Bumblebee is a big anti-science bee. Interesting facts about bumblebees
Hymenoptera insects are impossible not to notice in almost any natural area, except for the islands of high Arctic latitudes and Antarctica. All kinds of wasps, bees, bumblebees, ants, various riders, horntails and sawflies - this is far from full list representatives of this order, one of the largest on our planet. In total, more than 100 thousand species are known, of which about 15 thousand live in Russia.
All winged Hymenoptera have two pairs of transparent, scaleless, membranous wings. Their front pair of wings is more developed than the back. The front wings interlock with the hind wings in flight, and this allows the Hymenoptera to fly faster.
Bumblebees are large, densely pubescent bees. Sometimes they are called warm-blooded insects because when working strong pectoral muscles The bumblebee produces a lot of heat, and its body temperature rises to 40 °C, exceeding the temperature by 20-30 °C environment. To warm up, a bumblebee does not have to fly; it can, while remaining in place, quickly contract its muscles, producing a characteristic buzzing sound. “Warm-blooded” allows bumblebees to live in very harsh climates - in the tundra and high in the mountains. Bumblebees are native to Eurasia, Africa and the Americas, but they were absent from Australia.
Bumblebees are very beneficial insects. Their nests must be protected in every possible way. Bumblebees fly tirelessly from flower to flower and are therefore valuable pollinators. They are especially important as clover pollinators. When clover began to be cultivated in Australia, it bloomed well, but did not bear seeds. This continued until bumblebees were brought there from Europe.
Other types of legumes are also adapted for pollination by bumblebees. Under the weight of the bumblebee, the lower part of their complex flower (the so-called boat) lowers, opening access to nectar. In the tundra, for example, where bumblebees are the main pollinators, flying even in cold, cloudy weather, members of the legume family are one of the largest and most diverse groups of dicotyledonous plants.
Typically, bumblebee families, consisting of a queen and several hundred workers, are formed only for the summer. Bumblebees make nests in the ground or in another convenient place. An abandoned mouse hole, a moss hummock, a hollow, a squirrel's nest, a birdhouse - everything is suitable for this purpose.
In early spring, an overwintered female bumblebee finds a place for a nest. Having lined the outside of the nest with dry blades of grass or moss, the female makes the first round waxy cell inside. In the cell she places small stock food - a mixture of pollen and honey - and lays several eggs. Having sealed this cell, the uterus builds the next ones, which do not differ in such a regular shape as that of honey bees.
Meanwhile, larvae hatch in the first cell. When they eat the food supply, the female gnaws a hole in the cell through which she feeds them. After one and a half to two weeks, the larvae begin to weave silky oval cocoons and turn into pupae. Small worker bumblebees (smaller non-reproducing females) hatch from the pupae and immediately get to work: completing the nest, collecting food and feeding it to the larvae. There are no honeycombs like bees or wasps in a bumblebee nest. Old cocoons are randomly arranged in one floor at the bottom of the nest. They serve to store honey reserves. After this, the queen rarely leaves the nest (her main duty is to lay new eggs).
IN cold weather they “hum” together in the nest, raising the temperature to a comfortable 30-35 °C. Unlike honey bees, the reserves of honey and pollen in bumblebee nests are small; they are needed only to ensure that its population (it rarely exceeds 100-200 individuals) does not starve when bad weather strikes. Closer to autumn, females and males capable of reproduction hatch from the laid eggs. Development in bumblebees occurs in one generation. The males, having fertilized the females, soon die, and the females overwinter in order to establish new family.
Working bumblebees and queens have an apparatus on their hind legs for collecting pollen; it consists of a “basket” and a “brush”. By getting dirty with flower pollen, bumblebees carry it from flower to flower and pollinate plants. The lower jaws and lips of the bumblebee are strongly elongated and form a lapping apparatus, or proboscis. The bumblebee has a longer proboscis than most other bees, which allows bumblebees to extract sweet nectar from flowers with deep, narrow corollas, such as clover.
