Bumblebee interesting facts. Bumblebee insect

There are 4 stages of development of bumblebees: Egg, Larva, Pupa, Imago (adult). In the spring, the overwintered and fertilized female flies out of her shelter and actively feeds for several weeks, preparing for nesting. When the eggs begin to ripen in the ovaries of the female, she looks for a place for the nest, flying above the ground and carefully looking around. Having found the right one ...

Meet Watson and Kiko, two golden retrievers who can't imagine life without the good-natured cat Harry. And Harry also considers these two dogs to be his best friends. All three live in absolute harmony and love to doze, snuggling close to each other. Their owner is a 23-year-old girl who started a personal page for three friends ...

Scientists have found that dogs have twice as many neurons as cats in the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for thinking, complex behavior and planning. The research results are published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. Experts also compared the brains of cats, dogs, lions, brown bears, raccoons, ferrets. It turned out that in dogs in the bark ...

In the Chelyabinsk zoo, the fox Maya learned to spin a spinner. Zoo employees filmed how the animal is having fun with a toy, and published a recording on official page menagerie on Instagram and in contact. The video shows how a woman with a spinning spinner in her hand comes to the enclosure with a fox and holds out a toy to the fence. Animal, in its ...

Bumblebees are social insects. Almost like all bees, they live in families, which consist of: large fertile queens, smaller working bumblebees, males. In the absence of a queen, working females can also lay eggs. Usually a bumblebee family lives only 1 year: from spring to autumn. It is much smaller than a bee, but still numbers ...

Bumblebees build their nests underground, on the ground and above the ground. Nests underground Most bumblebee species nest underground. They settle in the burrows of various rodents and molehills. The scent of mice is known to attract the female bumblebee. In the mink of rodents there is material for insulating the bumblebee nest: wool, dry grass and other similar materials. TO…

Bumblebees live on all continents except Antarctica. In the Northern Hemisphere, they are distributed mainly in temperate latitudes, but the habitat of some species extends beyond the Arctic Circle (for example, the polar bumblebee (Latin Bombus polaris), the northern bumblebee (Latin Bombus heperboreus)). They are found in the tundra, Chukotka, Alaska, Novaya Zemlya, Svalbard, Greenland and others ...

Representatives of the bumblebee genus collect pollen and nectar from many plant species, that is, they are polytrophic. To feed the larvae, bumblebees use not only fresh nectar, but also honey, which they make themselves. Bumblebee honey is thinner than bee honey, lighter and lighter, less sweet and odorous. It contains more than 20% water and does not store well.

Bumblebee- the most frost-resistant insect. It has adapted to shorten pectoral muscles, accelerating the blood, warming up the body to 40 degrees. The device allows bumblebees to fly out for nectar at dawn, without fear of the cold atmosphere. This is a competitive advantage over bees.

Description and features of bumblebee

Hero of the article shaggy. Bumblebee covered with hairs, as they say, from head to toe. The cover is thick. In a bee, hairs are sparsely planted and are located only in the anterior compartment of the body.

Other features of the bumblebee include:

1. Dense and thick compared to a bee body. It is also wider than that of a wasp. This is another bumblebee insect.

2. The presence of stings in females of the species and working bumblebees. However, relatives of bees rarely sting. The sting of bumblebees is smooth, like that of wasps. In bees, the process is serrated, therefore it remains in the human body.

Bumblebee bite leaves behind only painful sensations, local redness, swelling. Less than 1% of those affected develop allergies. It is typical for re-stung.

However, there is also a literal bumblebee bite. Its insect commits with its jaws. These are powerful, crossed mandibles. Defending itself, the bumblebee first uses them, and only then the sting.

3. Three-centimeter body length. This is a record in comparison with wasps, hornets, bees.

4. Weight is about 0.6 grams. This is the mass of workers. The uterus can weigh almost a gram.

5. Moderately expressed sexual dimorphism. In particular, the female's head is longer than that of the male and rounded at the back of the head. The dotted line at the vertex is weak. In males, the stripe is clear, and the head triangular.

