The Buzz Newsletter

August 2004

 

 

Page 5

Something Different

Almost everyone at some point has run across a bumblebee in their life. For some it was the deep buzzing sound as the bumblebee moves from flower to flower. For others it was the buzzing, yelling, and running after literally running over a bumblebee nest!

This summer has provided a unique opportunity to view a nest without the running or yelling. A chance to see up-close the differences between bumblebees and honeybees. It seems the bumblebees have decided the birdhouse in the backyard would make a good home. The birdhouse is one of those with a hinged lid. And just like honeybees, if you open the lid too roughly, they don’t like it. Most people also know one difference is that bumblebees can sting over and over. I opened the lid very carefully.

The nest itself is entirely different from anything seen in a beehive. The bumblebee cells are round, ball shaped wax containers. These cells perform the same functions as honeybee comb. They are used to store nectar, pollen, and raise young.

A bumblebee nest is considerably different than a honeybee hive.

Checking the Internet, it turns out that bumblebees also have a colony of female workers and a queen. The bumblebee queen is easy to identify as she is much larger than the workers. Unlike honeybees, bumblebees do not over-winter. In winter the colony dies off except for the queen. The males are produced sparingly for mating in the fall so that the queen will be fertile when spring arrives. The queen finds shelter under some tree bark or such and remains dormant until emerging again in the spring. Every spring the queen has to rebuild the initial nest and begin to lay eggs to establish the colony for another year. This renewal process would also explain why a bumblebee nest does not have large combs for storing winter food. While there is no bumblebee “honey” to gather, they are often used for pollination purposes.

It is quite clear that while bumblebees and honeybees are similar, they also have some very interesting differences. One other difference… I haven’t been stung by a bumblebee this year. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Submitted by Alex W. Ebert