Bumblebees sting less painfully than wasps and bees. In addition, they are less agile and much more peaceful. Therefore, their nests are often attacked by mice, badgers, foxes and eaten bumblebee honey, larvae and pupae. For bumblebee populations, plowing of land and treatment of land with pesticides turned out to be critical factors. Flowering meadows disappear, fertilizers are used - and the tireless toiling bumblebees buzz less and less in the spring. The populations of the steppe bumblebee, which today has the status of very rare species.
The steppe bumblebee (Bombusfragrans) belongs to the order Hymenoptera, family Bees (Apidae). Its range covers steppe and forest-steppe zone European territory of Russia, as well as the south Western Siberia. It makes nests in earthen burrows. Summer is observed in May - September. Bumblebees use pollen and nectar as food. herbaceous plants from the family Lamiaceae, legumes and Compositae. It is protected in the Central Black Earth and Galichya Gora nature reserves.
Variable bumblebee (Bombus proteus). Distributed in meadows and meadow steppes of the upper reaches of the Oka and in the Don basin. Summer is typical from mid-April to September. Bumblebees feed and feed their larvae with pollen and nectar of herbaceous plants, mainly from the legume and Asteraceae families. Populations are extremely small, especially in the northern parts of the range. Chemical treatment of land in forest-steppe areas has brought the existence of this species to a critical point.
The extraordinary bumblebee (Bombus paradoxus) is found in the south of Western Siberia. The population size here is at a critically low level, however, as in other parts of the range (southern European territory, foothills of the Altai). Like other species of bumblebees, the families of the extraordinary bumblebee develop in one generation in the spring-summer period, and fertilized females overwinter. In recent decades, the unusual bumblebee has been seen very rarely.
The Armenian bumblebee (Bombus armeniacus) is occasionally found along the edges of ravines and ravines, and the edges of steppe forests. These steppe “inconveniences” were not touched by the plow, but pesticides were not spared. Bumblebees make nesting burrows in the soil. They feed the larvae and feed themselves on pollen and nectar of flowering plants (Labiaceae, legumes, Compositae).
The rare bumblebee (Bombus unicus) inhabits the Primorsky Territory and the Amur region. Population numbers are extremely low and continue to decline steadily. Not found outside Russia. Subject to strict protection.
The hermit bumblebee (Bombus anachoreta) is found in the south of Primorsky Krai, where it settles in small meadows, forest edges and clearings. The number of this insect species is at a critically low level due to intensive grazing and haymaking - both of which lead to the death of nests.
Bumblebee (Bombus)
| Magnitude | The body length of the working female is 1.1-1.7 cm, the drone - 1.4-1.6, the fertile uterus - 2-2.3 cm |
| Signs | On the chest and abdomen, dense hairs form black, red and white bands |
| Nutrition | Collects pollen from vetch, cornflowers, foxgloves, plantain, bean and willow |
| Reproduction | It nests most often in abandoned burrows of small mammals (mice); fertilization of young fertile females in the fall, creation of a new nest in the following spring |
| Habitats | Prefers open areas and is most often found in meadows and fields, but sometimes in forests at altitudes up to 1400 m; distributed throughout Europe |
Eggplants are tall, upright plants with broad leaves. dark green and large fruits - create a special mood in the garden beds. And in the kitchen they are a popular product for a wide variety of dishes: eggplants are fried, stewed and canned. Of course, to grow a decent harvest in middle lane and further north is not an easy task. But subject to agrotechnical cultivation rules, it is quite accessible even to beginners. Especially if you grow eggplants in a greenhouse.
Noble lush greenery, unpretentiousness, and the ability to purify the air from dust and pathogens make nephrolepis one of the most popular indoor ferns. There are many types of nephrolepis, but any of them can become a real decoration for a room, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s an apartment, a country house or an office. But only healthy, well-groomed plants can decorate a room, so creating suitable conditions and proper care- the main task of flower growers.
