Bumble Bee
Bombus
Photo by Jen Neal
Summary
Bumble bees are probably our best-known native bee. These fuzzy friends are hard-working, versatile pollinators. Their long work day, efficient pollen-transport structures, and ability to pollinate a wide variety of plants combine to make them true MVPs!
Like honey bees, most species of bumble bee are eusocial (living in a cooperative group). However, unlike honey bee colonies that can live for many years, bumble bee colonies are annual, meaning that new colonies are started from scratch every year. Only the new, future queens will survive the winter. These special bees (gynes) spend the autumn drinking a lot of nectar to build up their fat reserves. They will then mate and look for a safe place to spend the winter–usually a small hole in the ground, just big enough for one, called a hibernacula.
Once safely underground, the bee’s metabolic rate drops to conserve energy, and her body produces antifreeze compounds to protect her from the cold. She won’t eat or leave the nest until environmental cues let her know that spring has sprung!
The new queens will be very hungry after the long winter, so providing plenty of early-spring nectar resources is crucial to support a healthy population. The blooms of native trees, shrubs and spring ephemerals are just the ticket to provide the energy they need to build a new colony of pollinating champions.
More Details
FAMILY
Apidae
LIFE CYCLE NOTES
In fall, each queen will mate and then look for a safe winter home. This is usually a small hole in the ground or another protected spot just big enough for her. Once she’s safely underground, the queen will drop her metabolic rate to conserve energy and produce an antifreeze-like chemical to withstand the cold temperatures. When soil temperatures begin to warm as forage becomes available, the queen will emerge to search for food, lay eggs and build a new colony.
FORAGING NOTES
Bumble bees are active through the growing season, collecting from a wide range of flower forms. They often forage from one flower to the next of the same plant species. Long tongues allow them to reach nectaries in long flower corollas.
SOCIALITY
Social, annual colony
Ecosystem Connections
In spring, overwintering queen bumble bees emerge to pollinate a wide variety of trees and seasonal wildflowers. In addition, bumble bees are important pollinators of many crops, including berries, fruits and nuts, vegetables, and seed crops.