The bumblebee is an arthropod insect that belongs to the class of winged insects and the family True bees. The insects got their name from the sound they make when flying. However, many people know what a bumblebee looks like. However, not everyone is familiar with the lifestyle, social structure, and nutritional nuances of these individuals.
Origin of the species
Bumblebees belong to the order Hymenoptera. They appeared about 30 million years ago. This happened during the Oligocene.However, the found remains of insects from that period were not very well preserved. Therefore, scientists do not have clear evidence that individuals belong to this species.
The oldest insect remains that definitely belong to bumblebees date back to the Miocene. Their age is about 20 million years. It is believed that these insects appeared in Asia, and then moved to European countries. After some time, bumblebees came to America. Over the past 200 years, scientists have managed to find a dozen remains of bumblebees 10-20 million years old. Moreover, discoveries were made on different continents.
Description and appearance
Bumblebees belong to the same family as bees. They have a thick, furry body of fairly large size. Insects are resistant to cold weather. Their body has a thick shaggy cover. In addition, insects are capable of frequently contracting muscle tissue. This gives them the ability to quickly increase the temperature to +40 degrees. Therefore, in nature, insects are able to live even in the tundra and mountainous regions.
The body length of females reaches 1.3-2.8 centimeters, and males - 0.7-2.4. The largest species of bumblebee is considered to be the Asian giant, which is found in the eastern regions of Asia and Japan. Its body reaches a length of 5 centimeters, and its wingspan is 8.
The structure and appearance of the torso differs depending on gender. Females have an elongated, rounded head. In this case, the upper lip has a rectangular shape. The hind tibiae have a shiny and smooth surface. There is also a basket for collecting nectar and pollen. Males have an oval or triangular head with fine punctures. At the same time, the hind legs widen from above.
The structure of the oral apparatus of bumblebees includes a long trunk measuring 7-19 millimeters.Insects are also characterized by powerful jaws. Only females have a sting. The body of bumblebees usually has a yellow-black tint and is covered with stripes. In this case, the lower part has a white tint. However, there are individuals with red and orange stripes or a completely black body.
The lifespan of these insects is short. On average it is no more than 2 weeks. The death of insects occurs for various reasons. Most often, they wear out quickly as they try to collect more nectar. Males die after mating. Young fertilized females live the longest. However, they sleep most of the time.
Bumblebees are considered non-aggressive insects. They sting people only when the nest is threatened or caused harm. At the same time, bumblebee bites are very painful. If this happens, it is important to help the person. At home you should do the following:
- treat the bite site with an antiseptic or wash with soap and water;
- apply a cool vinegar compress;
- give the victim a warm drink;
- take an antihistamine.
Where does it live and what does it eat?
Bumblebees form families of 100-200 individuals. In this case, all insects are divided into several groups:
- workers;
- large females that lay eggs;
- drones that perform fertilization.
In regions with short summers, insects live alone. The fact is that they do not have time to form a family in a short period of time. Nests are located in the ground, nests, burrows, hollows. They consist of honeycombs and pupal cocoons. At the same time, bumblebee nests are not arranged as smoothly as bee nests. They tend to have a disorderly appearance.
Insects feed on plant pollen and nectar.In search of food, working bumblebees can fly at a speed of 18 kilometers per hour. To move nectar, insects use spurs with villi, which form a special basket. One bumblebee can carry as much nectar as it weighs.
In the absence of honey plants nearby, insects feed on plant sap.
Nest
Bumblebee nests are located in different places:
- Underground is where most insects live. They build homes in the burrows of various rodents and molehills. Moreover, the mouse smell attracts female bumblebees. To insulate their nests, individuals use wool, dry grass and other materials.
- On the ground - in this case, the nests are located in the grass, in bird nests, under the remains of plants.
- Above ground - bumblebees live in hollows, buildings, and birdhouses.
The shape of the nest depends on the cavity in which it is created. Ground structures are usually spherical in shape. Moss and dry grass are used to insulate the nest. Insects also strengthen their homes with wax, which is secreted using special abdominal glands.
