Facts: Bumble Bees
Name: Bombus (Genus)
Appearance: Bumble bees are often identified by the long, yellow and black striped hair that covers their bodies. Some species may vary in coloring from solid black to orange or red markings. They have a fuzzy, soft appearance.
Habit: Like many bee species, bumble bees are social and form colonies. These colonies are often smaller than honey bee colonies, often housing less than 50 bees. This is due to the relatively small nest size, and the fact that only one female is in charge of building and fertilizing the nest. Colonies only last a single season as a result.
Health/Damage Concerns: Bumble bee stingers lack the barbs that honey bees have, giving them the ability to sting more than once. However, they are not normally aggressive unless they are handled or their nest becomes threatened. Like most bee species, bumble bees are beneficial to the environment as they are pollinators of flowers and crops, and should be left alone if possible.
Diet: Pollinators; Adults feed on plant nectar, and collect pollen to feed their young.
Reproduction: Fertilized queens are responsible for the creation a new colony every season, as the rest of the colony will die off over the winter months. The queen has the ability to choose the sex of her offspring before laying her eggs by choosing to whether to fertilize them. Non-fertilized eggs become males, while fertilized eggs will become females or potential new queens. Slight hormonal differences between the queen and new females prevent the new females from developing functional ovaries, allowing the queen to maintain control of the colony.
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