Experienced gardeners always have crystalline iron sulfate, or ferrous sulfate, in their garden medicine cabinet. Like many other chemicals, it has properties that protect horticultural crops from numerous diseases and insect pests. In this article we will talk about the features of using iron sulfate to treat garden plants against diseases and pests and about other options for its use on the site.
Retaining walls are the main tool for working with complex terrain on a site. With their help, they not only create terraces or play with planes and alignment, but also emphasize the beauty of the rock garden landscape, the change in height, the style of the garden, and its character. Retaining walls allow play with raised and lowered areas and hidden areas. Modern dry or more solid walls help turn the disadvantages of the garden into its main advantages.
There were times when the concepts of “garden tree”, “family tree”, “collection tree”, “multi tree” simply did not exist. And it was possible to see such a miracle only on the farm of the “Michurintsy” - people who were amazed by their neighbors, looking at their gardens. There, not just varieties ripened on one apple, pear or plum tree different terms ripening, but also in a variety of colors and sizes. Not many people despaired of such experiments, but only those who were not afraid of numerous trials and errors.
On the balcony, in an apartment, on a summer cottage - everywhere enthusiastic people find a place for their pets. It turns out that growing flowers is a very troublesome task and requires only endless patience, hard work and, of course, knowledge. Providing a variety of colors and healthy nutrition- only one, not the biggest, but a problem on the difficult, exciting path of a florist. One of the most responsible and complex work for caring for indoor plants is replanting them.
The unique combination of chrysanthemum-like flowers with fleshy original leaves attracts attention to aptenia. But its ability to grow tirelessly and vigorously, the dazzling colors of both greenery and flowers are its main advantages. And although the plant was long ago transferred to mesembryanthemums, aptenia still remains special star. Hardy and unpretentious, but at the same time resembling a beautifully blooming star, it is rapidly gaining popularity.
Pollock fish soup is light, low-calorie and very healthy; it is suitable for a vegetarian menu (pescatarianism) and non-strict fasting. Pollock is one of the most common and affordable fish that can be found on the shelves of almost any store. This fish is from the cod family, the meat is dense and white. Pollock does not fall apart when cooked, there are not many bones in this fish, in a word, it is a suitable fish for both novice home cooks and experienced thrifty housewives.
The front garden is the face of the garden and its owner. Therefore, for these flower beds it is customary to choose plants that are decorative throughout the season. AND special attention In my opinion, front garden perennials that bloom in spring deserve it. Like primroses, they bring us special joy, because after a dull winter, more than ever, we want bright colors and flowers. In this article, we suggest getting acquainted with the best ornamental perennials that bloom in spring and do not require special care.
Climatic conditions Our country, unfortunately, is not suitable for growing many crops without seedlings. Healthy and strong seedlings are the key to a high-quality harvest, in turn, the quality of seedlings depends on several factors: Even healthy-looking seeds can be infected with pathogens that long time remain on the surface of the seed, and after sowing, getting into favorable conditions, are activated and affect young and immature plants
Our family loves tomatoes very much, so most of the garden beds are devoted to this particular crop. Every year we try to try new interesting varieties, and some of them take root and become favorites. At the same time, over many years of gardening, we have already developed a set of favorite varieties that are required to be planted every season. We jokingly call such tomatoes varieties “ special purpose» - for fresh salads, juice, pickling and storage.
Coconut pie with cream - “kuchen”, or German coconut pie (Butter milch shnitten - soaked in milk). Without exaggeration I will say that this is incredible tasty pie- sweet, juicy and tender. It can be stored in the refrigerator for quite a long time; cakes with cream are prepared on the basis of this sponge cake in Germany. The recipe is from the “Guests on the doorstep!” category, since usually all the ingredients are in the refrigerator, and it takes less than an hour to prepare the dough and bake.
The snow has not yet completely melted, and restless owners of suburban areas are already rushing to assess the work ahead in the garden. And there really is something to do here. And perhaps the most important thing to think about is in early spring– how to protect your garden from diseases and pests. Experienced gardeners know that these processes cannot be left to chance, and procrastination and postponing processing can significantly reduce the yield and quality of the fruit.