Bumblebees are able to maintain a constant temperature in the nest at +30-35 degrees. If the parameters increase too much, insects begin to flap their wings violently near the entrance to the dwelling. This helps improve ventilation.
Features of character and lifestyle
Bumblebees are social animals, so they usually live in families. Its structure includes queens, males and workers. Families settle in large nests. The number of 1 family is about 100-200 individuals. They live together for a year. Then some individuals create new families, while others spend the winter.
Bumblebees lead a fairly active lifestyle. Each family member performs specific functions.Working insects search for food, feed larvae, and protect housing. The queen lays eggs, and the drones fertilize the females.
These insects have a calm and non-aggressive character.
They don't attack people just like that. A bumblebee can bite only in case of danger.
Social structure and reproduction
The social structure of bumblebees is similar to that of bees. The main individual among them is the uterus. She is responsible for creating a family and at the initial stage is involved in building a home and laying eggs. Then follow the males and workers, who subsequently feed the offspring and obtain food.
Fertilization of females occurs in the spring. Immediately after this, they begin to actively absorb food. The uterus requires increased nutrition to produce healthy offspring. After which the female begins to look for a place to lay eggs. At the same time, eggs mature in her ovaries. After the optimal place is found, the female begins construction of a home.
At one time, the queen can lay 16 eggs. They have an elongated shape and reach a maximum of 4 millimeters. After 6 days, larvae appear. They pupate after 20 days. It takes 18 days for the cocoon to mature. This means that adult insects appear 30 days after oviposition.
When the queen dies, the family does not cease to exist. The functions of the main bumblebee are taken over by working insects, which can also lay eggs.
Natural enemies
Ants pose a real threat to bumblebees. They steal honey from females, steal eggs and larvae.It is difficult for bumblebees to fight these pests, so they try to build their nests above the ground or place them in rodent burrows with many passages, which are difficult for ants to get into.
Some types of wasps steal bumblebee brood or insect honey. This is what brachycoma flies do. Conopid flies are also considered very dangerous for bumblebees. They attack insects in flight and stick their eggs to them. After which a larva emerges from them and eats the host.
Also, hyphomycete fungi pose a real danger to females. Gamasid mites are also often found in bumblebee nests. Of the birds, the European bee-eater is dangerous. She eats insects while collecting nectar. Bumblebee nests are often destroyed by hedgehogs, foxes and dogs.
Population and species status
The bumblebee is considered a valuable pollinator, which has a positive effect on human agricultural activities and is very important for the whole of nature. Insects effectively pollinate different types of plants.
These individuals are considered universal. In addition, they work much faster than bees. An important point is the pollination of clover, alfalfa and legumes by bumblebees.
The population of such insects is considered very numerous. Currently, there are more than 300 species of bumblebees. Moreover, they live in large numbers on almost all continents except Antarctica. Bumblebees reproduce rapidly and skillfully camouflage themselves. Some farmers even breed them for agricultural purposes.All these factors help maintain a stable population of individuals.
Bumblebee protection
Despite the impressive population of insects, a number of their representatives belong to endangered species. Certain breeds of bumblebees are becoming extinct, which is why they are included in the Red Books.
The negative impact on the population of these individuals is the following:
- significant environmental degradation;
- activity of natural enemies;
- food shortage;
- destruction of bumblebee nests by humans.
Armenian bumblebees, which were listed in the Red Books of Russia and Ukraine, are considered a rare species. These insects pollinate legumes and asteraceae. They live in mountain steppes, forest-steppe zones, and on the outskirts of forests - in the zone where pine trees grow. The common bumblebee is also included in the Red Book of Russia. A few of these individuals still remain in some regions of the country.
Although a number of bumblebee species are included in the Red Books, no active measures are being taken to preserve their population. This is due to the existence of many other varieties. Overall, bumblebees are not critically endangered. At the same time, to preserve rare species, it is recommended to limit agricultural activities in their habitat areas, ban the lighting of fires and reduce grazing.
Bumblebees are considered beneficial insects that are generalist pollinators. They do not harm people and do not show aggression. Bumblebees are widespread throughout the world and are able to tolerate cold climates. Certain breeds of these unique insects are already included in the Red Books, which is why they need careful attention from people.