Even in males, antennae are longer. Therefore, one can understand bumblebee in the photo or a bumblebee.

6. Proboscis 7 to 20 mm long. The organ is needed to penetrate the corollas of flowers. Bumblebees extract nectar from them.

7. Striped or completely black. The latter case is rare. The coloring is due to the balance between the functions of protection and thermoregulation. Black, in particular, attracts the energy of the sun.

The alternation of the same color with yellow and orange scares off predators, signaling the bumblebee's toxicity. This is a lie. The hero of the article is not poisonous.

Frost resistance of bumblebees is due not only to chest muscle contractions, but also to the density and length of the coat. He, like a fur coat, warms the insect on frosty mornings and evenings.

In the heat, the bumblebee cover, on the contrary, keeps a layer of air of body temperature near the skin, and not environment... If the insect needs to cool down, it releases a drop of saliva from its mouth. The liquid evaporates, cooling the animal, making it easier to Flight of the Bumblebee.

The critical air temperature for the bumblebee is +36 degrees. The insect overheats, cannot fly. The minimum temperature of the animal's activity is +4 degrees.

Bumblebee species

Bumblebee - insect about three hundred "faces". Three hundred species of animals differ mainly in color, size, and places of residence.

The main types of bumblebees are:

1. Ordinary. Its ordinariness is questionable, since the insect is listed in the international Red. The animal has a black background with two yellow stripes. You can meet the insect in Western Europe and on the Russian borders with it.

2. Forest. It is smaller than other bumblebees. The body length of an insect is usually about 1.5 centimeters. Representatives of the species also differ in a dull, low-contrast color. The yellow in it is almost white, and the black is close to gray.

3. Gardening. This bumblebee is distinguished by the length of the trunk. But the body of the insect is medium-sized - about 2 centimeters long. The color is distinguished by a wide black stripe between the wings and a yellow breast. The color is close to the tone of the hollow colors.

4. Armenian. Differs in brown, not whitish, wings. The insect also has elongated "cheeks" and a whitened back of the abdomen. The Armenian bumblebee is large, more than 3 centimeters long. The species is rare, listed in the international Red Book.

5. Mokhovoy. Stretched to a maximum of 2.2 centimeters. Representatives of the species are distinguished by the absence of black stripes. All hairs of the animal are golden. There are rows in which the villi are almost brown. The back of the insect is bright orange.

6. Earthen. He has a black chest. A black and red sling runs along the back of the insect. Females, which in all species of bumblebees are larger than working males, reach a length of 2.3 centimeters.

An earth insect is bred on an industrial scale for pollination of crops.

7. Steppe. As large as possible, it reaches 3.5 centimeters. The bumblebee's cheeks are square, and the color is light. Pale yellow and gray stripes alternate. There is a thin black band between the wings of the insect.

8. Underground. Its yellow stripes are the dimmest among bumblebees, appear white. These vanilla-colored lines are interspersed with blacks. Distinguish underground insect also an elongated abdomen and a similar elongated proboscis.

9. City. Miniature. The length of some workers is 1 centimeter. The maximum is 2.2 centimeters. Coloring differs from other bumblebees with a red breast and a white speck on the abdomen. There is also a black sling.

10. Lugovoi. Even less urban. Maximum length females - 1.7 centimeters. Workers often only grow up to 9 millimeters. Behind the dark head of the insect is a deep yellow collar. Such bumblebees are the first to leave wintering.

11. Stone. This is a medium sized species. Bumblebee black, except for the tip of the abdomen. It is orange-red. Males have a yellow collar on their chest. With the exception of nuances, dark, light, great views and rom-script are also suitable for the description.

These 4 bumblebees are earthen, that is, they build nests in the soil. There are also species that have houses on the surface of the earth.

