Bees are very important for pollination, which helps plants stay alive and is good for the health of our environment. There are big differences between garden bee bumblebee, bumblebees, and honey bees, even though they look a lot alike. This article talks about these differences and the unique traits of these bees.
Physical Differences Between Garden Bee Bumblebee, Bumblebees, and Honey Bees
The differences between bee bumblebee and honey bee can be distinguished by their appearance.
- Garden bumblebees
These bees are from the species Bombus hortorum and can be recognized by their yellow bands on their thorax, belly, and white tails. They are medium to big in size, and their faces and tongues are much longer than most insects'. This makes them perfect for getting nectar from flowers with long tubes.
- Bumblebees
These bees are bigger, stronger, and have fuzzier fur. Most of the time, they have bright yellow or orange lines on their black bodies. Bumblebees can be up to an inch long, which makes them stand out more in fields.
- Honey Bees
These bees are smaller, thinner bees with bodies that are bright yellow and have brown bands going through them. Their hair is thin, and their wings are clear. The belly of a honey bee is pointed and it is about 0.6 inches long.
Places To Live and Nest
There are different ways that garden bee bumblebee, bumblebees, and honey bees build their nests. Here is the explanation.
Garden Bumblebees usually build their nests underground, most of the time in old mouse holes. There are less than 100 workers in each nest, which is sometimes found above ground in leaf litter or bird nests. On the other hand, honey bees live in places that aren't underground, like tree hollows or man-made nests. Honey bees make big honeycombs out of wax to store food and raise their baby bees.
Bumblebees usually build their nests underground in old tunnels or in safe places like piles of rocks. Their colonies aren't as organized or big as honey bee hives.
- Pollination and Making Honey
Pollination is one of the most important things bees do. This is what these species do to help the process.
- Garden Bumblebees
Garden bee bumblebees are great at pollinating flowers with long tubes, like honeysuckle and foxglove. They help flowering plants grow and produce more flowers when they are in parks.
- Bumblebees
These insects are very good at spreading pollen. They stay in one place to collect nectar, which makes sure that all the plants in that area get pollinated.
- Honey Bees
Their colonies are very important for industrial farming because a lot of them can be moved around to pollinate crops at once. But honey bees often fly from one food source to another.
It's important to know the differences between garden bee bumblebee, bumblebees, and honey bees in order to understand their important roles in our environment. While honey bees are known for making honey and being important to farming, bumblebees and garden bumblebees are better known for being great pollinators in both wild and urban areas.