Types of bumblebees

This is the most common bumblebee in Europe . It is an important pollinator , so it has been introduced to other countries outside of its native origin, especially for pollination in greenhouses to avoid time-consuming hand pollination. Unfortunately, it has become an invasive species that displaces native bumblebees, and importation has been prohibited in many places. Like other pollinating bumblebees , it has baskets called corbicula on its hind legs where it collects pollen.

This bumblebee can be found in natural areas of North America, but it can even be seen in urban areas, hence its common name. It is one of the most important pollinators in North America , responsible for much of the production of wild plants and cultivated plants, including greenhouse ones. Its use has increased since the ban on the common European bumblebee. The name of the species comes from one of the flowers it consumes, the impatiens.

It is the only bumblebee native to the southern cone of South America , which includes Chile and Argentina. It is in danger of extinction due to the introduction of exotic bumblebees, such as the European one. It is responsible for many also native plants, so its disappearance would have a knock-on effect. It is orange in color and the queen female is the largest bumblebee in existence, at 4 centimeters long.

It is native to Eurasia, and little by little it has reached other places, such as England. It is peculiar because it approaches flowers that other bumblebees do not frequent, possibly because their nesting areas are in trees or man-made structures, such as bird houses. The thorax is orange and the abdomen black, with a white tail .

It is the largest bumblebee in Europe , and it is peculiar because it has a long tongue with which it reaches the inside of flowers that other bumblebees cannot reach. They are black with yellow bands . This species is used for crop pollination, but it has been introduced to other areas, displacing native bumblebees and becoming invasive.

The Bombus borealis lives in the forests of North America , and its body is black with yellow bands . It also has a long tongue adapted to the deep corollas of flowers. It frequents asteraceae flowers, thistles and herbs of the genus Vicia.

It is unmistakable because it has a black dot between the yellow hairs on its back , located between the wings, followed by two fragments of the abdomen, also yellow, followed by a black color up to the tail. It is a pollinator that likes asteraceae flowers, Asclepias and bells of the genus Penstemon . The tongue is of medium size. It is native to North America, and frequents dense forests.

It makes its nest on or under the ground, made with moss that it collects to cover the nest and hence it is called "cardador" bumblebee. They are orange and yellow in color and frequent open fields where they feed on clover and asteraceae flowers.

It is found practically throughout Europe , including urban areas and gardens. They are orange with black underparts , and females have a white line on their sides. They pollinate flowers such as white clover and asteraceae. They build their nests with leaf litter.

Native to North America, it is light yellow in color with the last part of the abdomen black . Their communities are in decline, and they are not very common, which is why there are not many conservation actions aimed at preserving them. Its favorite flowers are the thistle, clovers, and bee balm of the Monarda genus .

So far we have reviewed bumblebees that are pollinators, but there is the subgenus Psithyrus, whose members are commonly called cuckoo bumblebees , which do not collect pollen for their offspring but instead stalk the nests of carding bumblebees, since they do not have structures to capture pollen. as do other bumblebees. Arriving at the foreign colony, they kill the queen to dominate the colony and for its members to raise her larvae. They are yellow with black stripes .