12. Spotted. It is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a vulnerable species. A square mark is folded on its pale yellow back of black hairs.

13. The comber. Differs in medium size. The insect has yellow hairs on its dark forehead. There is an oval mark on the back of the bumblebee. It is composed of black villi.

14. Fruity. The general color of this bumblebee is brown. On the head, breast, abdomen and legs, the color is darker. The wings of the species are slightly darkened.

15. Horse. The length does not exceed 2 centimeters. The general color of the insect is light gray, but there is a black band between the wings.

In total, 53 species of bumblebees live in Europe alone. A plus are pseudo-bumblebees. It is enough to remember blue. In fact, it is a bee. She has black body and blue wings. The official name of the species is the carpenter bee.

It is listed in the Red Book of Russia. And here green bumblebee it is not listed, since it is an online store of natural products. So, in addition to 300 species of real bumblebees around the world, there are dozens more outside of taxonomy.

Behavior and habitat

Bumblebees live in families. They contain queens, males and workers. Their total number is from 100 to 500. This is less than in bee colonies.

The bumblebee family is strong from spring to autumn. Then the females go to winter, the collective breaks up. Before this decay, the uterus gives birth to offspring conceived by males. The role of working bumblebees is to build, defend and carry provisions into the nest. The latter are occupied by large individuals. Small workers look after the larvae.

The insect's habitat depends on its species:

• urban bumblebee is common throughout Eurasia
• meadow is found in Europe and parts of Asia, for example, Kazakhstan
• steppe bumblebee is typical for eastern Europe
• underground view spread from England to
• mossy bumblebee populated all of Eurasia except for the Arctic
• representatives of the terrestrial species live in Europe, Asia, northwest Africa
• where the Armenian bumblebee lives is clear from its name
• garden view is worth looking for in areas from the UK to
• common bumblebee lives in Western Europe

The highest concentration of different species of bumblebees is observed in the middle latitudes. In the tropics and in the far north, insects are minimal. In the forests of the Amazon, for example, there are only 2 species of bumblebees.

In some areas, striped insects are alien, imported from outside. In Australia and New Zealand, for example, a garden bumblebee was introduced in the last century.

Bumblebee feeding

About 40 species of bumblebees are considered a delicacy of clover nectar. Insects also sit on other flowers. Additionally, relatives of bees drink tree sap. So it becomes clear what do bumblebees do on the trunks.

Bumblebees produce honey, but in limited quantities. The admission to the treat is also limited. Adults abstain, leaving honey to the larvae. Bumblebee honey is thinner and lighter than bee honey. The aroma of the product is also less pronounced. The sweetness of bumblebee honey is also minimal.

Reproduction and life expectancy

Bumblebees build nests under, on or above the ground. The first option is often occupied by rodents, for example, mice. The houses they abandoned contain wool and dry herbs. Bumblebees use them to insulate their nests.

Nests on the ground can be made in abandoned birds, under the grass. Insects climbing higher do differently structure. Bumblebee arranges nesting in a hollow tree, birdhouse.

Bumblebees have glands on their bellies that secrete wax. Insects strengthen the walls of the nests with them, but the shape of the buildings is different, depending on the place chosen for the house. The wax prevents moisture from entering the bumblebee nest. The material glued at the entrance also disguises the house, protecting it from prying eyes.

The developmental cycle of the bumblebee begins with the larva. It is laid in the spring by the uterus. Fertilize it in the fall. The uterus lays from 8 to 16 eggs in its own paw-built nest. For its construction, the individual leaves the wintering earlier than others.

The second stage of development of the bumblebee is the larva. It emerges from the egg at about the 6th day. The uterus feeds the larvae for about 2 weeks. Then the offspring pupate. This is the third stage. After 2.5 weeks, cocoons are gnawed by young bumblebees. Abandoned "houses" become warehouses for nectar and honey.

At the age of one month, bumblebees allow the uterus to no longer fly out of the nest, completely providing the colony with food and building materials.

