollen on the hind legs of Carpenter Bees (Mason Bees have their scopa on the underside of their abdomen), but it will be collected on hairs, not in a wet ball.
Bumble Bees are excellent pollinators. They pollinate more flowers per bee than Honey Bees in the same amount of time. They also can fly and pollinate plants in lower temperatures than other bees because they can shiver to warm up. In addition, Bumble Bees can “buzz pollinate” by buzzing a perfect middle C pitch that vibrates pollen out of tiny holes in the top of a flower’s anthers (the oval structures on the top of the stamens, or male reproductive parts of a flower). Some flowers hide pollen in their anthers that can only be accessed by buzz pollination. Honey Bees do not buzz pollinate. Plants best pollinated by buzz pollination include tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, blueberries, cranberries, and kiwi.
Bumble Bees and other native bees are seriously threatened. In fact, a recent study found that more than half of the bee species native to North America or Hawaii that they had enough population data to assess were declining. A different recent study showed that over a quarter of North American Bumble Bees are at risk of extinction. Native bees are threatened by such problems as habitat loss, use of chemicals, climate change, and invasive non-native species.
Bumble Bees need your help! How can you help Bumble Bees?
Don’t use chemicals. Pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals can harm native bees.
Plant native flowers. Choose a variety of native plants that will provide blooms throughout the year. Ask local gardeners, garden experts, or plant nurseries which native plants are favorites of the local bees.
SOURCES:
https://xerces.org/learn-about-bumble-bees/
https://www.stlzoo.org/files/9413/3303/3161/MO_Bee_Guide_w_boarder.pdf
https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/bumblebees-for-pollination.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/19/486501293/watch-the-secret-buzz-only-bumblebees-know-to-unlock-our-favorite-crops
http://www.anneleonard.com/buzz-pollination
https://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/bees-03-01-2017.php
https://xerces.org/at-risk-bumble-bees/
https://blog.nwf.org/2014/04/5-facts-about-bumble-bees-and-how-to-help-them/
Bumble Bees are one of many types of bees native to North America. The well-known Honey Bee is not native to this continent; it was imported from Europe. Other bees native to North America include Miner Bees, Mason Bees, and Carpenter Bees. Each have their own special characteristics and provide their own unique benefits.
Bumble Bees can easily be confused with Carpenter Bees and Mason Bees. Carpenter Bees tend to be larger than Bumble Bees and Mason Bees tend to be smaller. Sizes may vary, however, so you have to look at a few other details to know what type of bee you are observing. Carpenter Bees have larger heads than Bumble Bees, but this is one of the harder differences to see. More noticeably, Carpenter Bees are shiny, black, and almost hairless on the top side of their abdomen. Bumble Bees are almost fully clothed in hairs on the top side of their abdomen. Bumblebees (as well as Honey Bees and Orchid Bees) have corpicula, or pollen baskets. These are places specialized to carry pollen on their hind legs. Bumble Bees therefore carry pollen in large orange or yellow wet balls on their back legs, and these can be very noticeable after a bee has collected a lot of pollen. Carpenter Bees and Mason Bees do not have these. Carpenter Bees carry pollen in scopa, or specialized hairs, on their hind legs or underside of their abdomens. Therefore you may still see pollen on the hind legs of Carpenter Bees (Mason Bees have their scopa on the underside of their abdomen), but it will be collected on hairs, not in a wet ball.
Bumble Bees are excellent pollinators. They pollinate more flowers per bee than Honey Bees in the same amount of time. They also can fly and pollinate plants in lower temperatures than other bees because they can shiver to warm up. In addition, Bumble Bees can “buzz pollinate” by buzzing a perfect middle C pitch that vibrates pollen out of tiny holes in the top of a flower’s anthers (the oval structures on the top of the stamens, or male reproductive parts of a flower). Some flowers hide pollen in their anthers that can only be accessed by buzz pollination. Honey Bees do not buzz pollinate. Plants best pollinated by buzz pollination include tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, blueberries, cranberries, and kiwi.
Bumble Bees and other native bees are seriously threatened. In fact, a recent study found that more than half of the bee species native to North America or Hawaii that they had enough population data to assess were declining. A different recent study showed that over a quarter of North American Bumble Bees are at risk of extinction. Native bees are threatened by such problems as habitat loss, use of chemicals, climate change, and invasive non-native species.
Bumble Bees need your help! How can you help Bumble Bees?
Don’t use chemicals. Pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals can harm native bees.
Plant native flowers. Choose a variety of native plants that will provide blooms throughout the year. Ask local gardeners, garden experts, or plant nurseries which native plants are favorites of the local bees.
SOURCES:
https://xerces.org/learn-about-bumble-bees/
https://www.stlzoo.org/files/9413/3303/3161/MO_Bee_Guide_w_boarder.pdf
https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/bumblebees-for-pollination.html
https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/19/486501293/watch-the-secret-buzz-only-bumblebees-know-to-unlock-our-favorite-crops
http://www.anneleonard.com/buzz-pollination
https://www.wired.com/2015/04/youre-worrying-wrong-bees/
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2017/bees-03-01-2017.php
https://xerces.org/at-risk-bumble-bees/
https://blog.nwf.org/2014/04/5-facts-about-bumble-bees-and-how-to-help-them/