If you prepare your own soil mixtures for growing indoor plants, then it’s worth taking a closer look at the relatively new, interesting and, in my opinion, necessary component - coconut substrate. Everyone has probably seen at least once in their life a coconut and its “shaggy” shell covered with long fibers. Many delicious products are made from coconuts (actually a drupe), but the shells and fibers used to be just industrial waste.
Fish and cheese pie is a simple lunch or dinner idea for your daily or Sunday menu. The pie is designed for a small family of 4-5 people with a moderate appetite. This pastry has everything at once - fish, potatoes, cheese, and a crispy dough crust, in general, almost like a closed pizza calzone, only tastier and simpler. Canned fish can be anything - mackerel, saury, pink salmon or sardines, choose according to your taste. This pie is also prepared with boiled fish.
The report will tell you about it in detail.
Appearance and distribution
Externally, a bumblebee is very similar to an ordinary bee, only it is larger, up to 2.5 cm in length or more, its plump body is densely covered with hairs. The back is dark, most often with yellow stripes, but sometimes the stripes are orange or red; pure black individuals without stripes are rarely found. The insect's body ends with a smooth sting without serrations, which is not visible in its normal state. There are 2 small transparent wings on the back.
Total Scientists have counted more than 300 species of bumblebees. They appeared on Earth about 30 million years ago! They live in the northern part of Eurasia and Africa, in North America. Not long ago, these furry insects were brought to Australia and New Zealand. They feel great in the mountains, forests, and fields.
How do bumblebees live
They build nests in the ground, leaf litter, hollows, bird nests, mole, mouse, and squirrel holes.
Each family has up to 200-300 individuals:
- queens that lay eggs are the largest - on average 26 mm;
- workers who complete and repair the nest, get food, they are the smallest - up to 19 mm;
- the males that fertilize the queens are of average size - up to 22 mm.
One of the working bumblebees is trumpeter. Every morning he is the first to fly out of the nest and wakes up the others with a special hum.
Bumblebee family lives for one summer. In the fall, all insects die, except for a few fertilized young queens, which overwinter and in April begin to build a nest, lay eggs and start a new family.
Total 4 stages of development bumblebee: egg - larva (develops 10-14 days) - pupa (develops 14 days) - adult insect. In total, an average of 1 month passes from the egg to the emergence of an adult insect.
These insects can regulate their body temperature, heating it up to 40°C, so they tolerate the cold well and can start working from dawn. They are one of the most cold-resistant insects.
In hot weather, bumblebees fly out of the nest and begin to actively fan it with their wings, ventilating their home.
An insect flaps its wings up to 400 times per second! Flies at speeds up to 20 km/h. According to all the rules of aerodynamics, a bumblebee should not fly, his flight violates the laws of physics. This is one of the mysteries of nature that scientists have not yet solved.
This is a peace-loving insect never attacks without reason, only if you show aggression towards him. If a bee dies after being stung, then its furry relative does not; it can sting many times. A bumblebee sting is painful and can be very dangerous for allergy sufferers.
It is known that bumblebees don't like strong smells- perfumes and deodorants, air fresheners, alcohol, sweat. They may attack precisely because they are disturbed by an unpleasant odor. For some reason they also react aggressively to watches, jewelry and the color blue.
This is very useful pollinator insect, without which many plants could not reproduce.
Their honey is not used by humans, since it is liquid and begins to ferment already at a temperature of +3...+4°C.
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Bumblebees having a characteristic Russian ear Latin name Bombus are a genus of hymenopteran insects that are closely related to honey bees.
Approximately three hundred species of bumblebees live in North Africa, North America and Northern Eurasia. They are also found in the mountains of some other regions of the globe.
The bumblebee is the most cold-resistant insect.