True, many males fly away in search of other queens, which will be fertilized in the fall. Males live to see her. But the working bumblebees look at the world for no more than two weeks.

The queens are the record holders of bumblebee life. If they are born in the fall, they manage to celebrate their first birthday. Queens born in the spring leave it earlier, in the fall of the same year.

Everyone saw a large, menacingly buzzing insect collecting pollen and nectar from flowers like bees. These are bumblebees from the family of real bees. In total, there are 300 species of bumblebees in the world, divided into 15 subgenera (previously there were 50, but now the number of subgenera has been reduced). The genus Bombus is part of the same family as the honey bee.

Where live

These insects survive low temperatures... Where the bumblebee lives, other bees do not survive due to the cold climate. Bumblebees can often be found in the northern latitudes of Europe and in the mountains on the border with ice, where they are the only pollinators for plants.

Interesting!

Small dwells at 70 ° north latitude and took root in Iceland and New Zealand.

Specific traits

Bumblebees in most cases have similar external data, differing only in the size and color of the stripes. The body length of the female bumblebee is 1.3-2.8 cm, of the male - 0.7-2.4 cm.The exception is the Asian giant bumblebee, living in East Asia... This huge bumblebee grows up to 5 cm with a wingspan of 8 cm.

On a note!

Until now, several dozen people die from the world every year.

The body of insects is covered with bristles, and the baskets for collecting pollen are surrounded by straight, hard hairs. In these baskets, workers carry pollen equal to their own weight. The total number of legs in insects is 6. The abdomen of insects, as in all bees, is not bent.

With its massive body and small wings, the bumblebee looks like it defies the laws of aerodynamics. But this opinion was formed when only planes with fixed wings flew. Now it has been found out for sure that these insects are quite "law-abiding". A photo of a bumblebee clearly demonstrates its structure and body size in relation to the wings.

Interesting!

The number of beats of bumblebee wings is 400 times per second.

The question of how many eyes a bumblebee has is very interesting, since it depends on what the speaker understands by the word “eye”. In our usual understanding: "the organ that sees the picture" - the bumblebee has two eyes. But if we consider with the eyes the organs that perceive only the presence / absence of lighting, then three more are added. They are located between the main eyes at the back of the insect's head. Bumblebee in the photo close-up the parietal "photocells" are clearly visible.

Insects have powerful jaws with which they can bite painfully. The mouth apparatus is also equipped with a long proboscis, with the help of which insects extract nectar from flowers with a very deep tubercle. The sucking proboscis is clearly visible in the photograph.

Bumblebees feed on nectar, in the absence of honey plants, they manage with plant sap, which they extract with the help of their jaws: they gnaw a hole in the stem. At favorable conditions in summer, bumblebees eat nectar and pollen, sometimes being completely smeared in it.

Sex differences

The female's head is slightly elongated and rounded at the back of the head. In the male, the head may be nearly round or triangular with a noticeable thin dashed line running along the facial part and the crown of the head. The female has a rectangular upper lip with strongly curved mandibles, overlapping each other when closing. Males have a gnawing apparatus, which allows them to gnaw blades of grass.

In the female of any species, the sixth sternite is on the abdomen without ridges. The male has no median eminence on the second sternum. The abdomen of females ends with a sting. The sting is "reusable", since it has no chipping, and the female can pull it out of the prey. The male bumblebee has no sting. Instead, it has heavily chitinized dark brown genitals.

Males have no characteristic "baskets" on their hind legs, the last pair of legs is pubescent. The degree of pubescence varies depending on the species.

On a note!

Depending on the "specialization" of the female bumblebee is called either a working individual or a bumblebee uterus.

