However, Africanized bees are aggressive and territorial insects. Bees are usually docile creatures and don’t attack humans. Also, bees produce honey, a delicious sweet food enjoyed by humans, animals, and birds.Īlthough many bees are species of stinging insects, they are generally not aggressive. Bees are crucial for pollinating flowers so that we have crops of fruit and vegetables every year. A bee colony is also highly organized, with a queen, drones, and workers caring for the beehive.Įven though many species of bees swarm in large groups, other species are solitary creatures.īees play a vital role in most ecosystems. A single hive can contain between 20,000 and 80,000 worker bees. Interesting Facts About Beesīees, especially honey bees, are generally social creatures that live in large colonies. With over 20,000 species, the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most well-known, renowned for its honey production. Most bee species are identifiable by their fuzzy bodies, often adorned with black and yellow or orange stripes. Our comprehensive bee identification chart will assist you in recognizing and distinguishing the identifying features of various types of bees.īees are small flying insects commonly found in summer gardens, buzzing from flower to flower. Have you ever come across a bee and wished you could identify it? This article is a visual guide designed to help you identify 38 different types of bees. provide alternative nest sites with a little hamster bedding - bird boxes, or an old tea pot under the shed, for example.Share on Email Share on Pinterest Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn.ensure we have lots of nectar and pollen rich plants, and a pesticide-free, bee-friendly garden.leave bumble bee nests undisturbed if we find one - they only last a season.They are very docile and will only rarely sting if Greatly when bumble bees pollinate our plants (especially our soft fruits and beans). However, we humans can help, by creating bee-friendly gardens, and providing suitable bumble bee nest sites in our gardens. It’s important to note that fewer than half of colonies are successful, and nest disturbance is a significant factor, whether through human activity or predators. Some species however, have been able to adapt somewhat, through necessity, whilst for others this has not been possible. The lack of available nest sites has definitely had a very negative impact on populations of bumble bees. Lost many of our woodlands, again for the sake of ‘development’. Destruction Of Woodlands Woodlands, again because they provide a rich diversity of flora andįauna, provide great habitats. White-tailed bumble-bee - Bombus lucorum - queen, foraging on knapweed.ģ. Fortunately, nowadays many farmers are working hard to help pollinators, for example, by planting pollinator strips. Hence, wildflower meadows and grasslands have been lost to the detriment of many bumble bee species. Loss Of Wildflower Landscapes Again, for the sake of modern farming practices or for the sake of building and road development, many of the kinds of landscapes providing tussocky grasses and ample wild flowers that provide suitable habitat for surface nesting species, have been lost.įor example, in the UK, an astonishing 98% of such landscape has disappeared, along with important bumble bee habitat. Mammals, and so fewer available nest sites. The base of hedgerows provide ideal places for small rodents Lack Of Hedgerows Modern farming practices have resulted in the grubbing up of many Not only have they lost valuable foraging sites, H overing around or bumping into the windows of your house.Īgain, they are attracted to the shade, in case it signals a ready-madeĬavity where there might be a suitable site for a nest.Ĭhallenges faced by bumble bees in the search for a suitable nest siteįor a variety of reasons, bumble bees have suffered greatly because of.exploring other shady areas and crevices - such as underneath the garden shed, or around holes and crevices in walls or the bases of trees, gaps in compost bins.zig-zagging or flying low across the ground, apparently exploring dips and bumps along the grassy ground.Tell tale signs of queen bumble bees prospecting for nest sites: Once she has recovered from her winter snooze, she’ll go looking for suitable nest sites. The nectar will provide her with much needed energy, whilst the pollen will help her ovaries to develop. Nests are established by an impregnated queen after she has emerged from hibernation and has re-fuelled herself with nectar and pollen. So how do bumble bees go about locating and setting up nests? Prospecting For Nest Sites
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