As can be seen from the above, bumblebees prefer northern regions, which is not surprising, given that they are among the most cold-resistant insects. They can warm up their body to a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius, which is necessary for the full functioning of the insect. To do this, bumblebees use frequent and rapid contractions of the chest muscles.
Thanks to their developed thermoregulation, they can fly out to collect nectar early in the morning, when the air is still too cold and other insects are still sitting in their shelters. As a result, the first nectar goes to these frost-resistant workers.
Another factor that helps maintain normal body temperature is the well-known fluff on the body to everyone who has seen a bumblebee. Thanks to it, heat loss is halved.
Interestingly, during flight, approximately 90% of all energy is converted into heat and therefore a flying bumblebee has a constant temperature.
At an ambient temperature of 5 degrees, the bumblebee maintains a temperature of 36 degrees, and at 35 – 45 degrees. For the same reason, bumblebees cannot fly when too hot high temperatures– they overheat.
True, despite all the “Nordic” nature of the bumblebee, it also has a cooling mechanism.
To do this, while flying, the bumblebee releases a drop of liquid from its mouth, which evaporates and cools the insect's head.
A flying bumblebee can reach a speed of about 18 kilometers per hour. These insects do not live alone, as is commonly thought, but in colonies. Each of them consists of 50-200 individuals. A colony consists of three types of bumblebees: males, worker bees (immature females) and females.
The construction of the nest begins by the queen alone in the spring.
An interesting difference between bumblebees and other social bees is that all the larvae are fed and develop in one chamber - together. If conditions are normal, the female lays 200 to 400 eggs of worker bees, after which she proceeds to lay eggs that will become males and females.
Many years ago it was noticed that a kind of “trumpeter” appears in bumblebee nests shortly before dawn. For a long time It was believed that with his humming he raised the bees to work. But studies have shown that the trumpeter is simply trembling from the cold, since the soil temperature drops significantly in the pre-dawn hours.
The nest cools and to maintain its temperature, bumblebees have to work their pectoral muscles as hard as they can.
In hot weather, at the entrance to a bumblebee’s nest you can also see an insect fluttering its wings. However, this time the bumblebee does this not to increase the temperature, but to ventilate the home.
Like bees, bumblebees have poison, but unlike their distant relatives, they do not leave a sting in human skin. Accordingly, they can sting not once, but many times in a row.
It is a common misconception that bumblebees fly by violating the laws of aerodynamics.
Most likely, this misconception arose in the early twentieth century, when they tried to apply lift calculations that were intended for airplanes to bumblebees. However, Cornell University physicist Zheng Jane Wang proved that insect flight does not violate any physical laws.
To come to such conclusions, the physicist had to simulate complex air movements around rapidly flapping bumblebee wings on a supercomputer for a very long time. As Zheng Jane Wang herself noted, the myth of the “wrongly” flying bumblebee arose from aeronautical engineers’ insufficient understanding of unsteady viscous gas dynamics.
The name of our today's hero - the bumblebee - came about thanks to the sounds that it usually makes during the flight, such buzzing, wheezing, from them came the ancient Russian word “chmel”, which over time transformed into the familiar modern “bumblebee”. By the way, the name of another well-known flyer was formed in a similar way -. But let's return to bumblebees, scientifically speaking, a bumblebee is an arthropod insect and belongs to the subclass of winged insects, the true family, the genus of bumblebees proper (Bombus in Latin).
Bumblebee - description, structure, characteristics. What does a bumblebee look like?
Bumblebees are very large and bright insects, and interestingly, the female bumblebee is larger than the male (which, however, is not such a rarity in the world of insects). Typically, the body length of a female bumblebee is from 13 to 28 mm, a male - from 7 to 24 mm. But some types of bumblebees, such as the steppe bumblebee, can reach large sizes, even up to 35 mm in length. The weight of a bumblebee, if it is a queen, can reach up to 0.85 g, but working individuals will be lighter - from 0.04 to 0.6 g.
Interesting fact - despite their absolute small weight, bumblebees are quite strong insects and can carry a load equal to their own weight.
