What are Bumblebees?

About Bumblebees:

• They are large, hairy, social bees belonging to the family Apidae (subfamily Bombinae).
  • The family Apidae includes the well-known honey bees and bumble bees, as well as carpenter bees, cuckoo bees, digger bees, stingless bees, and orchid bees.
• Distribution:
  • They occur throughout much of the world but are most common in temperate climates. There are over 250 known species, existing primarily in the Northern Hemisphere.
• They are known for their ability to collect nectar from flowers and pollinate plants.
• Features:
  • They are large, yellow and black flying insects with a distinct buzz. 
  • There is variation in coloration among bumblebees and some species have bands of red, yellow and black. They have stocky bodies that are covered with many hairs to which pollen adheres.
  • They have four wings; the two rear wings are small and usually attached to the fore wings by a row of hooks called hamuli.
  • They are social insects that live in colonies. The queen bee, drones and worker bees all have specific tasks to help support the colony. 
  • Unlike the honeybee, bumblebees do not make honey, as they do not need to store food for winter. Instead, the season’s new queens hibernate and emerge to find their own nests in the spring.