July 28, 2000

     Bumblebees

Even though there are many species of bumblebees, the most common kinds can usually be recognized by their robust shape, hairy bodies and black-and-yellow markings, with a few having orange markings.  Most of them are three-quarters of an inch or longer.

As social bees, bumblebees have colonies with three castes: queens, drones (males) and workers.  Unlike honey bees, a colony of bumblebees does not live through the winter.  Only the young queens remain alive, hibernate underground and emerge in the spring to search for a new nesting site.

On observing bumblebees in flight, people are surprised that they can make progress on such small wings.  Antoine Magnan, a French zoologist, made studies of bumblebee flight in 1934 and concluded they should not be able to fly at all.

Bumblebees, which collect pollen and nectar at the same time and are, therefore, very good pollinators, are the busiest of all bees.  They are said to visit twice as many flowers in a time as other bees.  They transfer pollen on their bodies from the male flower parts to female flower parts, where fertilization takes place.