The body of a bumblebee is thick and heavy, as for an insect, of course. The wings of a bumblebee are small, transparent and consist of two halves that move synchronously. The flapping speed of a bumblebee's wing is 400 beats per second. And the flight speed of a bumblebee can reach 3-4 meters per second.
The female bumblebee's head is somewhat elongated, while the male's is triangular shape, with a noticeable dotted line on the crown and front part.
Bumblebees also have powerful mandibles, which they use to chew through plant fibers and to create honeycombs. They also serve the bumblebee for protection.
The eyes of a bumblebee are located in a straight line, they are not covered with villi. The antennae of males are longer than those of females.
An important organ of bumblebees is a special proboscis, which they use to collect nectar. The length of the proboscis depends on the type of bumblebee and varies from 7 to 19 mm.
There is also a sting in the abdomen of bumblebees, but only in females; the male does not have a sting, and in place of the sting there are dark brown genitals. The sting of a bumblebee is smooth, without serrations and invisible when at rest. So, when bitten, the female bumblebee pulls the sting back and can sting repeatedly, like wasps and unlike bees, which die after being bitten.
Bumblebees also have as many as six legs, while the female has a special “basket” for collecting pollen on the outer surface of her hind legs.
The color of the bumblebee is usually striped, black and yellow with white, orange and even red flowers. Sometimes there are completely black bumblebees. Scientists believe that the color of the bumblebee was created for a reason, but is associated with the balance and thermoregulation of the insect’s body.
What do bumblebees eat?
Bumblebees collect pollen and nectar from many plants. But to feed their larvae they use not only nectar, but homemade honey. Bumblebee honey is thinner than that of bees, lighter in color and not as sweet and fragrant.
Where do bumblebees live in nature?
Bumblebees live almost everywhere, on all continents, with the exception of cold Antarctica. They are especially common in temperate latitudes, but there are certain species of bumblebees that live even beyond the Arctic Circle, in the tundra. Bumblebees are a frequent visitor in mountainous regions, but closer to the equator, in the tropics, there are not so many bumblebees; for example, only two species of bumblebees live in the Amazon forests. Also, at the beginning of the twentieth century, some species of garden bumblebees from Europe were brought to Australia and New Zealand, where they live to this day.
In general, bumblebees are the most cold-resistant members of the bee family. Despite the fact that they do not like the hot tropics very much, all this is due to the peculiarity of their thermoregulation, the fact is that the normal body temperature of a bumblebee can reach 40 degrees Celsius, exceeding the ambient temperature by 20-30 degrees. This increase in temperature is associated with the rapid contraction of the bumblebee's chest muscles, the same contraction that is the source of its signature buzzing.
bumblebee nest
Bumblebee nests can be underground, on the ground, or above the ground; let’s look at them in more detail.
Bumblebee nests underground
Many species of bumblebees build their nests underground, sometimes even nesting in the burrows of various rodents. Interestingly, the smell of mice attracts female bumblebees. Also in the mouse hole there is a lot of useful material for insulating a bumblebee nest: wool, dry grass, etc.
Bumblebees nests on the ground
Some types of bumblebees, for example, Schrenk's bumblebee, forest and field bumblebees, build their nests on the ground: in the grass, under plants, even in abandoned bird nests.
Bumblebee nests above the ground
Some types of bumblebees prefer to make their nests above the ground: in tree hollows and birdhouses.
The shape of underground and above-ground nests can be different and depends on the cavity used by bumblebees. The nests are insulated with dry grass, moss, and reinforced with wax secreted by bumblebees using special abdominal glands. From this wax, bumblebees build a wax dome that prevents the penetration of moisture; it also masks the entrance to the nest to protect against the invasion of uninvited guests.
Life of bumblebees in nature
Bumblebees, like other insects of the bee family, are social creatures and live in families consisting of:
- large queens.
- smaller female bumblebee workers.
- male bumblebees.
