science education resource

Bumblebee

To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe to help support our content development.

School subscriptions can access more than 175 downloadable unit bundles in our store for free (a value of $1,500).

District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Bumblebee

Range

Of the 250 kinds (species) of bumblebee in the world, 200 of them are found in North America.

Habitat

They live in fields, pastures, orchards, yards, and nests underground.

Body Traits

They are black and yellow and hairy. They have orange pollen collectors on their legs. They are 1/2 - 1" long.

Habits

They fly around collecting pollen and pollinating plants as they go. They do sting but are not aggressive like some bees. They will avoid humans rather than sting. They are social insects and live in colonies. Each spring the queen that has survived the winter will find nesting a site to start her new colony.

Diet

The queen's first eggs become workers that collect pollen and nectar for food.

To view these resources with no ads, please Login or Subscribe to help support our content development.

School subscriptions can access more than 175 downloadable unit bundles in our store for free (a value of $1,500).

District subscriptions provide huge group discounts for their schools. Email for a quote: sheri@exploringnature.org.

Reproduction

During the spring, the queen lays her eggs in an underground nest site to start that summer's colony. The colony can grow to have 500 bees by the end of the summer.

Bumblebee

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum:    Arthropoda
Class:    Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family:    Apidae
Genus: Bombus

Citing Research References

When you research information you must cite the reference. Citing for websites is different from citing from books, magazines and periodicals. The style of citing shown here is from the MLA Style Citations (Modern Language Association).

When citing a WEBSITE the general format is as follows.
Author Last Name, First Name(s). "Title: Subtitle of Part of Web Page, if appropriate." Title: Subtitle: Section of Page if appropriate. Sponsoring/Publishing Agency, If Given. Additional significant descriptive information. Date of Electronic Publication or other Date, such as Last Updated. Day Month Year of access < URL >.

Here is an example of citing this page:

Amsel, Sheri. "Bumblebee" Exploring Nature Educational Resource ©2005-2024. March 25, 2024
< http://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Bumblebee >

Exploringnature.org has more than 2,000 illustrated animals. Read about them, color them, label them, learn to draw them.