Bumblebee species

In Russia, there are about 100 species of these beneficial insects. Species composition varies depending on the territory. And some species of bumblebees in Russia are too rare to be of serious importance for Agriculture... Species names are often indicated inaccurately both in Latin and in Russian: meadow, moss, and other species successfully nest in forests; the horse cannot be found in stables; it builds nests in meadows, trees, in forests. In fact, in nature, bumblebees live where they managed to find a convenient place for a nest, in any ecosystems except waterlogged ones. This makes it difficult to classify bumblebees, even for specialists.

It is most convenient to separate large bees by color:

• yellow-black-white variegated;
• grayish yellow with a red abdominal tip and a dark stripe on the back;
• ocher yellow with a black spot or stripe between the wings;
• gray with a black stripe on the back;
• with a red tip of the abdomen;
• brown with a light tip of the abdomen and a dark stripe across the abdomen;
• yellow and red.

These bumblebee species are very useful as clover pollinators, but can disguise themselves as the cuckoo bumblebee pest.

Photo different types bumblebees and their short description below.

• Garden (B. hortorum L.). The proboscis is very long. Nests in abandoned rodent burrows in late spring - early summer.
• (B. lucorum L.). This is a small bumblebee, workers do not exceed 17 mm. The uterus can grow up to 27 mm, and males 11-22 mm. Lives in rodent burrows. Families are large. The structure of the bumblebee is designed to extract nectar from clover flowers, where the insect does not reach with a short proboscis. It has a short, dense body and is able to gnaw flowers, hanging on inflorescences.
• Underground bumblebee (B. subterraneus latreillellus Kirby). This largest bumblebee is so named due to the fact that its nests are only underground. Families are few in number. The body is elongated. The proboscis is very long. The workers are medium in size. The species size is determined by the queen of bumblebees, which is the largest of all species on the territory of Russia. Breeds in early summer. This is a less beautiful bumblebee, compared to the previous ones: the yellow stripes are duller, the tip of the abdomen is off-white.

Grayish yellow:

• Two types of steppe. The proboscis is medium, the body is short. One species has darker wings than another. They nest underground in late spring. The number of families is very variable.
• Forest. A short-bodied small insect. Dimmer than steppe. Nests in May-June in ground or underground nests.

On a note!

Ocher yellow:

• Comber (B. distinguendus F. Mog.). The trunk is long. The body is large oblong. There are no workers. Breeds underground in June - early July. Families are few in number.
• Spotted (B. maculidorsis Skor.). Similar to a comber, but smaller. There is a spot on the back, not a sling. Nesting like a comber.

• Stone (B. lapidarius L.). Large, dense black with a red abdomen tip. The proboscis is medium. Nesting underground since early spring. Families are very numerous.
• Small stone. The trunk is long. The color varies greatly. Nesting in early spring on the ground.
• Horse. Gray with a black stripe on the back. The proboscis is long. The size is average, the body is oblong. Nesting in May-June in buildings, on the ground, underground, in old bumblebees.

Brown:

• (B. agrorum F.). Short oval body, small size, highly variable coloration. Aerial nesting from early spring. The size of the family is average.
• ... The body is short, dark brown. The proboscis is medium. Nesting is extended. It settles on the ground, in hollows, birdhouses, buildings, old bumblebees.

Red and yellow:

• Variable (B. helferanus Seidl). Outwardly, it is similar to field and moss, but the color is duller. The proboscis is very long. It nests on the ground or in old bumblebees. The family of bumblebees of this species is very numerous. Aggressive.
• Mokhova (B. muscorum F.). The body is oval, short. The insect is small. The proboscis is long. The color is bright golden yellow, the back is orange. Nesting is terrestrial, from early spring.

Interesting!

Sometimes the field bumblebee can look like a mossy or choppy bumblebee.

Lifestyle

Bumblebee is useful in nature in that it pollinates plants that bees cannot pollinate. He is also the only clover pollinator. There will be no harvest without bumblebees. Insects can nest in tree holes and even on the ground. The ground nest is a sphere made of wax. The shape of the underground and arboreal depends on the cavity occupied by the family. By the end of summer, the bumblebee nest looks like sloppy rags of wax, since during reproduction the uterus lays eggs each time in a new cell, which workers build in place of the old one.