The queen is responsible for reproduction, although in her absence, female workers can also lay eggs. The bumblebee family is not as large as the bee family, but still numbers 100-200, and sometimes as many as 500 individuals. Life cycle The bumblebee family usually lasts from spring to autumn, after which the family breaks up, some of the females go to winter in order to begin a new life cycle in the spring.
In the bumblebee family, each has its own specific responsibilities: working bumblebees get food, feed the larvae, arrange and protect the nest. At the same time, among working bumblebees there is also a division of labor, so larger representatives fly for food, and smaller ones feed the larvae.
The function of males is simple and clear - fertilization of females. The queen of the bumblebee, she is also the female founder of the family, lays eggs, feeds the larvae, and generally takes care of the offspring.
How do bumblebees reproduce?
Bumblebee reproduction has four stages:
- Egg.
- Larva.
- Doll.
- Imago (aka adult).
With the beginning of spring, the queen, which has overwintered and is fertilized in the fall, flies out of her shelter and within several weeks is actively preparing for nesting. Having found a suitable place for the nest, the queen begins construction. In a newly built nest, the queen lays 8-16 eggs, which have an elongated shape.
After 3-6 days, bumblebee larvae appear, they grow quickly, feeding on food brought by the female.
After 10-19 days, bumblebee larvae begin to weave a cocoon and pupate. After another 10-18 days, young bumblebees begin to emerge from the cocoons, gnawing at them. By the way, later empty cocoons can be used to store honey or pollen. After the appearance of the first offspring, 20-30 days after the eggs were laid, the queen almost never leaves the nest. The responsibilities for obtaining food are taken over by its first children - working individuals who also perform all other important functions.
As for born males, 3-5 days after formation into an adult, they leave their parental nests in search of other nests and other queens, with whom they will mate in the fall, during the mating season of bumblebees.
How long does a bumblebee live?
The life of bumblebees is short and depends on the place of the bumblebee in the bumblebee society, where a working bumblebee lives on average about two weeks. Male bumblebees live for about a month and die soon after mating, the foundress female lives the longest, females born in the spring die in the fall, and those born in the fall and surviving the winter can even live a whole year - until the next autumn.
Which bumblebees do not build nests and do not collect nectar?
Types of bumblebees, photos and names
In nature, there are about 300 varieties of bumblebees; of course, we will not describe them all, but we will describe the most interesting representatives of the bumblebee world, in our opinion.
It is also known as Bombus pratorum in Latin and lives almost throughout Europe, as well as in Asia (Kazakhstan, the Asian part of the Russian Federation, the taiga, the Urals, and Siberia). It is small in size: females reach 15-17 mm in length, working individuals 9-14 mm. The head is dark, and behind it is a bright yellow collar. They are interesting because it is the bumblebees of this species that are the first to fly out of wintering in the spring. They nest on the surface of the ground or in bushes.
This bumblebee lives throughout Eurasia, from Ireland in the West to Sakhalin in the East. A very small representative, the female’s body length is 10-22 mm, workers’ body length is 9-15 mm. It is distinguished by a red breast, and on the abdomen it has a black band and a white tip.
It is a very large representative of the bumblebee family, the body length of females reaches 32-35 mm. Has almost square cheeks. The color of the steppe bumblebee is paleish-grayish-yellow with a black band between the wings. This bumblebee lives in Eastern Europe, including in Ukraine, Asia Minor, Northern Iran, Transcaucasia. The steppe bumblebee prefers flat, foothill and mountain steppes. It makes nests in rodent burrows in the ground. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
This bumblebee is distinguished by its elongated proboscis, as well as its elongated body and love of warmth. Distributed in Eurasia, from Great Britain to the Urals. The yellow color of this bumblebee is duller than that of other bumblebee species. It has average sizes: females reach 19-22 mm, working individuals 11-18 mm. Interestingly, the underground bumblebee was one of four species of bumblebees brought from England to New Zealand for the purpose of pollinating the local clover. As its name suggests, it makes nests underground.
