Bumblebees: What You Should Know

Bumblebees are large and fuzzy bees belonging to the family Apidae. While more than 250 species have been identified, black and yellow, orange and red, or entirely black body hairs are distinguishing characteristic of bumblebees.

Lifecycle of Bumblebee Colonies

Most species build their nests in the ground, creating spherical chambers with just one exit. The queen collects nectar and pollen, picks a suitable site for the nest, and lays eggs in wax cells. When the eggs hatch into larvae, the queen feeds them with pollen and nectar so that they develop. The larvae pass through four development stages (instars) until they spin cocoons and go though a period of intense cellular growth. The whole process takes between five and six weeks until the young bee workers emerge from their cocoons.

Pollination and Agriculture

Bumblebees play important role in the pollination of many plants. They use buzz pollination to release pollen held by the anthers. Bumblebees are cultured for agricultural purposes because of their ability to pollinate plant species that other pollinating insects cannot. A common practice is the use of bumblebee colonies for the greenhouse production of tomatoes. Due to the high frequency of buzzing, the bumblebee is effective in releasing tomato pollen.