Interesting!

In the morning at the nest, you can hear a bass hum. Long time it was believed that this is how insects air the nest. Later it turned out that the bumblebee does this in order to warm up itself, since with the active movement of its wings, its body temperature rises 10-30 ° higher than in the environment.

The bumblebee is a social insect. The family includes queens, working females and males. Workers build honeycombs and collect honey, which is worse than bee. The quantity of the product is also very small.

The queen lays eggs in the combs and feeds the first larvae. Later, workers are engaged in this. The bumblebee larva feeds on a mixture of honey and pollen brought by female workers. Males, having fertilized the uterus, leave the nest forever.

Interesting!

In the absence of the queen, working females can lay eggs.

The life of the bumblebees of the main family is very short. How many bumblebees live depends on them social status: workers and males live only during the summer months. The queens go for the winter. Only in tropical regions do bumblebees breed all year round, but the life of an individual family is not more than 1 year.

Interesting!

Only one species of Bombus atratus from the Amazon has lived for several years.

Bumblebees hibernate, buried in the ground. But only queens. The rest of the individuals die in the fall. Waking up in the spring, the uterus finds a suitable place for a new nest and builds the first combs. Then it begins to multiply. Until the first generation of working females grows up, the uterus itself obtains food and cares for the larvae.

It's difficult to tell everything about bumblebees, but it is enough for a gardener to know that there is no harm from bumblebees, but there is a lot of benefit.

- (Bombus), genus of societies, bees of this. (Apidae). L. up to 3.5 cm, the body is covered with dense long hairs forming red, black or white bands. OK. 300 species, widespread, except for Africa; in the USSR 125 species, Ch. arr. in the forests and in the mountains. Nests from ... ... Biological encyclopedic dictionary

A genus of social insects of the superfamily of bees. Length up to 35 mm. About 300 species, widespread. The most important pollinators of plants, including forage crops. The number of many species is declining and protected. * * * Bumblebees Bumblebees, genus ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Bumblebee, a genus of social bees. The body is pubescent, up to 35 mm long. About 300 species, widespread. The most important pollinators of plants, including forage crops (especially red clover). Bumblebee nest is an irregular ball of grass, moss, twigs and ... Modern encyclopedia

A genus of social insects of the superfamily of bees. Length up to 35 mm. OK. 300 species, widespread. The most important pollinators of plants, including forage crops. The number of many species is declining, protected ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Sush., Number of synonyms: 1 money (129) ASIS synonym dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Bumblebee- (Bombus) belonging to the order Hymenoptera of the superfamily of bees, according to appearance much more bees. Bumblebees live in most cases underground. Bumblebees (Bombus) Bumblebees (Bombus) are a genus of social bees of the Apidae family. Body length ... ... Insect life

At the base of the Bumblebee group from the city of Rovno, Ukraine, were Bumblebee and Lelya. From 1995 to 1999, Shmel and Lelya took part in different projects. Bumblebees have released 10 albums in Ukraine, they all differ from each other. But basically they are sustained in ... Russian rock. Small encyclopedia

- (Bombus) a genus of hymenoptera insects (Hymenoptera) from the bee family (Apidae, see); This genus belongs to the subfamily Bombini and is characterized by the following characters. The eyes are bare; the eyes are almost in a straight line. Sh .'s body ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Bumblebees- Bumblebee close-up. Bumblebee, a genus of social bees. The body is pubescent, up to 35 mm long. About 300 species, widespread. The most important pollinators of plants, including forage crops (especially red clover). Bumblebee nest wrong ball from ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Bumblebees and Termites, I. Khalifman. This edition includes two stories. They introduce the reader to the outlandish worlds of bumblebee nests and termite mounds, introduce the history of the study of the most interesting insects living here, talk about ...