Bumblebee Biology
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Uniramia
Class: Insecta/Hexapoda
Order: Hympenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Bombus
Bumblebees comprise a group of about 250 species. They are generally larger than other types of bees, with black and yellow, orange, or red hairs covering their bodies. While they are perhaps best known for their large size and soft, fuzzy covering, these characteristics are not unique to bumblebees. Bumblebees also have many hairs on their hind legs that serve as combs and brushes for pollen collecting. Once pollen is collected, it is brushed off the pile (the fuzzy covering) of the bee and transferred to the pollen baskets on their hind legs (these are flat, shiny areas on the outside of the hind legs, surrounded by spiky hairs, where pollen can be stored during transportation).
A bumblebee queen
Like most bees, bumblebees form colonies which are headed by a queen. In the spring, a queen bee wakes from her hibernation to find a nest site. Bumblebees are unusual in that they do not build their own nests, but use a ready-made cavity in the ground, such as an abandoned rodent nest. Because of the shortage of nest sites, there is fierce competition for suitable places to start a colony. If a queen is successful in taking possession of a nest, she lays her eggs in a cell of pollen paste sealed with wax, and raises the first brood on her own. The larvae feed on the pollen paste, then are fed by the queen through a hole in the cell. When the larvae reach maturity they spin cocoons and then eventually emerge as worker bees. These workers bees are then able to take care of subsequent broods, help gather pollen, and take care of the work of the hive. Towards the end of the summer, the queen begins to lay eggs that will produce drones. Female offspring that are produced during this time (gynes) mate with the drones and become queen bees. While the rest of the colony stays in place and begins to die off, the new queens leave the nest in search of a safe place to hibernate during the winter before starting their own colonies and beginning the cycle again.
Bumblebee nest
Unlike the bumblebee in Korsakov's opera, which caused havoc among his father's enemies, bumblebees are not known for their aggression, and generally attack only when their nest is disturbed. Females are the only ones with stingers, but these are not barbed, so they can sting multiple times. Still, they are generally not considered a problem for humans unless their nests are located near walkways or buildings, and their important status as pollinators far outweighs their potential as pests.