The Humble Bumblebee

If you’ve worked around flowers, you’ve likely worked alongside of a bumble bee.  These colorful insects are a larger than a honeybee and five species can be found in Florida.  They fascinate scientists and lay people because of their ability to fly with very small wings and a heavy body.  Their colors and body shape make them of interest to cartoonist and artists who have made them popular in many ways.

Bumble bees belong to the genus Bombus which is in the Apidae family.  They are related to many other bees found throughout Florida including honeybees, digger bees, carpenter bees, stingless bees, and orchid bees.  They are social and form colonies, but smaller than the honeybee, with only 50 to 500 per colony.  They create their colonies annually in the spring after the fertilized queen overwinters in the ground, using rodent holes that are no longer active or cavities under roots in trees.

Bumble bees are especially beneficial to Florida gardeners and farmers because they can pollinate some plants that will not release their pollen to honeybees and other native bees.  This includes blueberries, peppers, and tomatoes (tomatoes are also self-pollinating and can be pollinated by the wind).  The bumble bee vibrates the flower and releases the tightly held pollen. 

Bumble bees are more efficient than honeybees also, and thus of great value to the farmer.  The tongues of some species are longer than those of honeybees and allows them to pollinate deeper flowers including red clover much more effectively.  Their vibration also helps with this and leads to them being two and a half times more efficient than honeybees.

What can you do to help the bumblebee population? Provide native plants for them!  They don’t limit themselves to the plants other bees cannot pollinate, but happily pollinate any plant with welcoming flowers.  Their favorites and the most nutritious for them are our native plants.