Lives over a wide range: Eurasia, almost everywhere except the polar regions. Dimensions reach 18-22 mm, working individuals 10-15 mm. It has a bright yellow-golden color and an orange back. Builds ground-type nests.
This bumblebee is distinguished by a back with a reddish-black band and a black upper chest. Females reach 19-23 mm in length, working individuals 11-17 mm. They live in Europe, western Asia and northwestern Africa. Interestingly, at the end of the twentieth century, a method for industrial breeding of this type of bumblebee was developed. The fact is that the ground bumblebee brings considerable benefits, helping to pollinate various crops (including tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers and strawberries).
A rare representative of the bumblebee kingdom, in many countries, including in Ukraine, it is listed in the Red Book. Lives in Eastern Europe and Asia Minor. The body length of this bumblebee is 21-32 mm. It has brown wings and elongated cheeks.
A small representative of the bumblebee kingdom, with a slightly duller coloration than other bumblebees. Loves warmth, lives in dry meadows of forest-steppes. It builds nests on the surface of the ground from grass and moss, however, sometimes using heated rodent burrows as nests.
Just like the underground bumblebee, it was once brought by the British to New Zealand, where it lives to this day. And besides this, you can meet the garden bumblebee across a wide range from England to Siberia. The uterus is 18-24 mm in length, workers are 11-16 mm. This shemale's breast yellow color with a black stripe between the wings. It also has a very long proboscis and nests underground, in old holes left by rodents.
It lives in western Europe and is listed in the Red Book. It is black in color with two yellow stripes.
Bumblebee bite and its consequences
In general, the bumblebee is a peace-loving insect; it never attacks itself, and can only bite in defense. However, the bumblebee's sting is weak and harmless; it is not a hornet. The sting does not remain in the body, the bumblebee takes it back, but the poison released from the sting during a bite can cause unpleasant sensations: itching, pain, redness, swelling, in the worst case they can last for several days. But this is also in rare cases, since for most healthy people, bumblebee venom is not dangerous.
What to do at home if bitten by a bumblebee
Of course, it is best to simply prevent a bumblebee from being bitten; to do this, you just need to not try to pick up a bumblebee, but in nature, make sure that you don’t accidentally land on a bumblebee with your “soft spot.” But if a bumblebee bite does occur, then first aid should be as follows:
- The bitten area should be disinfected with an antiseptic or soap and water.
- Apply a cold compress to the bitten area.
- Do not drink alcohol under any circumstances after being bitten.
- Itching, if present, can be relieved with an antihistamine: suprastin, claritin, zyrtec, etc.
Why are bumblebees useful?
As we wrote above, bumblebees are very skilled pollinators of many agricultural plants, sometimes cross-pollinating five times faster than bees.
Enemies of bumblebees
The big enemies of bumblebees are ants that steal honey from the female and steal the eggs and larvae of bumblebees. To protect themselves from ants, bumblebees build their nests above the ground, away from anthills.
Other enemies of bumblebees are wasps and conopid flies, which also steal bumblebee honey and eat brood. Some birds, such as the golden bee-eater, eat bumblebees by pecking them.
- Bumblebee farming is an important industry agriculture, bumblebee breeding is actively practiced to increase crop yields.
- Previously, it was believed that, according to the laws of aerodynamics, a bumblebee was simply not capable of flying and its flights, seemingly contrary to the laws of physics, surprised scientists. However, one Zheng Jane Wang, a physicist from Cornell University in the USA, was able to explain the mechanism of bumblebee flight to the principles of aerodynamics.
- In the morning hours, a curious character appears in the bumblebee nest, the so-called trumpeter bumblebee, buzzing loudly. Previously it was believed that in this way he raises his relatives to work. But later it turned out that in such a simple way (with the help of the work of the pectoral muscles) this bumblebee simply warms up in the predawn, the coldest hours.
The Secret Life of Bumblebees Video
And in conclusion, an informative video about bumblebees.
